How Much Does It Cost to Charge an EV at Home? (2026)

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The first electric bill after the new EV arrives is the one everybody opens carefully. You’ve stopped at the gas station exactly zero times this month, but the meter has been busy every night in the garage. So what did all that driving actually cost? Less than most people expect, and you can work it out for your own car in about a minute.

At the U.S. average home electricity price of 18.19 cents per kWh (EIA, January to July 2026), charging a typical EV costs about $4.50 to $7.30 per 100 miles, or roughly $500 to $800 a year for 11,000 miles. These are our estimates from EPA efficiency figures. Your cost depends on your rate: about half that in some states, double in others, and less with off-peak rates.

The formula

Cost per 100 miles = your car’s kWh per 100 miles × your price per kWh.

• kWh per 100 miles is on your car’s EPA window sticker and on fueleconomy.gov. The EPA measures it from the wall outlet, so it already includes the energy lost while charging.
• Your price per kWh: divide your total electric bill (in dollars) by the kWh you used that month. That gives an all-in price including delivery charges and taxes. If you have tiered or time-of-use rates, the price of the extra kWh you add for the car may be higher or lower than that average.

Example: a car that uses 30 kWh per 100 miles, at 18 cents per kWh, costs 30 × $0.18 = $5.40 per 100 miles, or about 5.4 cents a mile. Filling 60 kWh from nearly empty at that price is about $10.80.

Cost to charge popular EVs at home

2026 EV	EPA kWh per 100 mi	Cost per 100 mi	Per month (919 mi)	Per year (11,026 mi)
Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD	24.6	$4.48	About $41	About $494
Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD	27.5	$5.00	About $46	About $552
Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD	30	$5.46	About $50	About $602
Nissan LEAF (75 kWh)	30	$5.46	About $50	About $602
Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD	31.1	$5.65	About $52	About $623
Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD	33.6	$6.12	About $56	About $675
Kia EV9 Long Range AWD	40	$7.28	About $67	About $802

Our estimates. Efficiency: EPA combined figures on fueleconomy.gov for the 2026 models named. Price: EIA’s U.S. average residential price, 18.19 cents per kWh, January to July 2026 (Electric Power Monthly, released September 24, 2026). Miles: the Federal Highway Administration’s 2023 average of 11,026 miles per light-duty vehicle (about 919 a month). Real-world use is higher in cold weather and at highway speeds.

What it costs in your state

Electricity prices vary more than threefold between states. Here’s the same mid-size EV (Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD, 31.1 kWh per 100 miles) at each state’s average residential price for January to July 2026:

State	Avg residential price, Jan-Jul 2026	Cost per 100 mi	Per year (11,026 mi)
Idaho	12.96¢	$4.03	About $444
Louisiana	13.35¢	$4.15	About $457
Washington	14.40¢	$4.48	About $493
Florida	15.30¢	$4.76	About $524
Georgia	15.40¢	$4.79	About $528
Texas	16.06¢	$4.99	About $550
U.S. average	18.19¢	$5.65	About $623
Illinois	19.22¢	$5.97	About $659
New York	29.38¢	$9.13	About $1,007
Massachusetts	30.14¢	$9.37	About $1,033
California	33.25¢	$10.33	About $1,139
Hawaii	46.28¢	$14.38	About $1,586

Prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.B (year to date through July 2026). Costs are our estimates. EIA’s U.S. average was 17.01 cents for the same months of 2025, so home electricity prices rose about 7% in a year.

EV vs gas: the cost per 100 miles

Compare like with like. A 2026 Honda CR-V FWD with the 1.5-liter turbo is rated 30 mpg combined on fueleconomy.gov. At EIA’s U.S. average regular gasoline price of $4.465 a gallon (week of September 28, 2026), 100 miles costs about $14.88. A similar-size Chevrolet Equinox EV charged at home at the U.S. average electricity price costs about $5.65.

Vehicle and fuel	Cost per 100 mi	Per year (11,026 mi)
Honda CR-V FWD 1.5T, 30 mpg, gas at $4.465	About $14.88	About $1,641
Equinox EV, home charging at 18.19¢	About $5.65	About $623
Equinox EV, home charging at California’s 33.25¢	About $10.33	About $1,139

Our estimates; fuel prices move every week. In most of the country, home charging costs well under half as much per mile as gasoline right now. In the highest-price states the gap narrows, which is where off-peak rates and solar matter most. This compares fuel only, not insurance, maintenance or purchase price.

Time-of-use rates: the biggest lever you control

Many utilities charge more in the late afternoon and evening and less overnight. The Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center notes that some utilities offer time-of-use or special EV rates. A real example: on PG&E’s EV2-A plan in California, PG&E’s EV rates page (seen October 2026) shows summer prices of about 23 cents per kWh off-peak and 54 cents at the 4 to 9 p.m. peak.

Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD (27.5 kWh/100 mi)	Cost per 100 mi	Per month (919 mi)
Charged off-peak at 23¢ (PG&E EV2-A, summer)	About $6.33	About $58
Charged at peak at 54¢ (PG&E EV2-A, summer)	About $14.85	About $136

Our estimates from PG&E’s published per-kWh prices; your utility’s rates and hours will differ, and fixed monthly charges aren’t included. Same car, same miles, more than twice the cost, just from the hour you plug in. Most EVs and smart chargers let you schedule charging to start after the peak ends. Before switching plans, check that the rest of your household use (air conditioning in the evening, for example) won’t cost more on the new schedule; many utilities have a rate comparison tool. Learn more in time-of-use rates explained.

Home charging vs public charging

Home is usually the cheapest place to charge. EnergySage (October 2025) found public Level 2 stations typically cost under 30 cents per kWh, while DC fast charging examples ranged from 33 to 70 cents per kWh, rates it says “rival gas prices.” Its estimate for 12,200 miles a year: about $732 charging at home versus about $1,584 relying only on public charging. Fast chargers are worth it on road trips; for daily driving, plug in at home.

Does Level 1 or Level 2 change the cost?

Only a little. A 2014 study in Transportation Research Record found Level 2 charging about 3% more efficient on average than Level 1, because less energy is lost over a shorter session. On $600 a year that’s under $20. The real advantage of Level 2 is speed: it fits a day’s driving into a short off-peak window. Compare them in Level 1 vs Level 2 charging.

Tools that help you track and cut charging costs

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Product	What it does for cost	Install	About price
Emporia Pro EV Charger	Load management; includes a whole-home monitor	Plug-in or hardwired	$599
Grizzl-E Classic Connect	App scheduling and cost tracking	NEMA 14-50 plug	$349.99
ChargePoint Home Flex	App-connected Level 2 charger	Plug-in or hardwired	$549 to $599
Emporia Vue 3	Measures the EV circuit and the whole house	Inside the panel (electrician)	$199.99

You don’t need special hardware to save: your car’s own app can usually schedule charging. A connected charger or an energy monitor helps if you want to see the EV’s exact share of the bill. The Vue 3 and any new charger circuit go inside or next to your breaker panel, so have a licensed electrician install them, with a permit where required.

Check the Grizzl-E Classic Connect price on Amazon

Check the Emporia Pro price on Amazon

Five ways to charge for less

1. Ask your utility about EV or time-of-use rates and charger rebates.
2. Schedule charging to start after the peak window.
3. Charge at home and save fast chargers for trips.
4. Precondition while plugged in in cold or hot weather, so warming or cooling the cabin uses wall power, if your car offers it.
5. Consider solar if you own your home: see EV charging with solar and our solar energy guide.

Setting up home charging? Start with our EV charger for home guide, see what installation costs, and compare the best EV chargers for home. Want to track every appliance, not just the car? Read the best energy monitors and how to lower your electric bill. More in electric vehicles.

EV charging cost questions

How much does it cost to fully charge an EV at home?

Multiply the kWh you put in by your price per kWh. Adding 60 kWh at the 2026 U.S. average of 18.19 cents costs about $10.90; at 33 cents (California’s average) about $20. You rarely charge from empty, so a typical night’s top-up of 8 to 12 kWh costs about $1.50 to $2.20 at the U.S. average.

How much will an EV add to my electric bill each month?

At about 920 miles a month (the U.S. average), most EVs use roughly 230 to 370 kWh, about $41 to $67 at the U.S. average price of 18.19 cents per kWh. Our estimate; in high-price states it can be twice that, and off-peak rates can cut it.

Is it cheaper to charge an EV at night?

Only if your utility charges less at night. On a flat rate, the price is the same any hour. On a time-of-use or EV rate, overnight charging can cost less than half the peak price; PG&E’s EV2-A plan, for example, shows about 23 cents off-peak versus 54 cents at the summer peak.

Is charging an EV cheaper than gas?

In most states, yes. Using late-September 2026 prices, a 30-mpg gas SUV costs about $14.88 per 100 miles, versus about $5.65 for a similar EV charged at the U.S. average home rate (our estimates). In Hawaii and parts of California, the gap is much smaller unless you use off-peak rates or solar.

Does cold weather make charging more expensive?

Yes, somewhat. fueleconomy.gov notes charging losses vary with the weather, and heating the cabin and battery uses energy, so you buy more kWh per mile in winter. Preconditioning while plugged in and parking in a garage help.