🔌How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
Charging an electric car at home costs about $6.80–$17 for a full charge at the US-average 17¢/kWh — roughly 5¢–6¢ a mile, about a third the fuel cost of a gas car. Public DC-fast charging runs 2–3× more. Over a year that’s around $571–$775 at home vs $1,500 in gas — a saving near $827 a year.
These are estimates. Battery sizes and efficiency are typical ranges, the home rate is the US average (17¢/kWh) and the public rate a typical DC-fast blend (35¢/kWh) — plug in your own battery, efficiency and rate for an exact figure.
Charging cost: home vs public
| What | Home (17¢/kWh) | Public DC-fast (35¢) |
|---|---|---|
| A full charge (empty → 100%) | $6.80–$17 | $14–$35 |
| Per mile | 5¢–6¢ | 10¢–13¢ |
| Per 100 miles | $4.76–$6.46 | $9.80–$13 |
| Per year (12,000 mi) | $571–$775 | $1,176–$1,596 |
Home at the US-average 17¢/kWh (cheap states ~11¢, California/New England/Hawaii ~33¢+). Ranges span smaller to larger batteries. Year assumes 12,000 miles.
Cost per full charge by model
| Model | Battery | Full charge | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf (40 kWh) | 40 kWh | $6.80 | 4.6¢ |
| Chevrolet Bolt EUV | 65 kWh | $11 | 4.5¢ |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 Long Range | 77.4 kWh | $13 | 4.3¢ |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E ER | 91 kWh | $15 | 4.8¢ |
| Ford F-150 Lightning ER | 131 kWh | $22 | 7.0¢ |
Usable battery × 17¢/kWh for a full charge from empty; per mile divides that by EPA combined range. Expect a little more in cold weather and at sustained highway speed.
Versus filling a gas tank
At home the electric car costs about 5¢–6¢ a mile. A 28-mpg gas car at $3.50 a gallon costs 13¢ a mile — so over 12,000 miles you’d spend around $571–$775 on home charging versus $1,500 on gas. Charge mostly on public DC-fast and the gap narrows, but home charging stays well ahead.
Why it costs what it does
What it costs to charge an electric car depends on the battery size, how efficient the car is, and where you plug in. EV batteries run from about 40 kWh on a small hatchback to 100 kWh or more on a large SUV or truck. At the US-average home rate of 17¢/kWh, filling an empty battery costs roughly $7 to $17. Most EVs use about 0.28 to 0.38 kWh per mile, so a mile costs 5 to 6 cents at home — well under a gas car. Public DC-fast charging is the expensive way to do it, billing around 2 to 3 times the home rate, which is why the cheapest EV owners charge at home overnight.
How to charge for less
- Charge at home overnight — it is far cheaper than public DC-fast charging and covers most people's daily driving on a standard outlet or a Level 2 charger.
- Switch to your utility's EV or time-of-use plan and charge in the cheap overnight window; the off-peak rate can be a fraction of the daytime price.
- Charge to 80% for daily use and save full 100% charges (and DC-fast charging) for road trips — it's cheaper and better for the battery.
- Drive efficiently and precondition while plugged in; aggressive driving, cold weather and high speeds all raise the kWh per mile that sets your cost.
Keep going
Frequently asked
Which electric car is cheapest to charge?▾
The one with the smallest battery, but that is the wrong way to compare — a small pack is cheaper to fill and goes less far. Judge cost per mile instead. A 40-kWh Nissan Leaf fills for about $6.80 at 17¢/kWh and returns roughly 4.6¢ a mile; a 131-kWh F-150 Lightning costs about $22 to fill but works out near 7¢ a mile because a heavy truck uses more energy to move. A Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Chevrolet Bolt lands around 4.3–4.5¢ a mile, among the cheapest per mile on sale. Efficiency, not battery size, sets what you actually pay.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at a public station?▾
Public DC-fast charging typically runs about 30 to 48 cents per kWh — roughly 2 to 3 times the home rate — so a full charge can cost $15 to $40 depending on the battery. Level 2 public chargers are cheaper and some are free, but DC-fast is the pricey convenience you pay for on road trips. For daily driving, home charging is far cheaper.
How much does it cost to charge an EV per month?▾
For 1,000 miles a month, home charging adds roughly $50 to $70 to your electric bill at the average 17¢/kWh, depending on how efficient the car is. On a cheap overnight EV rate it can be half that; leaning on public DC-fast charging pushes it higher. Your own rate and mileage set the exact number.
How do I work out my own electric car charging cost?▾
Multiply the battery size (kWh) by your electricity rate for a full charge, or the car's kWh-per-mile by your rate for the cost per mile. Find your rate on your bill — the US average is about 17¢/kWh, ranging from ~11¢ in the cheapest states to 30–42¢ in California, New England and Hawaii. Public DC-fast charging bills roughly 30–48¢/kWh regardless of your home rate.