How wide the real gap actually is
Home charging already has its own state-by-state numbers on the calculator above: about $4.82 (ACT) to $6.71 (SA) per 100 km on a typical 16 kWh/100 km EV, including the usual 10% charging loss. Public fast charging is set network by network, and often site by site and hour by hour within the same network, so this calculator's single 65¢/kWh assumption is really an average papering over a genuinely wide spread.
The real spread runs from close to home charging, at the rare end, to well beyond triple it. Tesla's own Supercharger network has cut pricing at some sites to as little as 27¢/kWh before 8am for Tesla owners, while standard daytime pricing, other networks' rates, and a handful of low-traffic regional sites all land well above it. The table below has the real range, taken directly from each operator rather than one averaged guess.
What it actually costs
What Australia's main public charging networks actually billed in 2026, worked out on the same 16 kWh/100 km, 10% charging-loss basis as the calculator's own home-charging figure above, so every row compares like for like.
| Option | What it includes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Home charging (own power point) | 16 kWh/100 km on your state's electricity rate, plus the usual 10% charging loss | $4.82–$6.71/100 km |
| Tesla Supercharger, Tesla owner, off-peak | As low as 27¢/kWh before 8am at some sites, e.g. Melbourne's Braybrook Supercharger | ~$4.75/100 km |
| Tesla Supercharger, Tesla owner, standard | 32¢/kWh at a typical site, e.g. Perth's Osborne Park Supercharger | ~$5.63/100 km |
| Tesla Supercharger, non-Tesla vehicle | 37–45¢/kWh at the same two sites, a premium over Tesla-owner pricing | $6.51–$7.92/100 km |
| Evie Networks, member (free to join) | 49¢/kWh, a 10¢ discount off the non-member rate | ~$8.62/100 km |
| Evie Networks, non-member | 59¢/kWh | ~$10.38/100 km |
| Ampol AmpCharge | 69¢/kWh in 2026, up 15% from 60¢ the same year | ~$12.14/100 km |
| NRMA, remote/regional site | As high as 99¢/kWh at low-traffic sites, e.g. the Northern Territory's Erldunda Roadhouse | ~$17.42/100 km |
Public network pricing changes often and varies site to site within the same network. Check the operator's own app for the exact price at your charger before you plug in.
When public charging still makes sense, and how to keep the bill down
None of this makes public charging a bad idea. It's what makes an EV usable beyond your own driveway, on a road trip or for anyone without off-street parking to plug in at home. The point is knowing which button you're pressing. A servo-style fast top-up between Melbourne and Sydney was never going to match a trickle charge from your own power point overnight, and it isn't meant to: you're paying for speed and location, the same trade-off as paying more for takeaway than cooking at home.
Two things reliably shrink the public bill. First, join before you charge: Evie's membership is free and knocks 10¢/kWh (17%) straight off every session, and NRMA members save a flat 5¢/kWh since the network moved off a percentage discount in August 2025. Second, check the app for the site you're actually at rather than assuming a network-wide rate applies. Tesla's own pricing swings from 27¢ to 45¢/kWh between two real Supercharger sites in the table above, before 8am against the middle of the day, so the cheapest charge is often a matter of timing, not brand loyalty.
What charging costs leave out: stamp duty and registration
Every figure above prices the electricity, home or public, not the vehicle itself. Buying an EV carries its own state-based costs at the point of purchase, stamp duty and registration, and treatment has shifted a lot since the early wave of exemptions made headlines in 2021 and 2022. Most of those have since closed or been wound back: New South Wales dropped its stamp duty exemption at the end of 2023, South Australia's and Tasmania's registration exemptions have both since expired, and the ACT's full duty exemption ended on 1 September 2025, so a new EV bought in Canberra today pays real duty again. Queensland and Victoria never ran a full exemption at all, just a genuinely lower rate that still applies. The Northern Territory is the outlier: its stamp duty concession and free registration are both still running, unchanged, through mid-2027.
State stamp duty and registration on a new EV
Applies equally to any new EV, regardless of make or model, so it sits alongside whichever charging bill, home or public, you actually pay above.
