EV charging cost calculator (US)
Charging an electric car at home in the US costs roughly 3–4¢ per mile, versus about 13¢ a mile to fuel a 30 mpg gas car — so home charging is usually 60–75% cheaper per mile, while public DC fast charging (Electrify America, EVgo and similar, often 45–55¢/kWh) can cost about as much as gasoline. This calculator turns that into your own numbers: it starts on the US preset — residential power around 17.6¢/kWh, public DC fast around 47¢/kWh and gas near $3.30 a gallon — and works out the cost of a full charge, the cost per mile, and your monthly and yearly spend, splitting home and public charging.
Switch to the comparison tab to put your EV against an equivalent gas and diesel car and see the annual and five-year fuel saving, the payback time on the EV's price premium, and the CO₂ saved. Every default is editable, the result is saved in the page address so you can share or bookmark it, and you can switch the country preset if you don't drive in the US.
A full charge fills the battery from empty — in daily use you usually just top up, so a day's driving costs a small fraction of this. The cost per 100 miles blends your home and public prices by how much you use each, and the yearly total applies that across your annual distance.
Home electricity price: US$0.18 · Blended home + public electricity. US$0.23 per kWh
Methodology & sources
Cost of a full charge = battery capacity (kWh) × electricity price (per kWh). Cost per mile = your EV's consumption (kWh per 100 miles) × a blended electricity price, where the blend weights your home rate and your public rate by the share you charge at home. Annual electricity = consumption × annual miles × blended price; the monthly figure is that divided by twelve.
For the comparison, gas and diesel running cost = consumption × distance × pump price. The five-year saving is the annual EV-vs-gas difference multiplied by five. It counts energy and fuel only — not purchase price, depreciation, the federal EV tax credit, state incentives, tax, servicing or insurance — so it isolates the running-cost gap. For a full line-by-line five-year total of ownership, see the EV vs gas five-year cost article.
The model carries consumption per 100 distance units and fuel per litre internally (never mpg) so the maths is market-neutral and unambiguous; the US preset displays miles and the engine converts for you. Because the internal fuel price is per litre, a US gas price of about $3.30 a gallon is $3.30 ÷ 3.785 ≈ $0.87 per litre (1 US gallon = 3.785 L), which is the figure the preset seeds — change the gas price field to match your local pump. US defaults: residential electricity ~17.6¢/kWh, public DC fast ~47¢/kWh, gas ~$3.30/gal and diesel ~$3.60/gal, grid ~380 g CO₂/kWh, EV efficiency ~17–19 kWh/100 km (a real-world figure that already absorbs charging losses).
CO₂ is shown on two selectable accounting boundaries (compare tab). Well-to-wheel (the default) is the full energy chain: the EV uses the grid's generation intensity (~380 g/kWh) plus ~8% transmission and distribution losses, and gas/diesel add upstream extraction, refining and distribution (well-to-tank) on top of combustion — about +0.61 kg CO₂e per litre of gas and +0.63 per litre of diesel (DEFRA 2024 GHG conversion factors, vintage 2024; EPA factors are comparable). Tank-to-wheel counts point-of-use only: the EV is zero at the wheel and fuel is direct combustion (gas 2.31 kg/L, diesel 2.68 kg/L). Neither boundary includes vehicle or battery manufacturing.
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fully charge an electric car in the US?
For a typical 75 kWh battery, a 0–100% charge at home costs about $13 at the US average residential rate of ~17.6¢/kWh. On public DC fast charging at ~47¢/kWh the same charge is roughly $35. Day to day you rarely charge from empty, so a top-up to cover a commute is usually only a few dollars. Change the battery size and price above for your exact car and utility rate.
Is it cheaper to charge at home or at a public fast charger?
Home, by a wide margin. Residential electricity is typically two to three times cheaper per kWh than public DC fast charging, so a driver who charges mostly at home pays far less per mile than one who relies on Electrify America or EVgo. The home-share slider shows exactly how your blend changes the result.
How much can an EV save versus a gas car?
For a home-charging driver doing average miles, an EV typically saves several hundred dollars a year on energy versus a comparable gas car, which compounds to a four-figure five-year saving on fuel alone. The exact number depends on your electricity rate, gas price and mileage — switch to the comparison tab to see yours.
Does this include the federal EV tax credit or state incentives?
No. This is a running-cost calculator — electricity versus gas/diesel only. The federal clean-vehicle tax credit, state rebates, HOV access and other incentives change the purchase math but not your cost per mile, so they are not included here. The payback figure compares running savings against the EV's price premium before any incentives.
Why does the gas price look like a per-litre number?
Internally the model works per litre so it stays market-neutral, but the US preset shows miles and dollars. A US gas price of about $3.30 a gallon equals roughly $0.87 per litre (1 US gallon = 3.785 L). Enter your local price either way — adjust the field until the per-gallon equivalent matches your pump.
Well-to-wheel vs tank-to-wheel — which CO₂ number is right?
Both are valid; they draw the boundary in different places. Tank-to-wheel counts only emissions at the point of use, so the EV is zero at the wheel and a gas or diesel car emits just its combustion (2.31 and 2.68 kg CO₂ per litre). Well-to-wheel — the default here — is the more complete, like-for-like number: it adds the grid's generation emissions plus grid losses for the EV, and fuel extraction, refining and distribution for gas and diesel. On the US grid (~380 g/kWh) the EV still comes out far cleaner; well-to-wheel simply stops the comparison flattering fuel by ignoring its upstream emissions. Neither figure includes building the car or its battery.
Can I share my result?
Yes. Every input is stored in the page address as you change it, so you can copy the link (or use the copy button) and anyone who opens it sees exactly your numbers and result.