EV charging on solar: how many panels it takes, country by country
Dataset · Updated 25 September 2026 · 29 countries · 3,120 kWh/yr per car
Driving an average 12,000 km a year on sunshine takes just 5 extra 400 W panels in South Africa but 9 in the United Kingdom. Either way it is a small add-on: the car needs roughly 38% to 66% of what a single 5 kWp roof already makes. Fewer panels than most people expect.
Extra panels to drive on sunshine, by country
Full table
| # | Country | Yield | kWp needed | Panels | Share of 5 kWp roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 1661 kWh/kWp | 1.88 kWp | 5 | 38% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 1618 kWh/kWp | 1.93 kWp | 5 | 39% |
| 3 | Mexico | 1614 kWh/kWp | 1.93 kWp | 5 | 39% |
| 4 | Malta | 1610 kWh/kWp | 1.94 kWp | 5 | 39% |
| 5 | Spain | 1549 kWh/kWp | 2.01 kWp | 6 | 40% |
| 6 | Greece | 1505 kWh/kWp | 2.07 kWp | 6 | 41% |
| 7 | Australia | 1498 kWh/kWp | 2.08 kWp | 6 | 42% |
| 8 | Portugal | 1497 kWh/kWp | 2.08 kWp | 6 | 42% |
| 9 | India | 1446 kWh/kWp | 2.16 kWp | 6 | 43% |
| 10 | United States | 1416 kWh/kWp | 2.2 kWp | 6 | 44% |
| 11 | South Korea | 1386 kWh/kWp | 2.25 kWp | 6 | 45% |
| 12 | Brazil | 1354 kWh/kWp | 2.3 kWp | 6 | 46% |
| 13 | Italy | 1325 kWh/kWp | 2.35 kWp | 6 | 47% |
| 14 | Canada | 1302 kWh/kWp | 2.4 kWp | 6 | 48% |
| 15 | Japan | 1239 kWh/kWp | 2.52 kWp | 7 | 50% |
| 16 | France | 1179 kWh/kWp | 2.65 kWp | 7 | 53% |
| 17 | Austria | 1132 kWh/kWp | 2.76 kWp | 7 | 55% |
| 18 | Switzerland | 1129 kWh/kWp | 2.76 kWp | 7 | 55% |
| 19 | Taiwan | 1061 kWh/kWp | 2.94 kWp | 8 | 59% |
| 20 | Czechia | 1055 kWh/kWp | 2.96 kWp | 8 | 59% |
| 21 | Denmark | 1016 kWh/kWp | 3.07 kWp | 8 | 61% |
| 22 | Germany | 1013 kWh/kWp | 3.08 kWp | 8 | 62% |
| 23 | Poland | 1014 kWh/kWp | 3.08 kWp | 8 | 62% |
| 24 | Belgium | 1007 kWh/kWp | 3.1 kWp | 8 | 62% |
| 25 | Netherlands | 993 kWh/kWp | 3.14 kWp | 8 | 63% |
| 26 | Sweden | 950 kWh/kWp | 3.28 kWp | 9 | 66% |
| 27 | Lithuania | 947 kWh/kWp | 3.29 kWp | 9 | 66% |
| 28 | Ireland | 944 kWh/kWp | 3.3 kWp | 9 | 66% |
| 29 | United Kingdom | 939 kWh/kWp | 3.32 kWp | 9 | 66% |
How we worked this out (methodology)
An average European car drives 12,000 km a year and uses about 0.2 kWh/km (~20 kWh/100km real-world, MDPI 2024), so it burns roughly 2,400 kWh at the wheel. Adding 30% for weather, the solar-to-charging timing gap and inverter losses, the panels must make about 3,120 kWh a year. We divide that by each country's specific yield (PVGIS, at a large city representing where the country's people live, panels facing the equator) to get the extra kWp, and 400 W panels, needed to drive on sunshine. Yield-only: no tariffs, currency or FX. These match the assumptions in our EV-charging guide.
This is an annual energy balance, not a daily one. The real challenge is timing your charging to when the sun shines. We walk through that, and the cost side, in charging an EV with solar.
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