| State | Stamp duty | Registration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | No exemption (ended 31 Dec 2023) | Small ongoing discount on the registration tax component for EVs and low-CO2 hybrids | A transitional refund path exists only for cars bought or deposited before the exemption ended |
| Victoria | $8.40 per $200 of value (the “green car” flat rate), not an exemption but avoids the tiered rate pricier petrol cars pay | $100/yr discount for battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen vehicles | The flat rate matters most on cars over $80,809, where standard duty steps up to $10.40–$18 per $200 |
| Queensland | $2 per $100 of value up to $100,000 (vs $3–$6 per $100 for petrol, by cylinder count) | No EV-specific concession; priced on the same weight-based fee as any light car | The separate $3,000–$6,000 purchase rebate closed 2 Sept 2024 |
| South Australia | No exemption; never had one | Exemption ended 30 Jun 2025 (was 3 years free, on cars up to $68,750) | The separate $3,000 purchase subsidy ended 1 Jan 2024 |
| Western Australia | No concession | No concession | The $3,500 ZEV rebate (cars up to $70,000) closed 10 May 2025 with no replacement announced |
| Tasmania | No exemption (ended 31 Dec 2023) | No discount; priced the same as a 4-cylinder petrol car | – |
| Australian Capital Territory | Duty resumed 1 Sept 2025 at a 2.5% minimum rate, rising for pricier cars; the full exemption that ran before that date is gone | Cheapest tier under the new emissions-based fee structure, not free | The ACT's own climate-program page still says duty-free; its Revenue Office's current rate table overrides that |
| Northern Territory | Up to $1,500 off, on BEVs and PHEVs valued up to $50,000, 3% duty on any amount over that | Free registration for the same eligible vehicles | Runs 1 Jul 2022 to 30 Jun 2027; the only state or territory with both concessions still fully intact |
Verified July 2026 directly against each state or territory's own revenue or transport office: several of these concessions have closed or scaled back since 2023-2025 as EVs stopped being a rarity, so older articles describing them as duty-free are now out of date. Your row is highlighted once you set your location.
Common questions
How much more does public EV charging cost than charging at home in Australia?
Usually noticeably more, though the gap varies a lot by network. Home charging runs about $4.82 to $6.71 per 100 km on state electricity rates. Evie's member rate works out to around $8.62, Ampol's AmpCharge network to about $12.14, and a handful of remote sites go well beyond that. The rare exception is early-morning Tesla Supercharger pricing, which has dropped low enough at some sites to nearly match home rates.
Which public EV charging network is cheapest in Australia?
There's no single answer, because pricing is set site by site and often hour by hour, not network-wide. Evie's member rate (49¢/kWh) is among the more consistent options, while Tesla's Supercharger pricing swings the widest, from 27¢/kWh at some sites before 8am to over 40¢/kWh for a non-Tesla vehicle at the same charger. Check the operator's app for your actual site before assuming a network's typical rate applies.
Is it worth joining a charging network before using public chargers?
Yes, when membership is free. Evie's free membership saves 10¢/kWh (17%) off every session, and NRMA members save a flat 5¢/kWh since August 2025. Joining takes a few minutes in the app and can pay for itself on the very first charge.
Does public charging still beat driving a petrol car?
Usually, yes, even at the pricier end of the public network range. See our companion guide on EV vs petrol cost per kilometre for how the full electric-vs-petrol saving stacks up across small, medium and large cars.
Do I still get a stamp duty or registration discount for buying an EV, on top of what it costs to charge?
It depends which state, and it's changed a lot since 2023. New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and, most recently, the ACT (from 1 September 2025) have all wound back the exemptions they used to offer, so a new EV in most of the country now pays close to full duty. Queensland and Victoria never had a full exemption, just a lower ongoing rate that still applies. The Northern Territory is the only state or territory with a full concession still running, up to $1,500 off on eligible vehicles under $50,000, through mid-2027. None of this changes what you pay to charge, home or public, covered in the table above; it's a separate, one-off cost at the point of purchase.
Sources
Evie Networks member and non-member per-kWh pricing: Evie Networks, How much does it cost to charge?, with the exact member/non-member cent figures corroborated by Fuel Saving Tips, Evie Networks Charging Cost Per kWh (2026). NRMA's flat 5¢/kWh member discount (from August 2025) and its Erldunda Roadhouse pricing example, quoted directly: NRMA, Why we’re updating EV charging prices. Ampol AmpCharge's 2026 price rise to 69¢/kWh, quoted directly: Chasing Cars, Ampol increases Australian EV charging prices to $0.69/kWh. Tesla Supercharger's real site-by-site pricing (Braybrook, VIC and Osborne Park, WA), quoted directly: The Driven, Tesla opens two new Supercharger stations, as fast charging costs hit new low of 27c/kWh. Electricity rates: AER Default Market Offer and each state's regulated reference tariff, current for 2026–27. State stamp duty and registration, each fetched directly July 2026: NSW Government, stamp duty exemption (ended 31 Dec 2023) and NSW, registering an electric vehicle; Victoria SRO, motor vehicle duty current rates ($8.40 per $200 green-car rate) and VicRoads, ZLEV registration discount; Queensland, vehicle registration duty rates and Queensland, registration concessions; RevenueSA, stamp duty exemptions and relief, registration exemption end date corroborated by business.gov.au, Incentives for Electric Vehicles (SA); Transport WA, ZEV Rebate FAQs (rebate closed 10 May 2025); Tasmania SRO, motor vehicle duty exemptions and Tasmania, registration fees; ACT Revenue Office, motor vehicle duty (duty resumed 1 Sept 2025), corroborated by Electric Vehicle Council; and NT Government, EV registration and stamp duty concessions (runs to 30 Jun 2027). This same state-by-state incentive data is also cited in full on this site's own EV vs petrol cost per kilometre guide. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. All fetched July 2026.