How much electricity does an EV use per month?

The calculation, with a worked example

Two inputs: how far you drive, and how efficient the car is.

At 1,200 km a month and about 7 km per kWh of battery energy, the car needs about 171 kWh in the pack. Add 12 percent for charging losses and you get about 192 units on the meter. Someone driving 800 km a month at the same efficiency lands nearer 130 units.

Efficiency varies more than people expect

A small car like the MG Comet in city traffic may return 8 km per kWh or better. A large SUV on the highway with the air conditioning running may manage 5 to 6.

Speed, tyre pressure, AC use and short cold-start trips all move the number. Your car's trip computer, shown in km per kWh or Wh per km, is the honest source for your own driving — far better than any published figure.

The meter always reads more than the car's display

The car reports energy that reached the battery. The electricity meter counts what left the wall. The 10 to 15 percent gap is normal for AC charging and is not a fault.

If the gap is consistently much bigger than 20 percent, look for a battery heating or cooling load during charging, or a metering problem worth investigating.

Measure it rather than estimate it

A charger with a built-in energy meter gives you per-session kWh, which is far more accurate than inferring from a monthly bill that also contains the fridge and the air conditioning.

The PowerPod Go 7.4 kW includes a Class 1 meter and logs each session. That same data is what apartments use to bill residents fairly, and what lets you tell whether the car or the summer is responsible for a higher bill.

Standby draw is small, but not zero

A connected charger with Wi-Fi or 4G draws a few watts continuously, which adds only a unit or two a month. That is not worth worrying about.

Leaving a battery sitting at 100 percent in hot weather matters more for your car than the charger's standby draw matters for your bill.

The RIOD chargers this applies to

Frequently asked questions

How many units does an electric car use per month in India?

Typically 120 to 250 units, depending on distance and efficiency. A compact EV driven 1,000 km a month at 7 km per kWh uses roughly 160 units at the meter.

How do I work out my own monthly EV consumption?

Monthly km divided by your car's km per kWh gives battery energy; multiply by about 1.12 for charging losses to get meter units. Use the trip computer figure rather than the brochure.

Does a bigger battery use more electricity per month?

Not by itself. Consumption follows distance and efficiency, not pack size. A bigger pack simply means fewer, larger charging sessions.

Efficiency and consumption figures are typical ranges for Indian driving conditions. Use your own vehicle's trip computer for an accurate figure.