EV charging tariffs in South Africa: What you’ll pay to power your electric vehicle
As electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to grow in South Africa, EV drivers often ask: “How much does it cost to charge an EV?” and “Why do charging prices vary between public charging stations?”
Public EV charging prices in South Africa
“There are several types of tariff structures that can be used to charge customers for public EV charging, including flat rates, time-of-use-tariffs and dynamic pricing,” explains Hilton Musk, Rubicon’s Head of E-mobility. “Currently in South Africa, we only use flat rate tariffs.”
As of August 2025, standard public EV charging tariffs are:
• R7.00 per kWh for Rubicon eMSP customers on both Rubicon and GridCars DC charging stations.
• R7.35 per kWh for GridCars eMSP customers on both GridCars and Rubicon DC charging stations.
• R5.88 per kWh for both Rubicon and GridCars eMSP customers on AC charging stations.
These rates apply nationally and exclude any OEM-specific tariffs that may apply at branded charging stations.
Hilton adds, “It’s important to note that these tariffs are typically set through agreements between the charge point operator (CPO) and the e-mobility service provider (eMSP), which means they can vary in some cases. For example, at AIDC-EC charging stations, Rubicon eMSP customers pay R7.00 per kWh while GridCars eMSP customers pay R8.24 per kWh.”
This highlights a key difference for EV drivers: Rubicon eMSP customers currently benefit from lower DC charging rates than GridCars eMSP customers on both Rubicon and GridCars charging networks.
What affects EV charging costs?
Two main entities influence what you pay at a public EV charging station in South Africa:
1. Charge Point Operator (CPO): The CPO operates and manages the physical charging infrastructure.
2. E-mobility Service Provider (EMSP): The EMSP handles the customer-facing side of the charger, such as payments via cards or digital wallets.
Learn more about the roles of CPOs and EMSPs in this article.
How EV charging tariffs are calculated
Two main entities influence what you pay at a public EV charging station in South Africa:
3. Charge Point Operator (CPO): The CPO operates and manages the physical charging infrastructure.
4. E-mobility Service Provider (EMSP): The EMSP handles the customer-facing side of the charger, such as payments via cards or digital wallets.
Learn more about the roles of CPOs and EMSPs in this article.
The CPO offers a wholesale tariff to the EMSP. This amount includes:
• The cost of electricity from a utility provider (like Eskom), and
• Infrastructure and operational costs
The EMSP then adds a markup to cover their services. The final retail tariff (what you pay) is the EMSP’s price, plus VAT.
In some cases, the CPO and EMSP are the same provider – for example, Rubicon plays both roles at many of its stations.
In others, Rubicon may act at the CPO, with another company (like GridCars) acting as the EMSP. In this case, Rubicon sets the wholesale tariff, and GridCars adds their margin – usually 15% – on top of that.
“Think of it like the fibre internet model,” says Musk. “The fibre network providers – like Openserve or Vumatel – sells bandwidth to internet service providers such as Afrihost or MWeb, who then add their margin before offering it to customers. Public EV charging works in much the same way.”
Why is DC charging more expensive than AC charging?
There are a few key reasons why it costs more to use a DC fast charger:
• Speed and convenience: DC chargers deliver much faster charging, which is often worth a premium for EV drivers.
• Higher infrastructure costs: The upfront installation and equipment costs for DC chargers are significantly higher than for AC chargers.
To recover these costs and remain financially viable, CPOs apply a higher tariff for DC charging.
Understanding EV charging tariffs helps you charge smarter
Public EV charging in South Africa is still evolving – but understanding how tariffs work can help you make informed decisions about where to charge.
“Once you understand the roles of CPOs and EMSPs, and how their pricing works, it becomes much clearer why charging costs vary – and what you're actually paying for,” says Musk. “It’s not just about electricity; it’s about infrastructure, access, and convenience.”