About the EV Charging Cost Calculator
This EV charging cost calculator estimates what you will spend on electricity to drive an electric vehicle. Enter how far you drive each month, your car’s efficiency in miles per kWh, your home electricity rate and the price you pay at public chargers, and it works out the monthly and yearly charging bill, the cost per mile and the cost of a full charge.
It is useful for anyone shopping for an EV, deciding whether to install a home Level 2 charger, or checking how much DC fast charging on road trips adds to the bill. Because many drivers charge mostly at home and occasionally in public, you can set the share of charging done at public stations and the calculator blends the two prices.
Charging is not perfectly efficient — some energy is lost as heat in the charger and battery — so the calculator adds a charging-loss percentage (around 10% is typical for Level 2). It also compares the result with a gasoline car so you can see the fuel savings. Use your actual rate from your electric bill, including delivery charges, for the most accurate answer.
With the default inputs, the monthly charging cost is $62.86. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the ev charging cost calculator
- 1Enter how many miles you drive in a typical month.
- 2Enter your EV’s efficiency (mi/kWh) and usable battery size.
- 3Enter your home electricity rate from your bill and the public charging price.
- 4Set the share of charging you do in public and the charging loss.
- 5Compare the monthly cost and cost per mile with the gas car figure.
Formula and method
The energy your car needs is miles driven divided by its efficiency in miles per kWh. Because some electricity is lost as heat while charging, the energy drawn from the grid is higher: the calculator divides by (1 − charging loss). That grid energy is multiplied by a blended price that weights your home and public rates by the share of charging done at each.
A full charge costs the usable battery capacity × home rate ÷ (1 − loss). The gas comparison divides the same miles by the gas car’s MPG and multiplies by the price per gallon.
- Efficiency
- Miles per kWh the EV achieves
- Loss
- Charging losses as a decimal (0.10 = 10%)
- p
- Share of charging done at public stations
Worked examples
1,000 miles a month, mostly home charging
1,000 miles at 3.5 mi/kWh needs 285.7 kWh in the battery, or 317.5 kWh from the wall with 10% loss. At a blended $0.198/kWh (90% home at $0.17, 10% public at $0.45) that is $62.86 a month, about 6.3¢ per mile — roughly $50 less than a 30 mpg gas car.
Efficient EV charged only at home
At 4 mi/kWh, 800 miles needs 200 kWh, or 227.3 kWh from the wall with 12% loss. At $0.13/kWh that costs $29.55 a month, compared with $80 of gas.
Electric truck with heavy public charging
A less efficient truck driving 1,500 miles uses about 595 kWh. With 40% of charging at $0.55 and the rest at $0.30, the blended rate is $0.40/kWh and the bill is $238 a month — still about $69 less than a 22 mpg pickup at $4.50 gas.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?+
Multiply the kWh you add by your electricity rate. With a typical US residential rate of around 15–20 cents per kWh, a full charge of a 75 kWh battery costs roughly $12–$17 including charging losses. Driving 1,000 miles a month at 3.5 mi/kWh uses about 317 kWh from the wall, or roughly $48–$64 at those rates.
Is public charging more expensive than home charging?+
Usually yes. DC fast chargers often cost two to three times the home rate per kWh, and some bill per minute instead. Level 2 public chargers at workplaces or shops are sometimes cheaper or even free.
What is a good efficiency for an EV?+
Efficient sedans and small crossovers achieve about 3.5–4.5 miles per kWh. Large SUVs and pickup trucks are closer to 2–2.5 mi/kWh. Cold weather, high speeds and heating can reduce efficiency by 20% or more.
How can I lower my EV charging cost?+
Charge at home overnight on a time-of-use plan with cheaper off-peak rates, limit DC fast charging to road trips, keep tires properly inflated, and precondition the cabin while plugged in so the battery is not used to heat the car.