EV Charging Cost Calculator
See what it costs to charge an EV at home each year, per mile, and how that compares to filling a gas tank.
An electric car mostly turns your driving into extra electricity use, so its running cost comes down to three things: how far you drive, how efficient the car is, and what you pay per kilowatt-hour. Enter those to see the yearly and per-mile cost, then compare it against the same miles on gasoline.
Annual charging cost
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- Electricity added per year
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- Cost per mile
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- Same miles on gas
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- Yearly savings vs. gas
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Where the number comes from
The estimate divides your annual miles by the car's efficiency to get kilowatt-hours, adds about 10% for charging losses, and multiplies by your rate. The gas comparison does the same for a car of the mpg you enter. Both are illustrative — real costs shift with weather, driving style, and whether you charge on peak, off-peak, or solar power.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
It depends on how far you drive, the car’s efficiency, and your electricity rate. As a rough guide, a typical EV uses about 0.3 kWh per mile, so 12,000 miles a year is roughly 3,600–4,000 kWh — at 17¢/kWh that’s around $600–700 a year before charging losses.
Is charging an EV cheaper than buying gas?
Usually yes at typical US prices, because electricity per mile tends to cost less than gasoline per mile. The gap widens with cheap off-peak power or home solar and narrows when electricity is expensive or gas is cheap. This tool shows both so you can compare your own numbers.
Why does the calculator add charging losses?
Some energy is lost as heat in the charger and battery, so the grid delivers more kWh than the car stores. The estimate adds about 10% to account for that, which is typical for Level 2 home charging.
How does solar change EV charging cost?
If you charge during the day from your own panels, the marginal cost of those kWh is close to zero once the system is paid off — so an EV can sharply increase the value of a solar array by soaking up daytime production.