Is home EV charging cheaper than public charging?
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Short answer
Yes, usually by a factor of two to four. Home rates are roughly Rs 5 to Rs 9 per unit; reported KSEB public rates ranged from about Rs 10.03 for daytime AC to Rs 27.41 for night DC. For a 30 kWh car that is about Rs 235 at home against about Rs 337 on public AC and around Rs 623 on public DC.
Public prices include things your house does not
A public operator pays for land, hardware, a higher tariff category, demand charges, software, payment fees and maintenance — and needs a margin on top.
A public charge is not overpriced by default. It simply carries costs your home connection does not. That is exactly why daily charging belongs at home or at work, and public charging belongs on trips.
The exception: subsidised or daytime public AC
KSEB's reported daytime AC rate of around Rs 10 per kWh is not far above what a household in a high slab pays at Rs 8 to Rs 9.
If your workplace or a nearby station offers AC charging during the day and your home tariff is high, the gap shrinks to almost nothing. Do that maths with your own bill before assuming home is always cheaper.
Convenience has a value too
Public charging means driving to a station, waiting, and occasionally finding a charger broken or occupied. Home charging happens while you sleep.
For most owners the time saved is worth as much as the money saved, and it is the reason a home charger pays for itself in a way a spreadsheet does not fully capture.
Home charging is only cheap if the setup is safe
A burnt socket, a tripped board or a damaged cable costs far more than a year of public charging.
A dedicated circuit with correct protection is the real prerequisite. Check whether your existing supply has room before you commit — our load calculator does that arithmetic in a few minutes.
The RIOD chargers this applies to
PowerPod Lite 7.4 kW
7.4 kW · 32 A · 1-phase · Type 2 · RFID
₹45,000 incl. GST · 24-month warranty
View PowerPod Lite 7.4 kWPowerPod Go 3.3 kW
3.3 kW · 16 A · 1-phase · Type 2 · OCPP 1.6J · RFID · Wi-Fi + 4G
₹21,000 incl. GST · 24-month warranty
View PowerPod Go 3.3 kWFrequently asked questions
How much cheaper is home charging than public charging?
Typically two to four times. A 30 kWh charge is about Rs 235 at home at Rs 7 per unit, about Rs 337 on reported daytime public AC, and around Rs 623 on public DC.
Why is public EV charging so expensive in India?
The price carries land or rent, hardware, a commercial or HT tariff with demand charges, software, payment fees, maintenance and an operator margin. None of those apply to your home connection.
Can I rely only on public charging?
You can, but at roughly Rs 3 to Rs 4 per km on DC the running-cost advantage over petrol shrinks considerably. Most owners charge at home and use public charging for trips.
Keep going
Browse the full RIOD EV charger range →
Electrical Load Capacity Calculator — check your supply before you order →
EV charger price and installation cost in India →
Public vs private charging: the operator's view →
Related guides
Not sure which charger fits your supply?
Send us your car model, sanctioned load and the distance from your meter to the parking bay. RIOD designs and builds its chargers in Kochi and Infopark Thrissur, so you get an engineer's answer rather than a sales sheet.
Talk to RIODPublic charging rates quoted are figures reported in May 2025 including GST and are not current quotations. Home tariff ranges are indicative; use your own bill.