EV Charging Cost Calculator
Calculate the cost to fully charge an electric vehicle at home or at a public charger.
Compare charging costs to the equivalent cost of gasoline.
How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Vehicle?
Charging an EV is almost always cheaper than fueling a gasoline car, but costs vary depending on whether you charge at home, at work, or at a public fast charger.
The Formula
Energy needed (kWh) = Battery Capacity × (Target % − Current %) ÷ 100
Charging is not perfectly efficient. Some of what you pay for is lost as heat in the onboard charger, the cable and the battery itself, so the meter on your wall always records more than the pack receives. This calculator adds 10%, which is about right for Level 2 AC charging at home:
Energy drawn = Energy needed × 1.10 Cost = Energy drawn × Electricity Rate ($/kWh)
Charging from empty to full is simply the case where the target is 100 and the current level is 0.
Home vs Public Charging Costs
| Charging Type | Speed | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Home (Level 1, 120V) | 5–8 km/hr / 3–5 mi/hr | Your home rate (~$0.12–0.18/kWh) |
| Home (Level 2, 240V) | 25–50 km/hr / 15–30 mi/hr | Your home rate (~$0.12–0.18/kWh) |
| DC Fast Charge (public) | 100–400 km/hr / 60–250 mi/hr | $0.25–0.60/kWh |
| Tesla Supercharger | 200–300 km/hr | ~$0.28–0.40/kWh |
Common EV Battery Capacities
| Vehicle | Battery Capacity |
|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf (base) | 40 kWh |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 65 kWh |
| Tesla Model 3 Standard | 60 kWh |
| Tesla Model 3 Long Range | 82 kWh |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range | 82 kWh |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 98–131 kWh |
| Rivian R1T | 135 kWh |
Comparing EV to Gasoline Cost
Example:
- EV: 60 kWh battery, home rate $0.15/kWh
- Energy drawn from the wall = 60 × 1.10 = 66 kWh
- Cost of a full charge = 66 × $0.15 = $9.90
- Range: 350 km (218 miles) on that charge
- Cost per 100 km = $9.90 ÷ 350 × 100 = $2.83/100 km
Gasoline car:
- Fuel efficiency: 8 L/100 km, gas price $1.80/L
- Cost per 100 km = 8 × $1.80 = $14.40/100 km
The EV runs about 5.1× cheaper per km here. Skip the charging loss and you would have said 5.6×, which is the kind of small flattery that adds up across a comparison.
Annual Savings Estimate
Average driver travels 15,000 km (9,300 miles) per year:
- EV cost: 150 × $2.83 = $424/year
- Gas car: 150 × $14.40 = $2,160/year
- Annual savings: $1,736
Two things this ignores, both of which cut the other way. Public DC fast charging can run three times your home rate, so a driver without a driveway sees a much smaller gap. And if your utility offers an overnight off-peak rate, often half the daytime price, the gap widens again. The rate box below is the single input that moves this answer most.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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