Case 1
- Distance
- 100km
- Consumption
- 18kWh/100 km
- Surcharge for weather and driving profile
- 0%
- Charging loss
- 0%
- Price per kWh
- 0.311
5.60
Open with these valuesVW ID.4 Pro 4Motion: Electricity Cost per 100 km
8.49
Result: 8.49AUTO BILD measured 27.3 kWh per 100 km for the VW ID.4 Pro 4Motion on its 155 km test route, without stating the outside temperature. At 31.1 cents per kWh that is €8.49 for 100 km, and that figure is already in the calculator below. It holds for that one drive: winter adds 21 to 107 % by the ADAC's measurements, and charging losses add another 5 to 24 % on top of it.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: Distance 100 km, Consumption 27.3 kWh/100 km, Surcharge for weather and driving profile 0 %, Charging loss 0.0 %.
| Price per kWh | Result |
|---|---|
| 0.1000 | 2.73 |
| 0.2000 | 5.46 |
| 0.3000 | 8.19 |
| 0.3110Your value | 8.49 |
| 0.4000 | 10.92 |
| 0.5000 | 13.65 |
| 0.6000 | 16.38 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- Distance
- 15000km
- Consumption
- 19kWh/100 km
- Surcharge for weather and driving profile
- 25%
- Charging loss
- 6%
- Price per kWh
- 0.311
1,178.66
Open with these valuesCase 3
- Distance
- 300km
- Consumption
- 22.6kWh/100 km
- Surcharge for weather and driving profile
- 0%
- Charging loss
- 12.7%
- Price per kWh
- 0.51
39.61
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
cost = distance/100 × consumption × (1 + surcharge) ÷ (1 − loss) × price
- StepEnter the distance. It starts at 100 km, so the result reads as cost per 100 km.
- StepEnter the car's consumption in kWh per 100 km.
- StepAdd a surcharge for weather and driving profile; the table below carries the measured ones.
- StepAdd the charging loss if your consumption figure is measured at the wheel.
- ResultEnter your price per kWh and read the cost.
What this number means
Electricity for 100 km is consumption times price: 18 kWh per 100 km at 31.1 cents is 5.60. That sum holds for a mild day on your own wallbox and for nothing else, which is why this calculator has two more fields. The first is the surcharge for weather and driving profile. Over a full year the ADAC measures 25 to 31 % more than in mild weather, on a 100 km real drive at 0 °C it measures 21 to 30 %, and Green NCAP on short trips at −7 °C finds between 38 % and 107 %. The surcharge therefore belongs to the driving profile, not to the model: a fixed winter figure per car would be invented, and a winter column that is really the catalogue figure times a constant is the exact mistake this page refuses to repeat. The second field is the charging loss, the energy that disappears between socket and battery and still appears on your bill. The ADAC measures 5.1 to 7.0 % on an 11 kW wallbox and 12.7 to 24.2 % on a household socket. It divides rather than multiplies: 20 kWh at a 20 % loss is 25 kWh drawn from the grid, not 24, so the bill rises by 25 %. Both fields start at 0, so the calculator claims nothing about your car until you type it in. What the result never contains: purchase price, depreciation, insurance, tax, tyres, servicing and the idle fees some rapid chargers add.
A charging loss is divided, not added on top
20 % loss means 20 divided by 0.8, so 25 kWh from the socket — 25 % more electricity, not 20 %. Adding 20 % instead gives 24 kWh and understates every bill.
The winter surcharge belongs to the trip, not the car
Measured over a full year the ADAC finds 25 to 31 % more, on short trips at −7 °C Green NCAP finds between 38 and 107 %. There is no single winter figure per model, and any table that shows one has calculated it.
Do not count the loss twice
If your consumption figure is already measured at the socket, leave the charging loss at 0. Magazine test figures are usually measured at the wheel, figures from a charge point app are not.
Where the percentages come from
Charging losses: ADAC, five cars across four charging modes, checked on 2026-09-03. Winter surcharges: ADAC endurance tests, ADAC real drives and Green NCAP, checked on 2026-09-03.
Commonly misread
A 20 % charging loss adds 20 % to the bill.
It adds 25 %. The loss is a share of the energy drawn from the grid, so the sum divides by 0.8 rather than multiplying by 1.2.
Every model has a winter consumption figure.
Published measurements spread from 21 % to 107 % more, driven by trip length and temperature rather than by the badge.
The catalogue consumption is what you pay for.
You pay for what leaves the socket. Between 5 and 24 % of it never reaches the battery, depending on where and how fast you charge.
Reference table
| What it corrects | Measurement | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Winter, 100 km real drive at 0 °C | ADAC: Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208 | +21 % |
| Winter, 100 km real drive at 0 °C | ADAC: VW ID.3 | +30 % |
| Winter, year-round endurance test | ADAC: Opel Ampera-e | +25 % |
| Winter, year-round endurance test | ADAC: VW e-up, Renault Zoe | +31 % |
| Winter, short trips at −7 °C | Green NCAP: BYD Atto 3 | +38 % |
| Winter, short trips at −7 °C | Green NCAP: VW ID.5 | +107 % |
| Charging loss, 11 kW wallbox | ADAC, five cars | 5.1 to 7.0 % |
| Charging loss, solar surplus at 4.1 kW | ADAC, five cars | 8.0 to 12.8 % |
| Charging loss, household socket | ADAC, five cars | 12.7 to 24.2 % |
| Charging loss, DC rapid charging | ADAC, four cars | 5 to 15 % |
Questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car per 100 km?
Multiply consumption in kWh per 100 km by your price per kWh. At 18 kWh and 31.1 cents that is 5.60 for 100 km, before any winter surcharge or charging loss.
How do I include charging losses?
Divide the energy by one minus the loss: 20 kWh at 20 % loss is 25 kWh from the socket. The ADAC measured 5.1 to 7.0 % on an 11 kW wallbox and 12.7 to 24.2 % on a household socket.
How much more does an EV use in winter?
It depends on the trip, not the model. The ADAC measures 25 to 31 % more across a full year and 21 to 30 % on a 100 km drive at 0 °C, while Green NCAP finds 38 to 107 % on short trips at −7 °C.
Why are both correction fields set to 0?
Because neither has a single correct value, and a default would look like a measurement. The table above carries the published ranges so you can pick the row that matches your driving.
What is not in this result?
Everything about the car that is not electricity: purchase price, depreciation, insurance, tax, tyres and servicing. Idle fees at rapid chargers are outside it too.
Sources and last check
Information, not financial advice.