EV charging cost in the UAE: home vs public
Updated 12 November 2026
Charging an electric car in the UAE costs at least AED 0.735 a kWh at a public slow charger and AED 1.26 at a fast one, VAT included. At home in Dubai it's about AED 0.31 to 0.46 a kWh, depending on your DEWA slab. Put in your own driving below to compare with petrol at November 2026 prices.
EV charging cost calculator
The starting values are examples, not measurements. Your car's trip computer shows its kWh per 100 km; heat, AC and highway speed push it up.
| Energy | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Home, lowest slab | – | – |
| Home, top slab | – | – |
| Public slow (AC) | – | – |
| Public fast (DC) | – | – |
| Petrol car | – | – |
Electricity prices include 5% VAT; home rows use DEWA's lowest and highest residential slab. Petrol uses November 2026's official price for the grade you pick.
What a kWh costs, by where you charge
| Where you charge | Before VAT | With VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Home in Dubai, 0–2,000 kWh a month | 0.29 | 0.305 |
| Home in Dubai, 2,001–4,000 kWh a month | 0.34 | 0.357 |
| Home in Dubai, 4,001–6,000 kWh a month | 0.38 | 0.399 |
| Home in Dubai, over 6,000 kWh a month | 0.44 | 0.462 |
| Public slow charger (AC), minimum | 0.70 | 0.735 |
| Public fast charger (DC), minimum | 1.20 | 1.26 |
Home rows are DEWA's residential slab tariff plus its fuel surcharge (AED 0.06 a kWh in November 2026). The slab depends on your whole home's use that month, so charging is billed at the slab your household reaches, not a separate EV rate.
Public chargers: one federal minimum
Since 6 September 2024, Cabinet Resolution No. 81 of 2024 sets a minimum price for public charging across the UAE: AED 1.20 a kWh plus VAT for fast (DC) charging and AED 0.70 plus VAT for slow (AC) charging. These are minimums, so an operator can charge more.
DEWA's tariff page lists its public EV Green Charger rate as AED 1.14 (DC) and AED 0.64 (AC) a kWh, before the fuel surcharge and VAT. Other networks, such as ADNOC's E2GO, UAEV and Tesla Superchargers, show their price in their own app before you start; check it there.
Home charging outside Dubai
The home figures here are Dubai's. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates have their own utilities and tariffs, so use the price per kWh on your own bill in the calculator's place. A home wallbox needs approval from your utility; in Dubai that's DEWA.
Where an EV saves, and where it doesn't
With the example figures, 2,000 km a month uses 360 kWh: about AED 110 charged at home on DEWA's lowest slab, AED 166 on the top slab, and AED 454 on public fast chargers. A petrol car doing 12 km/L spends about AED 673 on Special 95. Mostly fast charging narrows the gap a lot, so where you charge matters as much as the car.
Track what your EV really costs
Log each charge in Benzeen_ in kWh with what you paid, and it works out your car's real kWh per 100 km and cost per kilometre, next to your petrol cars if you have both. See the app.
Sources: Cabinet Resolution No. 81 of 2024 (UAE Legislation), DEWA slab tariff and EV tariff, read 12 November 2026, and Gulf News on the unified fee. Petrol prices: UAE Fuel Price Committee, as in our fuel price guide. The cost figures are worked out from those prices.
Questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV in the UAE?
Public chargers cost at least AED 0.70 a kWh plus VAT for slow (AC) charging and AED 1.20 plus VAT for fast (DC) charging, that is AED 0.735 and 1.26. Home charging in Dubai costs about AED 0.31 to 0.46 a kWh with VAT.
Is charging at home cheaper than public charging?
In Dubai, yes. DEWA's home slabs are 23 to 38 fils a kWh plus a 6-fil fuel surcharge and VAT, against at least AED 1.26 at a public fast charger.
Is DEWA EV charging free?
No. DEWA's public chargers bill per kWh: its tariff page lists AED 1.14 for DC and AED 0.64 for AC, before the fuel surcharge and VAT.
Do ADNOC, UAEV and Tesla charge the same?
Not always. The federal rule sets a minimum of AED 1.20 (DC) and AED 0.70 (AC) a kWh plus VAT, and operators may charge more. Each network shows its price in its app before you charge.
Is an EV cheaper to run than a petrol car?
Usually, if you charge mostly at home. In our example, 2,000 km a month costs about AED 110 charged at home in Dubai against AED 673 for a 12 km/L petrol car, but about AED 454 on public fast chargers.
How do I find my EV's kWh per 100 km?
Your car's trip computer shows it. Or log each charge in Benzeen_ in kWh and it works it out from your own driving.