Money & Finance
EV Charging Cost Calculator
Compare home and public charging costs for your EV across four scenarios, then see the yearly savings against a gas car.
How it works
Behind the numbers
Annual electricity use is miles times efficiency divided by 100: a car rated at 25 kWh per 100 miles driven 12,000 miles uses 3,000 kWh a year. Multiplying that by each charging rate gives four yearly bills: home off-peak, home standard, DC fast charging, and public Level 2.
The vehicle presets use EPA combined ratings from fueleconomy.gov for the 2024 model year: Tesla Model 3 RWD at 25, Model 3 Long Range at 26, Model Y at 28, Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD at 30, and Ioniq 5 AWD at 34 kWh per 100 miles. The default home standard rate of $0.18 per kWh sits near the EIA's US residential average of $0.1831 from July 2026. Every rate is editable.
The home versus public row averages the two home rates against the two public rates, so you can see what a home charger is worth per year. The EV versus gas row prices the same miles in a gas car from your gas price and MPG, then subtracts the home off-peak EV cost. Charging losses and battery degradation are not modeled.
FAQ
Questions, answered
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
At $0.18 per kWh, a Model 3 (25 kWh/100 mi) driven 12,000 miles uses 3,000 kWh and costs $540 a year. On an off-peak rate of $0.14, the same driving costs $420. Your utility's time-of-use plan decides which number applies.
Is it cheaper to charge an EV at home or at public chargers?
Home is usually far cheaper. At the default rates, home charging averages $480 a year while public charging averages $1,245, a $765 yearly gap. Public fast charging makes sense for road trips, not daily use.
How much does an EV save versus a gas car per year?
A 28 MPG gas car driven 12,000 miles at $3.50 per gallon burns $1,500 of fuel a year. Charging a Model 3 at home off-peak costs $420, a $1,080 saving. The gap shrinks if you rely on public fast chargers.
What do the kWh per 100 miles ratings mean?
They are the EPA's combined city and highway efficiency ratings, published on fueleconomy.gov, similar to MPG for gas cars. Lower is better: 25 kWh per 100 miles is more efficient than 34.