How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home?
About $49 a month to drive a Tesla Model 3 the US-average 1,100 miles, at the 2024 average rate of $0.16/kWh — roughly $587 a year, or 4.4 cents a mile. The same miles in a 27.1 mpg gas car cost $134 a month. Set your own car, mileage and rate below.
The one input that really matters. The average US driver covers about 1,120 miles a month.
On a time-of-use plan, enter your overnight off-peak rate — that is when the car charges.
Charger
Home charging cost per month
$48.89
306 kWh off the meter at $0.16/kWh — $586.67 a year, or $0.04 a mile.
Hours plugged in
42 h
1.4 h a day on 7.20 kW
Range added per hour
26 mi
40A circuit — the common installed size
Saved vs. gas
$85.06
a month, against $133.95 of gasoline
7.20 kW × 42 hours = 306 kWh × $0.16 = $48.89. Switch the charger above and watch the hours move while the cost barely does — a bigger charger fills the same battery, faster.
Compare against a specific gas car
Fuel for that car costs $0.12 a mile against the EV's $0.04. Put another way, the electricity to drive as far as one gallon takes you costs $1.20 — that is the pump price at which the two cars would cost the same to run.
Vehicle figures are EPA combined ratings in kWh per 100 miles. Charging losses are assumed at 10% for this charger, so the meter reads more than the battery receives. Defaults compare against a 27.1 mpg car — the EPA real-world average for model-year 2023 vehicles — at $3.30/gal, the EIA US average for 2024. Nothing here includes the cost of installing the charger. Not sure of your rate? Check average rates by state.
Average home EV charging cost per month
Monthly cost = miles ÷ 100 × kWh per 100 miles ÷ charging efficiency × price per kWh
A charger is a tap, not a load. It draws power only until the car has the energy it needs, and the car needs energy in proportion to the miles you drove. That is why the wattage on the charger's nameplate tells you almost nothing about the bill, and why the honest starting point is your odometer.
Worked example (Tesla Model 3 at 25 kWh/100 mi, 1,100 miles a month, 7.2 kW Level 2 charger, $0.16/kWh): 1,100 ÷ 100 × 25 = 275 kWh into the battery, or 306 kWh off the meter after 10% charging losses × $0.16 = $48.89 per month.
Monthly cost by mileage and electricity rate
Columns are miles driven a month. Rows are common US electricity rates. All figures are for a car rated 25 kWh/100 mi on a Level 2 charger — the two dimensions that actually move your bill.
| Rate ($/kWh) | 500 mi | 1,100 miUS average | 1,500 mi | 2,000 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $13.89 | $30.56 | $41.67 | $55.56 |
| $0.13 | $18.06 | $39.72 | $54.17 | $72.22 |
| $0.16 (US avg) | $22.22 | $48.89 | $66.67 | $88.89 |
| $0.22 | $30.56 | $67.22 | $91.67 | $122.22 |
| $0.33 | $45.83 | $100.83 | $137.50 | $183.33 |
The average US driver covers 13,476 miles a year, per the Federal Highway Administration, which is where the 1,100-mile column comes from. Find your own rate on the rates by state page; if you charge overnight on a time-of-use plan, use your off-peak rate rather than the state average.
Where the scary numbers come from
You will see home charging quoted at well over $100 a month. Those figures assume a 7.2 kW charger runs 4 hours every day — which is 28.8 kWh a day, and about 104 miles of driving a day. That is a rideshare driver, not a commuter. Our EV charger appliance page uses that heavy-duty assumption; this page starts from your mileage instead, which is why the two numbers differ so much.
Level 1 vs Level 2 charger cost
This is the question most new EV owners ask, and the answer surprises them: a Level 2 charger does not cost more to run. Both chargers deliver the same kWh, because the miles you drove decide how much energy the battery needs. A bigger charger only decides how many hours the car spends plugged in. Every row below covers the same 1,100 miles.
| Charger | Power | Range added per hour | Hours a month | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1The cord in the trunk, in any household outlet | 1.44 kW120V × 12A | 5 mi | 225 | $51.76 |
| Level 2, 16APlug-in unit on a 20A circuit | 3.84 kW240V × 16A | 14 mi | 80 | $48.89 |
| Level 2, 24A30A circuit — often a shared dryer outlet | 5.76 kW240V × 24A | 21 mi | 53 | $48.89 |
| Level 2, 30A40A circuit — the common installed size | 7.20 kW240V × 30A | 26 mi | 42 | $48.89 |
| Level 2, 48A60A circuit — the fastest most homes fit | 11.52 kW240V × 48A | 41 mi | 27 | $48.89 |
Power is volts × amps. The amperage is the continuous draw, which electrical code caps at 80% of the breaker — a 48A charger needs a 60A circuit. Cost differences between rows come only from charging efficiency, assumed at 85% for Level 1 and 90% for Level 2.
