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There is no single South African price per kWh for charging an electric fleet vehicle. A depot’s cost depends on its distributor and tariff, the supply contract, when electricity is used, and charges beyond the energy rate. For FY2026/27, Eskom’s average tariff adjustments are 8.76% for its directly supplied customers from 1 April 2026 and 9.01% for municipal bulk purchases from 1 July 2026; neither percentage is a universal EV charging price.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
For a fleet, the useful answer starts with the bill for the specific charging site—not a national average or a single energy-rate figure. The tariff and supply arrangement determine which rates and fixed or demand-related charges apply; the charging schedule determines how much energy falls into each time period.
Eskom’s FY2026/27 averages are 8.76% for Eskom direct customers, effective 1 April 2026, and 9.01% for municipal bulk-purchase tariffs, effective 1 July 2026. They describe average adjustments for those customer classes, not the price of a kilowatt-hour and not a forecast of an individual fleet’s bill. Eskom’s FY2026/27 tariff information should be read alongside the actual site tariff and bill.
What electricity tariff applies to EV fleet charging?
Start by identifying who supplies the depot and the tariff printed on its electricity bill. Eskom’s schedules and comparison tools cover its directly supplied end customers and municipal bulk purchases; Eskom’s direct-customer tools are not a substitute for a municipality’s customer tariff schedule. The utility distinguishes tariff categories including urban, rural, municipal and generator tariffs. A site supplied by a municipality or another distributor may therefore have different rates, charges and effective dates from a direct Eskom customer.
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- Check the bill: record the distributor, tariff name or class, billing period and any time-of-use periods.
- Confirm the applicable schedule: use the relevant Eskom schedule for a direct customer, or the local authority or distributor’s published schedule for a municipally or otherwise supplied site.
- Match the date: confirm when the schedule took effect for that customer relationship. Eskom’s FY2026/27 direct-customer adjustment began 1 April 2026; its municipal bulk adjustment began 1 July 2026.
Eskom’s tariff schedules and comparison tools are useful for sites directly supplied by Eskom. For a municipal depot, check the municipality’s customer tariff and confirm its local effective date rather than applying Eskom’s bulk-purchase average directly to the fleet’s bill.
Why the energy rate is not the whole charging cost
A tariff can include energy charges alongside capacity or maximum-demand charges, service and administration charges, and network charges. Time-of-use tariffs can also charge different energy rates in different periods. Eskom’s FY2026/27 changes include adjustments to the recovery of generation capacity costs, service and administration charges, and time-of-use structures, with the exact application depending on the tariff.
For applicable tariffs, Eskom says the fixed portion of the Generation Capacity Charge rises to 30% of the originally proposed 2025/26 Retail Tariff Plan rand value in FY2026/27, from 20% in FY2026. Corresponding energy rates are lowered. For Homepower and Homeflex, the fixed portion of service and administration charges rises to 66.66% from 33.33%. These are tariff-structure changes, not fleet-wide charges: verify whether the tariff in question is one of the tariffs to which they apply.
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The previous year also brought restructuring. Eskom’s FY2026 summary described unbundled energy charges, changed time-of-use prices and periods, and changes to wheeling and offset credits. The 2025 average adjustments—12.74% for direct customers from 1 April 2025 and 11.32% for municipal bulk purchases from 1 July 2025—are historical figures, not current FY2026/27 rates.
Build a site-specific cost worksheet
For each depot, use bills and measured operating data to assemble a full-cost view. Keep tariff charges separate from fleet-side calculation inputs so that assumptions are not mistaken for published rates.
- Supply and tariff: distributor, tariff class, tariff year and effective date.
- Energy: imported kWh by time-of-use period, where applicable.
- Capacity and demand: applicable capacity or maximum-demand charges.
- Other bill charges: service, administration and network charges.
- Charging operation: charger losses and utilization, if measured by the operator.
- Contract costs: supply-contract or wheeling fees, where relevant.
Do not multiply the national average tariff adjustment by a depot’s old bill and treat the result as a forecast. A defensible estimate needs that site’s applicable tariff, bill, load profile and charging schedule.
