SpotVahtiSpotVahti · updated 11 Nov 2026 · calculated from actual hourly prices for 1 Nov 2025–31 Oct 2026
In short
Charging an EV on spot-price electricity costs less the better you time it. Over 1 Nov 2025–31 Oct 2026, charging in the day's three cheapest hours cost on average 3.87 c/kWh for the energy, night charging (22–6) 5.73 c/kWh and evening charging (17–22) 8.97 c/kWh, margin included. With 15,000 km of driving a year (about 3,000 kWh), scheduled charging cost 116 € and evening charging 269 € a year. At a fixed price of 10.70 c/kWh the same charging would cost 321 €.
Charging time decides
We calculated the price of 3,000 kWh of charging a year with the actual hourly prices over 1 Nov 2025–31 Oct 2026. That is about 15,000 km of driving a year at 20 kWh/100 km including charging losses. A typical margin of 0.55 c/kWh is added to the prices.
| Charging | Price | 3,000 kWh a year |
|---|---|---|
| In the evening after getting home (17–22) | 8.97 c/kWh | 269 € |
| Evenly around the clock | 7.44 c/kWh | 223 € |
| At night (22–6) | 5.73 c/kWh | 172 € |
| In the day's 3 cheapest hours | 3.87 c/kWh | 116 € |
| In the day's cheapest hour | 3.62 c/kWh | 109 € |
| Fixed price (10.70 c/kWh) | 10.70 c/kWh | 321 € |
Evening charging right after getting home hits the most expensive hours of the day. Scheduling the same charging to the day's three cheapest hours saves 153 € a year.
Per 100 kilometres
| Charging | €/100 km |
|---|---|
| In the evening after getting home (17–22) | 1.79 € |
| At night (22–6) | 1.15 € |
| In the day's 3 cheapest hours | 0.77 € |
| Fixed price (10.70 c/kWh) | 2.14 € |
Scheduling in practice
- The car's own timer: most EVs let you set charging to start at, say, 23:00 or to finish by morning.
- A smart charger or the car's app can charge automatically in the cheapest hours of the day based on the spot price.
- Daily charging is small. 15,000 km a year is about 8.2 kWh a day, so an 11 kW charger does it in an hour and a regular socket in a few hours.
- Transmission product: if your network company offers night or time-of-use transmission, night charging is cheaper for the transmission part as well.
See also: which is cheaper, fixed or spot price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV on spot-price electricity in Finland?
Over 1 Nov 2025–31 Oct 2026, scheduled charging in the day's cheapest hours cost about 3.87 c/kWh for the energy including margin, or about 0.77 € per hundred kilometres (20 kWh/100 km). On top of that you pay transmission and electricity tax, which are the same whenever you charge unless you have a time-of-use transmission product.
What time of day should I charge my EV?
The cheapest time changes every day, but on average it is cheapest at night and most expensive between 17 and 21. The best result comes from scheduling charging to each day's cheapest hours: over 1 Nov 2025–31 Oct 2026 that was 57 % cheaper than evening charging. Tomorrow's prices are published in the afternoon.
Should an EV driver choose spot price or a fixed price?
If charging is scheduled, spot price is usually clearly cheaper: in our calculation 116 € vs. 321 € a year for 3,000 kWh of charging. If you always charge as soon as you get home and cannot schedule, the difference narrows to 52 €.
Which contract is cheapest for you?
Calculate your annual price for every contract with your home type and consumption.
Read next
- Fixed price or spot price? Which was cheaper for different home types, and in how many months spot price has won since 2021.
- Margin and monthly fee What the margin on a spot-price contract means and when the monthly fee matters more than the margin.
- Heat pump and spot price What heating costs on a spot-price contract and how much you save by shifting it to cheap hours.
- Saving electricity at peak hours Which appliances are worth moving to cheap hours and which are not: calculated savings per appliance with actual hourly prices.
- Switching electricity contract How to switch electricity contract in Finland: termination, fixed-term contracts and moving home.
Spot prices: Ember, European Wholesale Electricity Price Data (CC-BY 4.0), original source Nord Pool. Prices include 25.5 % VAT, but not transmission fees or electricity tax. Method: How we compare. Spotted a mistake? [email protected]