How to find your numbers
Your miles are on the odometer, or on your last service record. Divide a year's miles by 12. The efficiency figure, in kWh per 100 miles, is on the EPA window sticker and on fueleconomy.gov under your car's model year. The lower it is, the cheaper your miles. Most new cars use about 25 to 40.
Your rate takes a moment with your bill. Do not use the energy charge alone. Divide the whole bill, delivery included, by the kWh you used, and that is what an extra kWh costs you, near enough. EIA's US average is a starting value and it hides a very wide range between states.
Then decide where your figure came from. EPA says its MPGe values include charging losses, as it measures from the wall outlet, and we treat its kWh per 100 miles the same way. The car's own display usually reports what reached the battery, and so we add 10 percent for losses on that one, using a figure fueleconomy.gov bases on an older car.
A worked example
Here is a car using 30 kWh per 100 miles, driven 1,000 miles in a month, at about EIA's US average rate. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs.
1,000 miles a month at 30 kWh per 100 miles
- Electricity: 1000 × 30 ÷ 100 = 300 kWh
- A month: 300 × $0.18 = $54.00
- A year: $648.00
- Per mile: 5.4 cents
- Gas car at 30 mpg: $142.33 a month
If that 30 came from the car's own display, it would be 333 kWh and $60.00 a month. To see the electric bill this adds to, try the electricity cost calculator, and if you are thinking of covering it from the roof, the solar panel calculator.
Charging cost for common EVs
EPA's figures for model year 2026, at 1,000 miles a month and 18 cents a kWh, EIA's rounded US residential average for August 2026. Your rate changes every column in the same way.
| Car, model year 2026 | kWh per 100 mi | A month | A year | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD | 25 | $45.00 | $540.00 | 4.5 cents |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD | 30 | $54.00 | $648.00 | 5.4 cents |
| Nissan LEAF 75 kWh, 18 in alloy | 30 | $54.00 | $648.00 | 5.4 cents |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD | 31 | $55.80 | $669.60 | 5.6 cents |
Mistakes that skew the cost
- Counting losses twice. EPA's values already include charging losses. Dividing them by a charging efficiency overstates your cost.
- Battery size as your need. A charge from empty is rare. It is your miles that set your kWh, not the size of the pack.
- Old rates. Articles quoting 10 or 11 cents are years out of date. Use your own bill.
- Public charging prices. DC fast charging is priced very differently from home, and this does not include it.
- Ignoring winter. Heat for the cabin and the battery uses real energy in very cold weather. Fueleconomy.gov notes it can exceed a third of the energy used in the worst cases.
Questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?
About $54 a month for 1,000 miles, in a car using 30 kWh per 100 miles, at EIA's US average rate of about 18 cents in August 2026. That is about 5.4 cents a mile. Your own rate will change that, sometimes by a lot.
Is charging cheaper at night?
Yes, if your utility has a time-of-use plan with a lower overnight rate. Without one, a kWh costs the same at any hour. Enter the overnight rate and the share you charge at it, from your own plan, as there is no typical figure we could source.
How do you calculate EV charging cost?
Multiply your miles by the kWh per mile, then by your rate. AFDC's example is 27 kWh per 100 miles at 10.7 cents, which is about 3 cents a mile. Today's average rate is higher than that, so use your own.
What does it cost to fill a battery from empty?
Battery kWh times your rate, plus a little for losses. AFDC's example is a 54 kWh battery at 10.7 cents, which comes to about $6. At 18 cents, that same charge is nearer $10. Most people top up, so a full charge from empty is rare.
Do I need to add charging losses?
Not if you use EPA's figure, since it says its MPGe values already include charging losses. Add about 10 percent only for a figure from the car's own display, which fueleconomy.gov bases on older test cars. Choose the source of your figure above.
Is an EV cheaper than a gas car?
On fuel alone, usually yes. At these starting prices, 1,000 miles costs about $54 in electricity and about $142 in gas at 30 mpg. That leaves out the purchase price, insurance and maintenance, and public fast charging can cost much more than charging at home.
This charging cost is a rule of thumb from your miles, your rate and your car's efficiency figure. Cold snaps, cabin heat and public fast charging can all raise it, and utility plans charge in different ways. Your manufacturer's data and your own electric bill settle it, and it covers fuel only, not insurance or maintenance.
Sources and review
- Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2026.
- Gasoline and diesel fuel update, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2026.
- Fuel economy and EV range testing, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2026.
- Fuel economy of 2026 all-electric vehicles, fueleconomy.gov, 2026.
- Where the energy goes: electric cars, fueleconomy.gov, no date shown, read November 2026.
- Charging electric vehicles at home, Alternative Fuels Data Center, no date shown, read November 2026.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Electricity from the wall
kWh = Miles × kWh per 100 mi ÷ 100
- kWh per 100 mi
- From EPA's label, or from the car's display plus 10 percent
Worked through: 1000 × 30 ÷ 100 = 300 kWh
Cost
Cost = kWh × Rate
- Rate
- Dollars per kWh
Worked through: 300 × 0.18 = 54
The constants, and where they come from
STARTING_RATE_PER_KWH
Published figureStarting electricity rate, in dollars per kWh
Applies to: The US residential average. Your bill's all-in rate is better
Source: Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: average price of electricity to ultimate customers, data for August 2026, U.S. Energy Information Administration, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
EIA's August 2026 figure of 18.16 cents, rounded, as a starting value you can overwrite.
STARTING_GAS_PRICE
Published figureStarting gasoline price, in dollars per gallon
Applies to: US regular, all formulations, one week's price
Source: Gasoline and diesel fuel update, U.S. Energy Information Administration, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
EIA's figure for the week of October 26, 2026 was $4.269, rounded, as a starting value you can overwrite. It moves weekly.
CHARGING_LOSS_PERCENT
Published range, narrowedEnergy lost between the wall and the battery, in percent
Applies to: Only a figure from the car's own display. EPA's label figures already include it
Source: Where the energy goes: electric cars, fueleconomy.gov, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Also from: Fuel economy and EV range testing, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, published 2026-07, read 2026-11.
Based mainly on a 2012 Nissan Leaf and Argonne tests. EPA says its MPGe values include charging losses, so adding this to a label figure would count it twice. Treating EPA's kWh per 100 miles the same way is our inference, since the two appear together.
MONTHS_PER_YEAR
DefinitionalMonths in one year
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
A calendar year has twelve months, so a monthly cost is multiplied by 12 for the year.
What the labels mean
- Published figure:
- taken directly from the source named beside it.
- Published range, narrowed:
- a source publishes a range and this calculator uses a representative value from it.
- Definitional:
- true by definition, like the number of inches in a foot, so there is nothing to cite.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the EV charging cost calculator
- 1
Enter the miles you drive in a month
- 2
Find your car's kWh per 100 miles on the EPA label or fueleconomy.gov
- 3
Enter your electric rate, from your bill if you can
- 4
Add a gas car and a price to compare
- 5
Add an overnight rate if your utility offers one
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- All charging is at home, at the rate you enter
- EPA's label figures already include charging losses, so none is added unless you say the figure is from the car's own display
- It compares fuel only, with no purchase price, insurance or maintenance
- The starting prices are national figures from EIA, and they move, so use your own
Pro tips
- Work out your real rate by dividing your bill's total by its kWh, delivery charges included
- Check your utility for an EV or time-of-use plan
- Expect more use in very cold weather, when cabin heat counts