EV charging cost calculator
A full charge of a Tesla Model Y costs about $15.80 at home and $29.11 at the US median public price. Pick your car, your state and your tariff below — the answer updates as you move a slider, losses included.
- Models
- 108
- States
- 22
- Priced stations
- 3,805
- Median public
- 35.0¢/kWh
1 · Your car
Full specs2 · Where you charge
3 · One charge
20% → 80% at home
47.4 kWh into the pack, 52.7 kWh on the meter · 18.0¢/kWh
- Per 100 miles
- $6.33
- Per mile
- 6.3¢
- Per year
- $759
Your year, split
Against a 30 mpg petrol car
$5.01 cheaper per 100 miles, or $601 a year at 12,000 miles.
Public price is the median listed tariff of 3805 priced stations in the directory. Home price is a national average you can change. Charging losses are included: 90% of the metered energy reaches the pack here.
The arithmetic
How the number is made
Three figures go in and one comes out, and every one of them is on the screen so you can check it.
Energy, from miles per kWh
The car's EPA combined efficiency, in miles per kilowatt-hour. A Tesla Model Y is rated 3.96 mi/kWh, so 100 miles needs 25.3 kWh in the battery.
Wall energy, from the losses
The charger draws more than the pack receives — about 10% more on AC and 5% on DC. Those kilowatt-hours are the ones you pay for.
Money, from the tariff
Wall energy × price per kWh. The public price is the median listed tariff of the priced stations in your state; the home price is yours to set.
Written as one line: cost per mile = (1 ÷ mi/kWh ÷ efficiency) × price per kWh. Nothing else is in it — not depreciation, insurance, tyres, maintenance or the cost of the charger itself.
By car
What ten popular EVs cost to charge
A full charge, empty to 100%, at the national median public price of 35.0¢/kWh and at a home rate of 18.0¢/kWh. Efficiencies are the EPA combined figures.
| Car | mi/kWh | Battery | Full charge, home | Full charge, public | Per 100 mi, public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y2026 | 4.0 | 79 kWh | $15.80 | $29.11 | $9.30 |
| Tesla Model 32026 | 4.1 | 79 kWh | $15.80 | $29.11 | $9.07 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E2026 | 3.3 | 88 kWh | $17.60 | $32.42 | $11.30 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 52027 | 3.3 | 60 kWh | $12.00 | $22.11 | $11.06 |
| Kia EV62026 | 3.4 | 74 kWh | $14.80 | $27.26 | $10.90 |
| Volkswagen ID.42026 | 3.4 | 79 kWh | $15.80 | $29.11 | $10.96 |
| Nissan ARIYA2026 | 2.9 | 87 kWh | $17.40 | $32.05 | $12.66 |
| BMW iX2026 | 2.9 | 71 kWh | $14.20 | $26.16 | $12.79 |
| Rivian R1S2027 | 2.5 | 141.5 kWh | $28.30 | $52.13 | $14.74 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning2025 | 2.1 | 131 kWh | $26.20 | $48.26 | $17.63 |
Public figures use the median listed tariff across the directory, not a single network. A Tesla Supercharger, an Electrify America site and a municipal Level 2 post are three different prices; the calculator lets you put in the one you actually pay.
By state
Where public charging is cheapest
The same car — 3.1 miles per kWh, the median of the 108 models here — at each state's own median tariff. Only states with enough priced stations to compare are listed.
Cheapest public charging
| State | Median | Per 100 mi |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 28.0¢/kWh | $9.48 |
| Ohio | 30.0¢/kWh | $10.15 |
| Pennsylvania | 32.0¢/kWh | $10.83 |
| New York | 35.0¢/kWh | $11.85 |
| Texas | 35.0¢/kWh | $11.85 |
| Illinois | 35.0¢/kWh | $11.85 |
| Connecticut | 35.0¢/kWh | $11.85 |
| Michigan | 35.0¢/kWh | $11.85 |
Dearest public charging
| State | Median | Per 100 mi |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 46.0¢/kWh | $15.57 |
| Oklahoma | 45.0¢/kWh | $15.23 |
| Wisconsin | 40.0¢/kWh | $13.54 |
| Louisiana | 40.0¢/kWh | $13.54 |
| Mississippi | 40.0¢/kWh | $13.54 |
| Indiana | 39.0¢/kWh | $13.20 |
| California | 38.0¢/kWh | $12.86 |
| New Jersey | 37.0¢/kWh | $12.52 |
A state median hides a lot: the spread inside one state is usually wider than the spread between states. The state pages carry the distribution.
Questions
What people ask about the cost
Short answers, using the same figures the calculator uses.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV?
- At the US median public price of 35.0¢/kWh, a full charge of a Tesla Model Y (79 kWh usable) costs about $29.11. The same charge at home on an average residential rate of 18.0¢/kWh costs about $15.80. The gap is the tariff, not the car: the battery takes the same energy either way.
- Is it cheaper to charge at home or in public?
- Home, almost always. On the figures above, the same full charge costs $15.80 at home against $29.11 at the median public post — roughly 1.8× more in public. Public charging pays for equipment, demand charges, site rent and payment processing; a home charger pays the residential rate. The exception is free charging at work or at a destination charger.
- What does it cost per mile to drive an EV?
- Cost per mile is the price of a kilowatt-hour divided by miles per kWh, with charging losses added. A Tesla Model Y at 3.96 miles per kWh costs about $0.051 per mile at home and $0.093 on public charging. That is the whole formula — no depreciation, insurance or maintenance in it.
- Does this calculator include charging losses?
- Yes, and it is the step most calculators skip. A charger draws more energy than the battery receives: about 10% is lost as heat on AC charging and about 5% on DC. So the bill is calculated on the energy at the meter, while the range comes from the energy in the pack.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV per month?
- Multiply the cost per mile by the miles you drive in a month. At $0.063 per mile and 1,000 miles a month, a Tesla Model Y costs about $63 a month on a 70% home / 30% public split.
- Why is public charging sometimes more expensive than petrol?
- Because a public post is priced per kilowatt-hour and a fast one can charge three to four times the residential rate. A thirsty car at a dear public charger can cost more per mile than an efficient petrol car. The comparison in the calculator uses 30 mpg at $3.40 a gallon, so the reader can see where the crossover is for their own numbers.
- My car is not in the list. Can I still use it?
- Yes. Add it with ChatGPT — the page builds the prompt and reads the reply — or type the range and usable battery yourself. Miles per kWh is range divided by battery, so those two figures are all the calculator needs. A car you add is stored in your browser and appears in the picker next time.
- What electricity price should I use for home charging?
- The calculator starts at 18.0¢/kWh, a US average residential rate, because the directory lists public stations and holds no residential tariffs. Your own bill is the number that matters: a time-of-use plan can be well below that overnight, and Hawaii or New England can be well above it. Type your rate into the box and every figure updates.