How to pay less at a public charger

When you pay by the minute, a kilowatt-hour is cheapest while the car charges fastest, and that is in the lower half of the battery.

Translated from Serbian. Where the exact wording matters, the Serbian original applies.

A charging cable plug in an electric car's charging port
An electric car charging. Photo: CHUTTERSNAP / Unsplash
  • Charge&GO and Orion charge for time: a minute costs the same whether the car draws 100 kW or 20 kW
  • The cheapest kilowatt-hour is from 10–20 % to about 50 % of the battery; up to 80 % it is still worth it
  • Above 80 % the same kilowatt-hour costs 2–4 times more, and a full 100 % makes sense only before a long drive
  • Choose a charger by the power of your car: a faster charger costs more per minute but does not charge faster than the car can take
  • For comparison: at home at night a kWh costs roughly 4–7 RSD

You pay for minutes, not kilowatt-hours

The price of a kilowatt-hour on a per-minute charger is: price per minute × 60 ÷ power in kW. The power is set by the car, not the charger. The post shows the maximum power; the car takes as much as the battery can accept at that moment.

Example: Charge&GO DC 150–180 kW, 114,17 RSD/min.

Car draws Price per kWh
100 kW 68,5 RSD
50 kW 137 RSD
25 kW 274 RSD
Details: prices by network and real receipts
  • Charge&GO: from 16,67 RSD/min (AC 22 kW) to 126,67 RSD/min (DC 240 kW), VAT included.
  • Orion eMobility: from 11,67 to 70 RSD/min on its own chargers, plus 50 RSD per connection.
  • Emobility (Spectra): 45–60 RSD per “unit” + 1,20 RSD/min. The unit is calculated by the charger, so it cannot be converted to kWh.
  • Charge&GO receipts: 760,02 RSD for 12,74 kWh on a 240 kW charger (OMV Zemun park) is about 60 RSD/kWh. On a 58,33 RSD/min charger (Stari Banovci), 349,98 RSD for 4,43 kWh is about 79 RSD/kWh.

All prices by charger: public charging.

Why an emptier battery is cheaper

An empty battery accepts the most power. As it fills, the car lowers the power to protect the cells. According to ADAC, from 80 % the battery accepts only very little power.

Example: VW ID.3 Pro (59 kWh) on a 114,17 RSD/min charger.

Part of the battery You get You pay Per kWh
10 → 50 % 23,6 kWh about 1.260 RSD about 53 RSD
50 → 80 % 17,7 kWh about 1.510 RSD about 86 RSD
80 → 100 % 11,8 kWh about 2.020 RSD about 171 RSD

The last 20 % costs more than the first 40 %.

Details: the calculation
  • ID.3 Pro charging curve according to EVKX.net: about 160–170 kW at 10–20 %, 98 kW at 50 %, 63 kW at 80 %, 46 kW at 90 % and 21 kW just before 100 %. A 150 kW charger caps the peak at 150 kW.
  • Time: 10 → 50 % about 11 minutes, 50 → 80 % about 13, 80 → 100 % about 18 minutes.
  • Charging losses are not included. Another model has a different curve, but the same shape: power drops as the battery fills.
  • Quick check in the car or the app: when the power falls to half of the starting power, every kWh costs twice as much.

When to stop

  • Arrive with 10–20 %. That is when the power is highest. Below 10 % some models charge more slowly, and the reserve is small.
  • In town, top up to 50–60 % and drive on. Past the middle of the battery the power drops noticeably on many models.
  • On a trip, two shorter stops to 60–70 % are cheaper and faster than one to 100 %.
  • Charge to 100 % only before a stretch without chargers. Above 80 % charging is both the slowest and the most expensive.
Details: 80 % and the battery
  • ADAC advises charging fully only when needed and to 80 % for everyday driving. Frequent fast charging can shorten battery life, so slower AC charging is recommended for every day.
  • The exception is LFP batteries, for example in the Tesla Model 3 RWD. For them Tesla recommends charging to 100 % and fully at least once a week. This applies to charging at home, not to a fast charger.
  • Starting a session at 50 % can give less power than passing 50 % within one session: in the ADAC test the ID.3 got about 60 kW this way instead of about 100 kW.

A charger that fits the car

A faster charger costs more per minute. If the car cannot use it, you pay for power you do not get.

  • Car up to 50 kW: on a 240 kW charger (126,67 RSD/min) a kWh is about 152 RSD, on DC 50 kW (33,33 RSD/min) about 44 RSD.
  • Dacia Spring (29 kW on average): about 262 RSD/kWh at 240 kW, about 69 RSD/kWh at DC 30–50 kW.
  • A fast car on a slower charger: from 10 to 80 % on DC 50 kW the ID.3 pays about 1.835 RSD for 55 minutes, on 150 kW about 2.770 RSD for 24 minutes.
Details: AC chargers and the car's on-board charger

On an AC charger the speed is set by the charger built into the car, typically 6,6 to 22 kW. It is in the manual or the specifications. Charge&GO AC 22 kW costs 1.000 RSD per hour:

  • a 22 kW car: about 45 RSD/kWh;
  • an 11 kW car, for example the VW ID.3: about 91 RSD/kWh;
  • a 6,6 kW car, for example the Dacia Spring: about 152 RSD/kWh.

Orion AC at OMV Novi Sad (700 RSD for 60 minutes + 50 RSD) works out at about 64 RSD/kWh for an 11 kW car, without the connection fee.

Five more savings

  • In winter, turn on battery preconditioning by navigating to the charger. In the ADAC test at −7 °C, without a preheated battery, the Tesla Model Y stood at the charger for 56 minutes instead of 33 in summer. With per-minute billing that is about 70 % more money.
  • Pay in the network's own app. The same 150 kW Charge&GO charger costs 197 RSD/min and 140 RSD per connection via Orion roaming, and 114,17 RSD/min in the Charge&GO app.
  • Unplug in time. After charging ends, Charge&GO and Orion give you 15 minutes and then charge 5 RSD per minute.
  • Choose a free post. When two cars charge on the same charger, the power is often shared.
  • Check the free chargers: the state ones on motorways, Lidl and IKEA. List: free chargers. What 100 km costs at home and on the road: cost calculator.
Sources (11)

Updated 30.09.2026 · next check 30.10.2026 · Report an error

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