Charging costs for Chinese electric cars, measured
Built from manufacturer charge times and dated electricity prices, and from one BYD Atto 3 that gets driven every day.
Most charging calculators divide battery size by charger power and treat the off-peak rate as if it applied all night. Both shortcuts make electric motoring look cheaper than it is. A 10–80% charge on Intelligent Octopus Go costs £5.46, which works out at £0.11/kWh — not the £0.08 on the tariff. Here is why.
Tools
From the log
49,351.3 km covered, lifetime average 15.6 kWh/100 km, read off the car's own display and updated monthly. Not a manufacturer figure and not a week-long loan. Every charging session and monthly reading, and set against every figure BYD publishes: BYD Atto 3 charging time, DC charging speed and battery capacity.
What is coming
Real-world range by temperature, rapid charging costs across the main networks, and an annual running-cost model that includes the standing charge. Australia and New Zealand follow once their electricity pricing is properly sourced — it works differently from the UK and deserves more than a copied number.