Cost to Fully Charge an Electric Vehicle

If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kWh and the vehicle consumes 27 kWh to travel 100 miles, the cost per mile is about $0.03. If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kilowatt-hour, charging an EV with a 200-mile range (assuming a fully depleted 54 kWh battery) will cost about $6 to reach a full charge.

At this price, charging an electric car such as the Nissan LEAF with a 40-kWh battery with a 150-mile range would cost about $7 to fully charge. Meanwhile, fueling a 25-mpg gas vehicle at a gas price of $4.30 per gallon would cost about $26 for enough gas to drive approximately 150 miles.

According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, if electricity costs about $0.11 per kilowatt-hour, charging an EV with a 200-mile range (assuming a fully depleted 54 kWh battery) will cost about $6 to reach a full charge.

But research shows that if you consider the full life of the vehicle, owning an electric car can save $12,000 or more compared to a gas car, due to lower fuel and maintenance costs (think oil changes and other engine-related costs).

Electric car motors have fewer moving parts than a combustion engine, which translates into lower maintenance costs. Plus, imagine never having to purchase gas again! On average, the total cost to charge an EV is only $2 to $4 – significantly ...

When these are factored in, the real cost of ownership drops significantly. EVs are vastly cheaper to run. Electricity is cheaper than gasoline on a per-mile basis—often by a factor of 2 to 5, depending on location.

Charging an EV at home costs $0.03 to $0.05 per mile, or $8 to $19 for a full charge in 2026—that's 60-70% cheaper than gasoline. At the national average electricity rate of $0.14 per kWh, a Tesla Model 3 costs $8.82 per full charge ($420 ...

According to the United States Energy Information Administration, U.S. households paid an average of 17.45 cents per kWh in January 2026, the most recent figures available at the time of this writing.

U.S. residential electricity rates average $0.18 cents per kilowatt-hour as of early 2026, per EIA and other sources. However, this rate can vary from $0.32 in California to as high as $0.41 in Hawaii or as low as $0.12 in the state of Washington.