Level 1 costs more, not less
Trickling the same 306 kWh in over 225 hours instead of 42keeps the car's battery management system, pumps and contactors awake for five times as long. That overhead is metered, so Level 1 bills about $2.88 a month more than Level 2 for the identical driving. The difference is small — the point is that it does not run the other way.
So what is Level 2 actually for?
Headroom. Level 1 adds about 5 miles an hour, so an overnight 12-hour session covers roughly 59 miles of driving. For an average 37-mile day that is enough, and thousands of owners never install anything. It stops being enough on the day you drive 200 miles and need the car again in the morning. Level 2 buys you that day — it does not buy you cheaper electricity.
Monthly EV charging cost by vehicle
All at 1,100 miles a month and $0.16/kWh on a Level 2 charger. The only thing that changes down the table is EPA-rated efficiency, and it changes the bill by a factor of 3.1. Note what is not a column: battery capacity. A bigger pack buys range between charges, not cheaper miles.
| Vehicle | EPA kWh/100 mi | kWh/month off the meter | Cost per month | Cost per mile | Break-even rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Air PureAmong the most efficient EVs EPA rates | 23 | 281 | $44.98 | 4.1¢ | $0.48 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6Aerodynamic sedan | 24 | 293 | $46.93 | 4.3¢ | $0.46 |
| Tesla Model 3Best-selling EV sedan | 25 | 306 | $48.89 | 4.4¢ | $0.44 |
| Tesla Model YCompact crossover | 28 | 342 | $54.76 | 5.0¢ | $0.39 |
| Toyota bZ4XCompact crossover | 28 | 342 | $54.76 | 5.0¢ | $0.39 |
| Ford F-150 LightningFull-size electric pickup | 51 | 623 | $99.73 | 9.1¢ | $0.21 |
| Rivian R1TFull-size electric pickup | 54 | 660 | $105.60 | 9.6¢ | $0.20 |
| GMC Hummer EVThe least efficient EV EPA rates | 72 | 880 | $140.80 | 12.8¢ | $0.15 |
Efficiency figures are EPA combined ratings in kWh per 100 miles, as published for these models; individual trims vary by a kWh or two. “Break-even rate” is the electricity price at which that EV costs the same per mile as a 27.1 mpg gas car at $3.30/gal. Red means the US average rate is already above it.
An electric Hummer is not a cheap car to fuel
At 72 kWh/100 mi, the GMC Hummer EV costs 12.8 cents a mile at the US average rate — more than the 12.2 cents a mile that an average new gas car costs at $3.30/gal. Electric does not automatically mean cheap to run; efficient does. The Lucid Air Pure at the top of the table costs a third as much per mile as the Hummer at the bottom, on the same electricity.
EV vs gas cost comparison
Charging a Tesla Model 3 the US-average 1,100 miles costs $48.89 a month at $0.16/kWh. Below is what the same miles cost in gasoline, at four fuel economies and four pump prices. Every cell above $48.89 is a cell where the EV is cheaper to fuel.
| Gas car | $3.00/gal | $3.30/gal2024 avg | $4.00/gal | $5.00/gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mpgFull-size SUV or pickup | $165.00 | $181.50 | $220.00 | $275.00 |
| 27.1 mpgAverage new US vehicle | $121.77 | $133.95 | $162.36 | $202.95 |
| 35 mpgEfficient compact | $94.29 | $103.71 | $125.71 | $157.14 |
| 50 mpgHybrid | $66.00 | $72.60 | $88.00 | $110.00 |
| Tesla Model 3Charged at home, $0.16/kWh | $48.89 — the pump price makes no difference | |||
Green cells mark the (rare) combinations where gasoline is the cheaper fuel. 27.1mpg is the EPA's real-world average for model-year 2023 vehicles; $3.30/gal is the EIA's US average retail price for regular across 2024. Fuel only — insurance, maintenance, depreciation and the cost of installing a charger are all outside this comparison.
The two numbers worth remembering
The electricity to drive as far as one gallon takes a 27.1 mpg car costs $1.20. And the EV stops being the cheaper car to fuel only once electricity passes $0.44/kWh — a rate no US state averages, not even Hawaii at $0.39. Over a year of average driving the gap is about $1,021.
