Enter your car, daily miles and electricity rate to see what charging at home costs per month and year, how it compares with gas, and how long charging takes.
EV charging cost calculator
What does it cost to charge an electric car at home, and how long does it take? Pick a car (or enter its efficiency), your miles and your electricity price. We compare it with a gas car too.
Assumptions and limits
- Efficiency: 2026 combined kWh/100 mi from fueleconomy.gov. Those figures are measured from the wall, so they already include charging losses; for a listed car we set extra losses to 0%. If you enter a number from the car’s screen (battery side), keep about 10% for charging losses (our round figure; losses vary with the car, charger, battery and weather, fueleconomy.gov on charging losses).
- Charger power: Level 1 1.4 kW (12 A at 120 V); Level 2 7.2 kW (30 A on a 40 A circuit, the most common home unit, DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center), 9.6 kW (40 A) and 11.5 kW (48 A at 240 V). Your car’s onboard charger may accept less.
- Charging time = energy ÷ charger power, at a steady rate. For 20–80% we add 10% for charging losses on top of the battery energy. Real charging slows near full and in the cold.
- Electricity price: state residential averages Jan–Jul 2026, EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B (Sept 2026) (U.S. 18.19¢). Your bill shows your real price; time-of-use plans can be much cheaper overnight.
- Gasoline: U.S. regular $4.47/gal, week of Sept 28, 2026 (EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update); 30 mpg is a typical compact SUV (2026 Honda CR-V FWD, fueleconomy.gov). Change both.
- A month = 30.4 days. Average U.S. light-duty driving is about 11,000 miles a year, about 30 miles a day (FHWA Highway Statistics).
- This is an estimate, not a design. A licensed installer must confirm sizing, wiring and permits.
Learn more in our EV charging guide, or see all calculators.