Should you charge your EV with solar or off-peak power?
Use your own parking time and electricity plan to choose a simple, realistic charging routine.
Ready to use your own figures? Compare your charging routines. The tool estimates cost; it does not assess electrical safety.
- Use your billYour actual usage rates matter more than a generic national price.
- Solar timingDaytime parking can let you use solar generation when it is available.
- Off-peak timingOvernight charging may be cheaper when your plan offers an off-peak rate.
The cheapest time to charge is not universal. It depends on when your car is parked, your electricity plan, rooftop solar and what rate applies when charging actually happens.
Start with one routine you can maintain. A complicated plan that you never use is less valuable than a simple schedule that matches your driving and parking.
1. Find the rate that applies when you charge
Look at the usage charges on your bill. If you have time-of-use pricing, identify the rate that applies overnight or during the period you normally charge.
Do not treat an annual comparison figure as your charging rate. Use the actual rate for the time you will use electricity.
2. Use solar when your car is home
If the car is parked at home during the day, charging while rooftop solar is generating may reduce the grid electricity you buy. It is not automatically free: your solar output, household use and export arrangement still matter.
A smart charger or energy-management setting can help match charging to solar or lower-price periods if your equipment supports it.
3. Test two routines
Use the EV running-cost calculator once with your usual rate and once with a weighted off-peak or solar-led rate. Keep public charging as a separate share.
Then choose the routine that works with your actual parking time, rather than changing energy plans based on an estimate alone.
Sources and further reading
Planning note: This guide is general information. Use the calculators with your own vehicle, charging and cost inputs before making a decision.
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