Showing Australia · real 2026 prices
Charging your EV from rooftop solar is about the cheapest way to fuel a car. See what charging from your own panels saves each year — versus the grid and versus fuel.
Adjust to match your setup.
Estimate only. "Fuel cost" values solar charging at the feed-in credit you give up. Real savings depend on when you charge, your tariff and how much solar you can divert to the car.
Charging from your own solar is the cheapest fuel there is — here's the logic, all editable.
Australia has the highest household solar uptake in the world, so daytime charging is realistic for many. This values solar energy at the export credit you give up by using it yourself. CO₂ avoided counts only the grid-charged share of your energy (petrol 2.31 kg/L or diesel 2.68 kg/L, grid ~0.6 kg/kWh) — solar charging is treated as zero emissions, which is why charging from the sun saves more. Estimates only, not financial advice.
Australia has the highest rooftop solar uptake in the world, and charging your car from it is about the cheapest fuel there is.
When you charge from your own panels, the only real “cost” is the feed-in credit you give up by not exporting that energy to the grid — typically 5–8c per kWh, versus 25–40c to buy it back. Charging the share of your driving you can cover with solar therefore saves the difference, on top of the much larger saving versus petrol.
How much you can solar-charge depends on your routine. People who are home during the day, work from home, or have a battery or smart charger can divert most of their charging to daylight hours; commuters who only plug in at night lean more on the grid. The calculator lets you set that split and values the solar share honestly at the export credit forgone.
Pairing solar with an EV also shortens the payback on charging hardware like a wallbox or solar diverter. Figures are estimates — your real result depends on your tariff, system size and how much sun your roof gets.