Charging at home is the whole advantage
Public DC fast charging is priced like a service, not like electricity, and it can cost several times your home rate. The economics on this page assume the car spends its nights in your driveway. An EV charged mostly on the road is a different, and much closer, calculation.
How to cut your home charging cost
Charging is one of the few large loads you can move to any hour you like, and one of the few that a solar array can cover outright. Both facts are worth more than any charger upgrade.
Charge on the off-peak rate
The car does not care when it charges, and every EV sold will schedule itself. If your utility offers time-of-use pricing, the overnight rate is the one that applies to nearly all of your 306 kWh a month. Put that rate into the calculator above rather than your state average — see rates by state.
Point solar at it
3667 kWh a year is a load a rooftop array can swallow, and unlike a furnace it draws in every season. Our solar savings calculator will size a system against it and estimate the payback.
Do not buy charger you will not use
A 48A unit adds 41 miles an hour and costs the same to run as a 16A one. Unless you regularly need a full battery overnight, the 7.2 kW size covers an average day's driving in 1.4 hours — and it needs a smaller, cheaper circuit.
Precondition while plugged in
Heating or cooling the cabin before you leave, while the car is still on the charger, runs it on house electricity instead of pulling from the battery. In winter that also warms the pack, which is when EV efficiency is at its worst.
Stop at 80% for daily driving
This does not save money directly — you pay for the kWh you use, whatever the state of charge. It preserves the battery, and it saves the slow, inefficient hours at the top of the charge curve where the car spends longest for the least energy gained.
Keep the tires up
Everything on this page is driven by the car's kWh per 100 miles, and rolling resistance is a real term in it. Underinflated tires raise that number for every mile you drive, on any electricity rate. More ideas in our energy savings guide.
Related Guides
Electricity Rates by State
The single biggest lever on your charging cost
Solar Savings Calculator
Size an array against 3667 kWh a year of charging
EV Charger Cost Calculator
Quick watts-and-hours estimate on the main tool
Most Efficient Appliances
See which appliances cost the most to run
How to Save on Energy Bills
Practical tips by room with savings
10 Appliances Quietly Costing You the Most
Where the charger ranks against everything else
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?
About $49 a month, or $587 a year, to drive a Tesla Model 3 the US-average 1,100 miles a month at the 2024 average rate of $0.16/kWh. That works out to 4.4 cents a mile. The three things that set your number are how far you drive, your car's EPA rating in kWh per 100 miles, and your electricity rate. The size of your charger is not one of them.
Does a Level 2 charger cost more to run than a Level 1 charger?
No — it costs slightly less. Both chargers put the same energy into the same battery, because that energy is set by the miles you drove, not by how fast it went in. A 7.2 kW Level 2 unit does it in about 42 hours a month; a 1.44 kW Level 1 cord needs about 225 hours. The slow charge is marginally less efficient, because the car's electronics stay awake for all those extra hours, so Level 1 actually bills about $2.88 a month more. Level 2 buys you time, not money.
How many kWh does it take to charge an EV?
Multiply your miles by the car's EPA kWh-per-100-miles rating and divide by 100, then add roughly 10% for charging losses. A Tesla Model 3 rated 25 kWh/100 mi driven 1,100 miles needs 275 kWh in the battery, which means about 306 kWh off your meter. Charging losses are why the meter always reads higher than the car's trip computer.
Is charging an EV cheaper than buying gas?
At average US prices, comfortably. The electricity to drive as far as one gallon of gasoline takes a 27.1 mpg car costs about $1.20 — against a pump price of $3.30. Over 1,100 miles a month that is $49 of electricity against $134 of gasoline, or about $1,021 a year. The EV only loses if your electricity costs more than $0.44/kWh, which no state average reaches — Hawaii, the most expensive, is $0.39.
Which EVs are cheapest to charge?
The efficient ones, and the gap is wide. At 1,100 miles a month and $0.16/kWh, a Lucid Air Pure at 23 kWh/100 mi costs $45 a month, while a GMC Hummer EV at 72 kWh/100 mi costs $141. Battery size has nothing to do with it — a bigger pack buys range between charges, not cheaper miles.
Why do people say an EV charger costs $140 a month?
Because they are assuming the charger runs 4 hours every day. A 7.2 kW unit at that duty cycle draws 28.8 kWh a day, which is real — but it is about 104 miles of driving a day, close to 3,110 miles a month. Most people drive a third of that. Work from your odometer, not from the charger's nameplate.