What’s the cost to charge your car battery?

With the increasing cost of electricity and the growing cost of living, one of the most common questions we’re being asked is “how much does it cost to charge my car battery?” 

CTEK has been calculating that, using a CTEK MXS 5.0 battery charger and based on a normal electricity cost in the USA of 15.45 cents per kWh1, it costs around 9.62 cents to get an almost empty 12V, 75Ah battery fully charged (assuming battery power efficiency of 85%2 and charger efficiency of 85%). 

In conclusion, you will be able to charge your battery for the equal cost as watching TV for 5 hours or playing on a game console for 2 hours, and for less than it would cost you to cook in an electric oven for 20 minutes (11 cents) or do a load of laundry (15 cents)!3  

The specific costs will vary, depending on how much you’re paying for the electricity and other parts like the size of the battery and the health of it. The minor effort needed to charge your battery on a regular basis will not only save you the irritation of a car breakdown, it could also save you money. 

Even a trivial change of charge can distress battery health, reduce its life and making replacement vital. Battery failure can harm the vehicle’s electronics as well, leading to high repair costs, and if you find yourself caught on the road with a dead battery, you’ll have the cost and inconveniency of failure and recovery to deal with as well. 

If your vehicle has a ‘stop/start’ function, this might not kick in if your battery is weak. This will increase the amount of fuel you’re using, and with up-to-date fuel prices, fuel is a crucial asset that we actually can’t afford to waste. And reliable battery charging can in fact increase your battery’s life up to three times, saving you hundreds of dollars on battery replacement.  

Calculation estimates are subject to change due to market fluctuations. 

Sources:

1. https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/electricity.php

2. Lead Acid battery energy efficiency based on: Encyclopedia of electrochemical power sources (2009) by Garche Jürgen. 

3. Average power consumption figures based on: Electricity consumption around the home (2022) by National Energy Action.  NEA.org.uk.