Running an Electric Car in Germany
An EV in Germany is cheap to run if you charge at home and expensive if you rely on public fast charging. Almost everything below follows from that one fact.
What a kilometre actually costs
A typical compact EV uses 16–19 kWh/100 km in summer and 21–25 kWh/100 km in winter. Multiply by your real electricity price, not the headline one.
| Charging at | Price per kWh | Cost per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| Home, standard tariff | ~30 ct | €5.40 |
| Home, EV or night tariff | 22–26 ct | €4.00–4.70 |
| Public AC (22 kW) | 39–59 ct | €7.00–10.60 |
| Public DC (fast) | 50–79 ct | €9.00–14.20 |
| Ionity without a subscription | up to 89 ct | €16.00 |
Wallbox: the rules
- An 11 kW Wallbox must be registered with your Netzbetreiber; anything above 11 kW needs approval, not just notification
- Installation by a qualified electrician runs roughly €800–2,000 including the unit
- The KfW 440 subsidy ended in 2021 and the 442 solar programme is closed — do not budget for a grant
- Tenants have a right under §554 BGB to demand a charging point be permitted, though you pay for it
- In a Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft you have a claim under §20 WEG, but the assembly decides how it is carried out
The THG-Quote is free money
If you are the registered keeper of a pure electric car you can sell your Treibhausgasminderungsquote once a year to a trading platform. You upload a photo of Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and get paid.
Tax and company cars
- Kfz-Steuer: pure EVs registered up to 31 December 2025 are exempt until 31 December 2030, then taxed at a reduced weight-based rate
- Company car benefit: 0.25% of list price per month for EVs up to €70,000, against 1% for a combustion car — the single biggest EV saving in Germany
- Insurance: often slightly cheaper on Haftpflicht, dearer on Vollkasko because battery repairs are expensive
- The Umweltbonus purchase subsidy ended in December 2023 and has not returned
Charging on the road without overpaying
Prices vary enormously by provider and by whether you use a charging card or pay ad-hoc at the terminal. A Ladekarte from EnBW mobility+, EWE Go or your regional Stadtwerke usually beats app payment at the point of use.
- EnBW mobility+ — widest network access, simple flat pricing
- Ionity Passport — only worth it for regular long motorway runs
- Aral Pulse and EWE Go — competitive DC pricing
- Avoid ad-hoc credit-card charging at motorway sites; consistently the dearest option
Winter, and the honest downside
Expect to lose 20–30% of range below freezing, and more on short trips where the cabin heater runs constantly. A heat pump reduces this noticeably and is worth paying for on a used car. If you cannot charge at home and you drive more than about 15,000 km a year, the numbers do not work — a petrol or diesel car will cost you less.