Electricity tariffs and EV charging

Not financial advice. Tariffs change every year and differ by supplier, tariff type and area. This page summarises published sources as of 22 October 2026. Always check rates against the current Eskom Schedule of Standard Prices or your municipality’s tariff schedule.

There’s no EV tariff, yet

We searched for an EV-specific tariff from Eskom or any municipality and found none. When you charge at home, you pay the same rate as for the rest of your household electricity.

Who supplies your electricity matters. Many homes buy directly from Eskom. Many others buy from their municipality, such as City Power in Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane, the City of Cape Town or eThekwini, which buys from Eskom and sets its own tariffs.

2026/27 increases

Eskom’s tariffs rose 8.76% for direct customers from 1 April 2026, and 9.01% for municipal customers from 1 July 2026 [1]. Municipalities set their own retail tariffs, so your increase may differ.

Time-of-use: Homeflex

Homeflex is Eskom’s residential time-of-use tariff, with different rates for peak, standard and off-peak periods. Its peak windows changed from 1 April 2025 [3]. Time-of-use tariffs suit EV charging well, because most cars sit in the garage overnight and a smart charger can be scheduled to charge only in off-peak hours.

We don’t quote Homeflex rates on this page. Rates in media reports haven’t been confirmed against the official Schedule of Standard Prices [2], and they change each year. [Owner action: pull exact Homeflex c/kWh and time windows from the current Schedule before publishing figures.]

Working out your own cost

The basic calculation is simple:

kWh added to the battery ÷ charging efficiency × your rate per kWh = cost of the charge

For your rate, use the figure on your latest bill or your supplier’s current tariff schedule, including VAT. Remember that prepaid and post-paid tariffs, and the blocks in inclining-block tariffs, can give different effective rates. Media guides such as [4] and [5] walk through worked examples, but use your own rate.

Our charging cost calculator lets you enter your own tariff [verify against the current Eskom/municipal tariff].

For comparison, public DC fast charging has been reported at about R7 to R8 per kWh [6].

What this means for you

• Use your own tariff when estimating charging costs. National averages can be misleading.
• Charge off-peak if you’re on a time-of-use tariff. A smart charger makes this automatic.
• Watch your blocks on inclining-block tariffs. Adding an EV can push more of your usage into higher-priced blocks.
• In a complex, make sure EV charging is metered so each owner pays their own share.

How StrataCharge helps

Our smart home chargers can schedule charging for off-peak hours and report how much energy each session used. During setup and commissioning, we set the schedule to match your tariff.