How much you should expect to pay to charge an electric car
High gas prices have more drivers thinking about switching to an electric car.
Charging costs depend on lots of variables, but it's generally much cheaper to power an EV than a gas car.
It costs less to charge at home in one's garage than at a high-powered charging station.
Before dropping $40,000, $50,000, or $60,000 on a shiny new electric vehicle, many consumers will need to know: "How much will it cost to charge this thing?" and "Will I save on gas?"
It all depends on the model you buy and where you decide to plug in, but charging an EV generally costs significantly less than refueling a gas car. As with gas cars, some EVs are more energy-efficient than others, leading to a lower charging bill. Slower, at-home charging at home tends to be cheaper than using high-powered, fast-charging stations.
A slew of other variables can impact charging costs, but this guide offers a rough idea of what to expect.
The most popular method: Home charging
In general, most electric cars can travel 3 to 4 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. In 2021, residential electricity cost 13.73 cents per kWh on average, per the US Energy Information Administration. At that rate, someone who drives 1,000 miles per month would spend anywhere from $34 to $46 charging at home.
Fully recharging an electric car with a healthy range of 300 miles would require 75-100 kWh and cost $10-$14.
There are also some potential up-front costs to charging at home. All EVs come with a home-charging cable that plugs into a wall outlet and provides an extremely slow trickle of energy, approximately 3 to 6 miles of range per hour. This type of charging is known as Level 1.
For a quicker charge, many owners choose to install a more powerful Level 2 charger, which uses an upgraded 240-volt circuit to deliver some 20-40 miles of range per hour. Tesla's Level 2 charger costs $550, and the company estimates an additional $750-$1,500 for an electrician to hook it up.
Your mileage may vary
Electricity costs vary greatly across the country. In some states, you can expect to pay less than 10 cents per kWh. In others, rates can be as high as 25 cents per kWh. And some EVs are less efficient than others. Models like the Rivian R1T pickup truck, Porsche Taycan sedan, and Audi E-Tron SUV only get a little over two miles per kWh.
Someone who owns an R1T and lives in Massachusetts, where electricity costs 25.28 cents per kWh, would pay around $126 to their utility provider to drive 1,000 miles. By contrast, it would cost only $25 to run a highly efficient Tesla Model 3 the same distance at 10 cents per kWh.
Moreover, the cost to charge depends on the time of day one chooses to plug in. Many owners charge their vehicles overnight when electricity rates are a fraction of peak daytime costs. EVs typically allow owners to schedule charging for certain hours of the day.
Pay up for a quicker charge
DC fast chargers, capable of adding significant amounts of range in 30 minutes or less, are the quickest method of replenishing an electric car's battery. But that added convenience means they're more expensive than home charging or slower public chargers.
It's difficult to assign a precise cost to fast charging, given the wide variety of providers and payment models. Some stations charge by the kWh, while others charge by the minute. Many companies offer a membership in exchange for lower rates.
On a recent trip to an Electrify America fast charger, I paid $26.59 for around 58 kWh of energy, worth roughly 180 miles of range in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUV I was driving. When you crunch the numbers, the cost to use a DC fast charger can be as much as — or more than — the cost to fuel a reasonably efficient combustion vehicle, depending on gas prices.
Electric is almost always cheaper
Electric cars are generally cheaper to refuel than their gasoline-drinking counterparts, particularly if you choose an efficient model and charge at home. As gas prices hover above $4 per gallon, the cost difference is even greater.
According to a March analysis of per-mile fueling costs by the consulting firm ICF's Climate Center, it now costs roughly three times more to run a gas vehicle than an electric car.
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