An honest guide to EV charging costs in Ireland — and how Brite's pricing works

If you've ever stood at an EV charger wondering why the same kWh costs one price here and a different price down the road, you're not imagining it. Rapid EV charging in Ireland is priced in a few different ways, and the differences between networks — and between times of day on the same network — can be substantial.

This guide is the honest, Brite version. We're a small Galway-based operator. We're not going to compare ourselves against named competitors with quoted numbers, because those numbers move and we don't want to mislead anyone. What we will do is explain how the pricing works, what to look out for, and exactly what Brite costs.

The five things that change EV charging prices

Every Irish rapid charging network sells you electricity by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). What changes from network to network — and from charger to charger — comes down to five layers on top of that base rate.

1. Time of day

Most modern networks offer cheaper rates at night and slightly more expensive rates on weekends, because that's how grid electricity is actually priced. Brite does. Some networks have flat round-the-clock pricing — fine if you only charge during peak hours, but you're effectively subsidising someone else's night charge.

2. Connection or starting fees

A handful of smaller operators add a fixed connection fee on top of the per-kWh rate. It usually appears as a separate line item on your bank statement. Brite has none. The price you see on the dispenser screen is what you pay.

3. Subscription tiers

Some networks put their best rate behind a monthly fee, so the price on the screen is not the price a member pays. Worth it if you charge there often; dead money if you don't. At Brite the screen price is the price — no subscription is required to get it. There is an optional Brite membership at €3.99 a month that refunds 7c per kWh on day-rate DC charges paid by contactless, but you never need it to charge, and the pay-as-you-go rate is the same for everyone who taps.

4. Overstay or parking fees

Almost every Irish network now charges per minute if your car sits past the end of a charging session. The thresholds and rates differ — always check the screen at the bay you're using.

5. Speed banding

Some networks charge more for their fast bays than their slow ones. Brite charges one DC rate across every DC bay at every site — a 300 kW bay costs the same per kWh as any other. The 22 kW AC bays at Sandy Road are priced separately and lower, at a flat 50c per kWh, because a slow top-up is a different product to a ten-minute rapid charge.

Brite's pricing, fully laid out

Here's every Brite rate. Per kWh, including VAT, as published on 14 September 2026.

And the rest of the picture:

• No connection fee. Tap to start, tap to stop. You pay only for kWh delivered.
• No subscription needed. The tap-and-go rate above is the same whether you charge with us once a year or twice a week. Membership is optional and only ever reduces the day rate — it is never a condition of charging.
• DC overstay: 75 minutes max after a session ends, then €0.60/min at peak and €0.40/min off-peak. We recently extended this from 60 minutes.
• AC overstay (Sandy Road only): 10 hours free, then €6/hour. Genuinely usable for a long shop, a dinner, or a hotel stay.

What a typical charge actually costs at Brite

To give you a feel for real numbers, here are three worked examples at Brite's own pricing.

The hidden costs to watch for at any network

Pre-authorisation holds

When you tap a contactless card at any EV charger in Ireland, your bank places a temporary hold on your account. It's not a charge. At Brite this hold is €50 on a contactless tap. Once your session ends and we send the real amount to your bank, the hold is released. Most banks process this within hours; some take up to 7 working days. We've written a separate article that goes deep on this — it's the question we get asked the most.

Overstay clocks

Always pull off the bay as soon as your session ends. Our 75 minutes is generous, but it adds up if you forget.

Subscription traps

If you only charge somewhere occasionally, don't sign up to a paid membership for it. Do the maths: how many kWh would you have to charge per month to save the subscription fee? If it's more than you actually charge, it's not saving you anything.

Why Brite charges what we charge

We're an independent Galway-based operator running Siemens SICHARGE DC hardware. We're not part of a utility or a fuel-station group. The weekday rate covers the cost of running the hardware, paying for the electricity we resell, paying our technical partner EV Ready to keep the bays operational 24/7, and keeping the company running.

The night rate is what happens when grid electricity is cheaper and we have spare capacity — we'd rather see drivers there than leave bays empty. The weekend bump is small and reflects the slightly higher grid wholesale on Saturday/Sunday daytimes.

We don't have anyone above us pressuring us to extract every last cent. We're a small team in Galway running a busy rapid charging network. That's why the pricing stays the way it does.

The bottom line

EV charging pricing in Ireland varies more than fuel pricing ever did. Always:

• Check the dispenser screen before you tap — the rate is shown there
• Watch for connection fees and subscription tiers
• Charge at night if your schedule allows — the saving is real
• Don't worry about pre-auth holds — they always clear

And if you're in or near Galway, you'll find us at the Galway Retail Park (H91 P5Y2, beside Currys Superstore) and at Brite Ultra Sandy Road in Terryland (H91 X7PD, adjacent to Sheils Ford). Tap, plug in, drive.

All prices accurate as of May 2026. Pricing is reviewed periodically; always check the screen on the dispenser before you tap.