How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home?

To find the cost to charge an electric car at home, multiply the miles you drive by your EV's kWh per 100 miles (from its EPA label), divide by 100, and multiply by your electricity rate. At a national average residential price of 18.16¢ per kWh, an EV that uses 30 kWh per 100 miles costs about 30 × 18.16¢ for every 100 miles you drive, before any time-of-use discounts.

Your real number depends on three things: how efficient your car is, how far you drive and what your utility charges. Below is the method, the official efficiency figures to use and a worked example.

The formula for home EV charging cost

The U.S. Department of Energy's FuelEconomy.gov charging guide says your home charging cost depends on your electricity rate, your vehicle's efficiency and how many miles you drive on electricity. Put together, the calculation is:

Monthly cost = (miles per month ÷ 100) × kWh per 100 miles × price per kWh

1. Find your EV's kWh per 100 miles. It is printed on the EPA fuel economy label and listed on FuelEconomy.gov.
2. Estimate your monthly miles. Use your odometer, a trip app or your annual mileage divided by 12.
3. Find your price per kWh. Divide your total electric bill by the kWh used, or check your utility's rate schedule. If you are on a time-of-use plan, use the rate for the hours you actually charge.
4. Multiply. Our EV charging cost calculator does the math for you.

Where to find kWh per 100 miles

The EPA fuel economy label for electric vehicles shows the "estimated rate of fuel consumption, in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles, for combined city and highway driving." FuelEconomy.gov notes that, unlike MPG, this consumption figure "relates directly to the amount of electricity used, and thus to expenditures on electricity," which makes it the right number for cost estimates.

If you only know a car's MPGe, you can convert it. The EPA explains that a gallon of gasoline has the energy equivalent of 33.7 kWh of electricity, so a vehicle that uses 33.7 kWh to go 100 miles is rated 100 MPGe. That means:

kWh per 100 miles ≈ 3,370 ÷ MPGe

For example, FuelEconomy.gov's top ten list of 2026 models shows a Tesla Model 3 Standard RWD at 139 MPGe combined, which works out to roughly 24 kWh per 100 miles. FuelEconomy.gov's own charging example uses an EV rated at 97 MPGe, or 35 kWh per 100 miles. Efficiency varies widely between models and even wheel sizes, so always check the figure for your exact model and trim.

Do EPA ratings include charging losses?

Yes. According to the EPA, its MPGe values include charging losses. Testing assumes Level 2 AC charging and accounts for losses in the charging cable and on-board charger, which "moves the measurement from the vehicle to the outlet in the wall." In other words, the label approximates the energy your meter records, not just what ends up in the battery. ENERGY STAR notes that Level 2 charging is about 10% more efficient than Level 1, so if you charge only from a standard 120-volt outlet, your real usage may run a little higher than the label.

Worked example

FuelEconomy.gov gives this scenario: an EV rated at 97 MPGe (35 kWh per 100 miles), driven 12,000 miles a year, charged only at home at $0.13 per kWh. Under those conditions, home charging adds about $45.50 per month to the electric bill. Here is how that figure is built:

1. 12,000 miles ÷ 12 months = 1,000 miles per month
2. 1,000 ÷ 100 × 35 kWh = 350 kWh per month
3. 350 kWh × $0.13 = $45.50 per month

Swap in your own miles, your car's kWh per 100 miles and your rate. If your utility charges more than $0.13, the cost rises proportionally; if you charge on a cheaper off-peak rate, it falls.

Cost per 100 miles at different electricity rates

The table below shows the arithmetic for common efficiency levels at a range of example electricity rates. These are illustrations, not current prices; residential rates vary widely by state and utility, so check your own rate or our electricity rates by state.

EV efficiency	At 10¢/kWh	At 15¢/kWh	At 20¢/kWh	At 30¢/kWh
25 kWh/100 mi	$2.50	$3.75	$5.00	$7.50
30 kWh/100 mi	$3.00	$4.50	$6.00	$9.00
35 kWh/100 mi	$3.50	$5.25	$7.00	$10.50
40 kWh/100 mi	$4.00	$6.00	$8.00	$12.00
45 kWh/100 mi	$4.50	$6.75	$9.00	$13.50

To get a monthly figure, multiply the cost per 100 miles by your monthly miles divided by 100. At 1,000 miles a month, for example, multiply by 10.

How much does it cost to fully charge an EV?

A "full charge" cost is battery size times your rate, plus some charging loss. The Alternative Fuels Data Center gives an example: at 10.7 cents per kWh, charging a 54 kWh battery for about 200 miles of range costs about $6. Many drivers top up rather than charging from empty, so cost per mile is often a more useful figure than cost per full charge.

What makes your charging cost higher or lower

• Your electricity rate. This is the biggest variable. Rates differ a lot between states and utilities; see why electricity prices vary by state.
• When you charge. The AFDC notes that some utilities offer residential time-of-use rates that can lower charging costs. Charging overnight on an off-peak rate can cost less than charging in the early evening. Our guide to time-of-use electricity rates explains how these plans work.
• Weather and driving style. The EPA identifies air conditioning, cold temperatures and high-speed or aggressive driving as factors that reduce real-world efficiency and range.
• Charger type. Level 2 charging wastes slightly less energy than Level 1, according to ENERGY STAR. See Level 1 vs Level 2 charging for the trade-offs.
• Tiered rates and fixed charges. If your utility uses tiered pricing, extra EV kWh may be billed at a higher tier. Fixed monthly customer charges do not change when you add an EV.

How EV charging changes your monthly electric bill

The average US home used 1,152 kWh and paid about $209 in August 2026. In the FuelEconomy.gov example above, 1,000 miles a month adds 350 kWh. For many households that is a noticeable share of monthly usage, so it is worth estimating before you buy and checking your bill after the first few months. You can model your total bill with and without the EV using our electric bill calculator.

Home vs. public charging

FuelEconomy.gov notes that public charging is priced in different ways: some chargers are free, while others charge per session, by subscription, by electricity used or by time connected, and guest charging without a membership is often priced higher. Home charging is usually the simplest to budget because you pay your normal residential rate. If you charge in a mix of places, estimate the home share with the method above and add public sessions separately.

Next steps

Look up your car's kWh per 100 miles on its EPA label, check your rate on our electricity rates by state page, and plug both into the EV charging cost calculator for a monthly and yearly estimate. If you are deciding on equipment, read Level 1 vs Level 2 EV charging at home.