EV Charging Cost Calculator: Home Charging vs. Gas
Monthly cost of charging an electric vehicle at home and how it compares with a gas car.
Estimate what it costs to charge an electric vehicle at home each month and compare it with fueling a gas car for the same miles. Use your own electricity rate, ideally your off-peak or EV rate.
How to use this tool
- Enter the miles you drive per month.
- Enter your vehicle’s efficiency in miles per kWh from the car’s display or FuelEconomy.gov.
- Enter your electricity rate and a charging loss allowance.
- Enter a gas car’s mpg and the local gas price for comparison.
Worked example
Driving 1,100 miles a month at 3.5 miles per kWh with 10 percent charging losses takes about 349 kWh. At 16 cents per kWh that is $55.87 a month, or about 5 cents per mile. A 28 mpg gas car at $3.30 a gallon would cost about $129.64 for the same miles, a difference of roughly $74 a month.
Understanding your results
Your rate is the biggest variable. Time-of-use and EV rates can make overnight charging much cheaper, while public fast charging usually costs more per kWh than home charging. Cold weather lowers efficiency, so winter months cost more.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the average rate when you have a cheaper off-peak rate, or the reverse.
- Leaving out charging losses.
- Using a rated efficiency much higher than you actually achieve.
- Forgetting that fast charging on road trips costs more.
Next steps
See how long sessions take with the EV Charging Time Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Usually yes. Home electricity, especially off-peak, typically costs less per kWh than public fast charging, and it is often far cheaper per mile than gasoline. Multiply the battery capacity by the share you are adding and allow about 10 percent for losses. Adding 40 kWh to the battery draws roughly 44 kWh from the wall. It depends on how far you drive and your usual use. About 1,000 miles a month adds roughly 300 kWh, which is a noticeable but usually not a doubling increase for a typical home.Is it cheaper to charge an EV at home?
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This tool is for planning and education only. It does not store your entries. Work on home wiring must be done by a licensed electrician. Read our disclaimer.