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How charging time affects a fleet’s bill
Where the applicable tariff has time-of-use pricing, when vehicles charge can change the energy portion of the bill. Depot charging may let an operator schedule charging around vehicle availability and tariff periods; vehicles with tight turnarounds or long routes may have less flexibility. The actual saving, if any, depends on the tariff, the fleet’s duty cycle and the site’s other charges. Eskom’s published descriptions of time-of-use changes do not establish a universal fleet saving.
Compare the fleet’s actual charging load by tariff period with the applicable schedule. Include any capacity or maximum-demand consequences rather than assuming that moving energy to a lower-priced period automatically reduces total cost.
Depot AC charging versus public DC fast charging
AC and DC charging address different operating needs, so the equipment choice should follow vehicle compatibility, dwell time, route requirements and site electrical capacity. The Government’s 2023 Electric Vehicle White Paper projected that 80% of PHEV and BEV charging would take place through private AC chargers, while identifying DC charging as important on long-distance routes and at high-traffic locations. That is a policy-paper projection, not a measured share of fleet charging in 2026/27.
| Charging use | What it can suit | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Private AC depot charging | Vehicles parked long enough for charging between assignments; the White Paper’s 80% figure is a 2023 projection for PHEV and BEV charging overall, not a fleet measurement. | Vehicle compatibility, overnight or other dwell time, electrical capacity, tariff periods and installed and operating costs. |
| DC route or destination charging | Long-distance routes, high-traffic locations or operating patterns requiring shorter charging stops. | Vehicle compatibility, route availability, charging time, site capacity and the provider’s current rate and account terms. |
The White Paper reported about 350 public EV charging stations in South Africa in mid-2023. This is a dated baseline, not a current network count. GridCars’ 2026 announcement describes a refresh of selected sites with next-generation 120 kW fast chargers and says it serves commercial fleets and businesses; it is company-reported information, not independent confirmation of coverage or availability on a particular route.
There is no verified current 2026/27 public per-kWh rate card or fleet-account schedule in the cited information, and no supported installation-cost benchmark. Obtain current provider terms and site-specific design and installation costs before comparing depot charging with public charging or presenting a numeric return on investment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is fleet depot charging cheaper than public fast charging?
The available current primary information does not establish a general price comparison. A depot’s full cost depends on its tariff and site charges, while a public charging decision depends on the provider’s current pricing and account terms. Comparing only a depot’s energy rate with a public per-kWh quote could omit capacity, service, administration, network, contract or other charges on one side.
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Compare like with like: use the depot’s full bill and charging profile, then obtain the public provider’s current fleet rate and any applicable account or transaction charges. Without those figures, neither a general “depot is cheaper” claim nor a reliable numeric saving is justified.
How wheeling or private supply affects charging costs
Wheeling or a private-generator supply contract does not mean grid charges disappear. Eskom says use-of-system charges apply to delivered energy for both Eskom and private-generator supply, with a separate transaction administration charge for wheeling. Include those charges and any supply-contract fees in a comparison with conventional grid supply, using the terms that apply to the particular site and arrangement.
For operational decisions, compare the full delivered-energy cost and the relevant network and administration charges, not just the generator’s energy price. The applicable arrangement and charges need to be confirmed with the supplier and distributor.
Quick Recap
A practical decision process for each fleet site
- Establish the supply relationship. Identify whether the site is directly supplied by Eskom, supplied through a municipality or connected through another arrangement.
- Record the tariff and timing. Note the customer tariff class, tariff year, effective date, time-of-use periods and relevant charges.
- Map the charging duty cycle. Use vehicle compatibility, routes, dwell times and charging energy by period to identify what charging can be shifted and what cannot.
- Compare infrastructure against operations. Assess AC depot and DC route needs alongside electrical capacity, installation and operating costs; do not assume a cost advantage without site and rate data.
- Model the full bill and contract. Include energy, capacity or demand, service, administration, network and any wheeling or supply-contract charges; use measured charger losses and utilization only where available.
- Recheck after tariff changes. Use the schedule effective for the site’s distributor and customer category, not an average adjustment or a rate from a prior tariff year.
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