Short answer: charging at home costs roughly 9–35c per unit of electricity, while public fast charging runs from about 50c to 85c per unit depending on the network and speed. In other words, public charging typically costs two to nine times what you'd pay at home — which is why most drivers do the bulk of their charging at home and use public chargers mainly for journeys.
Here's the full breakdown, network by network, plus the extra fees worth knowing about so nothing surprises you.
Home vs public — the big picture
Electricity is priced per unit (per kWh — think price-per-litre, but for electricity).
- At home, standard rate: roughly 35c per unit.
- At home, on an EV night tariff: as little as 9–11c per unit in the small hours (the 2–5am windows on Bord Gáis, Energia and Electric Ireland's EV plans).
- Public fast charging: roughly 50c to 85c per unit, depending on network and speed.
A typical family EV holds somewhere around 60 units of usable charge. So a full charge from near-empty costs you somewhere around €5–7 at home overnight, or more like €30–€50 at a public fast charger. That gap is the single most useful thing to understand about EV running costs: home charging is where the savings are; public charging is for keeping moving on longer trips.
What public charging costs, network by network
These are rough pay-as-you-go rates per unit. Treat them as a guide for comparing networks, not a live price list — prices change often, so always check the charger screen or the app before you start.
| Network | Rough price per unit | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| ESB ecars | Standard ~60c · Fast & High Power ~72c (1c more by contactless) | €4.79/month membership → 55c / 67c; card tap only at High Power units; 50c/min overstay after 45 min on fast chargers |
| EZO (formerly EasyGo) | Fast 74c at most sites · 70c at partner-hosted sites · 50c at Lidl · Slow 63c (60c partner-hosted) — set per site | €1.50 access fee per session on pay-as-you-go (€1.70 at Lidl), about 5c a unit on a typical charge; overstay fee of about 54c a minute at rapid chargers; one fob also works on ESB and Ionity at EZO's own roaming rates; €50 card hold at fast chargers |
| Applegreen Fast Charge | ~68c (fast / ultra-rapid) | Formerly Applegreen Electric; the app is a little cheaper; only a €1 card hold; idle fee after 45 min at some sites |
| Circle K | ~52–57c (100kW+, as reported Sept 2026) | Contactless only for private drivers (no consumer app in Ireland) |
| Ionity | 81c contactless · 77c in the app · 59c / 47c on the €5.99 / €11.99 monthly plans | No connection or idle fees; €40 card hold on contactless |
| ePower | ~73c (high power) + 24c access fee · 66c with the €4.79/month plan | Same price however you pay; night rate 11pm–6am (around 49c, 39c for members) |
| Tesla Supercharger | ~57–64c pay-as-you-go (off-peak / peak) · 42–47c with the €12.99/month membership | Tesla app only — no card tap; idle fees at busy sites |
| Weev | Slow 55c app / 60c tap · Rapid & ultra-rapid 66c app / 71c tap | No connection fee; €50 hold on contactless (€1 in the app) |
| InstaVolt | 85c standard · 55c off-peak 8pm–7am via the app or RFID card | New to Ireland (10 ultra-rapid sites); contactless always pays the standard rate |
On pay-as-you-go fast charging the lowest all-in price at a national network is currently ESB's 73c by bank card, with ePower close behind once its 24c fee is counted. EZO looks similar per unit but adds a €1.50 access fee each time, which is about 5c a unit on a typical charge; its Lidl sites are the exception, at 50c a unit plus €1.70. The priciest at the charger is Ionity at 81c, unless you take one of its subscriptions. All of these differences are modest next to the home-vs-public gap above.
What roaming with one fob costs
Carrying a single fob across networks — like tapping an EZO fob at an ESB charger — is wonderfully convenient. But that convenience isn't free: you pay a small roaming premium versus using the host network's own card.
As a real example, an EZO fob on an ESB High Power charger worked out around 86c per unit all-in (the EZO roaming rate, plus an access fee and VAT — last checked before ESB's July 2026 rise), against 72c pay-as-you-go or 67c with membership on a native ESB account — roughly 20–30% more for the same electricity.
That doesn't make the fob a bad idea — it's the one-tap backup that works almost everywhere, and the gap is small in cash terms on a typical charge. But for the network you use most, it's worth also carrying that network's own card: the free ESB charge card, in particular, pays for itself in both reliability and price if you use ESB regularly. (Our fob guide covers which to carry.)
The extra fees to watch for
The headline per-unit price isn't always the whole story. Three things can add to a session:
Connection fees. A few networks add a fixed fee per session on top of the per-unit rate: EZO charges pay-as-you-go users €1.50 (€1.70 at Lidl sites), and ePower 24c. Most don't. On a small top-up that fee matters more than the unit price, so check it before you plug in.
Pre-authorisation holds. When you tap a payment card, many chargers place a temporary hold on your account to check the card is good — anywhere from €1 up to €50 or more depending on the network. It's refunded within a few days, but if your balance is tight it's worth knowing it can briefly tie up funds.
Overstay fees. Many fast chargers charge a small per-minute fee if you leave your car plugged in after it's finished charging, to keep spaces free for others. Move your car promptly once it's done and you'll never pay these.
How to keep costs down
A few simple habits make the biggest difference:
- Charge at home whenever you can, ideally on an overnight EV tariff — this is where the real savings are.
- Use public fast chargers for journeys, not daily top-ups, since they cost several times more.
- If you regularly use one network, check its membership. ESB, Ionity, ePower, and Tesla all offer monthly plans that quickly pay for themselves if you charge often.
- Don't pay extra for the wrong payment method — at most networks the price is the same whether you tap a card, use the app, or use a charge card, so use whatever's easiest. (A few networks make their app slightly cheaper.)
Want to know how to actually pay at each of these networks? See our complete guide to paying at EV chargers in Ireland, or ask Echo in the EvEcho app — we're always happy to help you find your feet.