EV Charging Cost Calculator
Enter your car's consumption and your price per kWh, and the EV charging cost calculator gives the cost of a charge, of each mile and of a year's driving, set against a gas car.
Charging cost
- Cost to drive 1,000 miles 333.33 kWh from the wall at 15 cents per kWh.
- $50.00
- Energy into the battery 1,000 miles x 30 kWh per 100 miles.
- 300 kWh
- Energy drawn from the wall 300 kWh / 90% charging efficiency. The extra 33.33 kWh is lost as heat while charging, and the meter bills it.
- 333.33 kWh
- Cost per mile 30 kWh per 100 miles / 90% x 15 cents per kWh.
- 5 cents
- Cost a year 12,000 miles, or $50.00 a month.
- $600.00
- Gas car at 30 mpg $1,400.00 a year at $3.50 a gallon, $800.00 more than charging.
- 11.7 cents a mile
- Electricity price that matches gas Above this price per kWh, the electric car costs more per mile to run than the gas car does at these figures.
- 35 cents per kWh
| Price per kWh | Per mile | 1,000 miles | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 cents | 3.3 cents | $33.33 | $400.00 |
| 15 cents (yours) | 5 cents | $50.00 | $600.00 |
| 20 cents | 6.7 cents | $66.67 | $800.00 |
| 30 cents | 10 cents | $100.00 | $1,200.00 |
| 40 cents | 13.3 cents | $133.33 | $1,600.00 |
| 50 cents | 16.7 cents | $166.67 | $2,000.00 |
- Every figure is an input: the car's energy use, the charging efficiency, the electricity price and the gas car you compare against. The defaults are an example, not a measurement of any car or charger.
- A time-of-use rate prices a kWh differently by hour. Enter the rate for the hours you charge.
How the EV Charging Cost Calculator works
Charging cost is energy times price, and the EV charging cost calculator adds the one step that is easy to miss: charging loses some energy as heat, so the meter bills more kilowatt-hours than the battery stores. Charging efficiency is the share that arrives, and dividing by it gives the energy you pay for.
The defaults are an example, not measurements of a particular car or charger: 30 kWh per 100 miles, 90% charging efficiency and electricity at 15 cents per kWh. Driving 1,000 miles takes 300 kWh out of the battery. Putting it back draws 333.33 kWh from the wall, and that costs $50.00. Per mile, that is 5 cents.
The EPA label for an electric car gives energy use in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles, and some cars and apps show miles per kWh instead; the calculator takes either. If your figure was measured at the wall, so it already includes charging losses, set the efficiency to 100% so they are not counted twice.
For a single charge, use the session method. Taking a 75 kWh battery from 20% to 80% puts 45 kWh into it, draws 50 kWh from the wall at 90% efficiency, and costs $7.50 at 15 cents. At 30 kWh per 100 miles, that is 150 miles of range.
Over a year of 12,000 miles, the example costs $600.00 to charge, or $50.00 a month. As an electric car charging cost calculator against gasoline, the comparison is per mile: a 30 mpg car at $3.50 a gallon costs 11.7 cents a mile, or $1,400.00 a year, $800.00 more than charging.
The comparison turns on the electricity price, so the calculator also gives the price at which the two cost the same per mile. For the example it is 35 cents per kWh. Below that, charging is cheaper per mile; above it, the gas car is. A public charger's price is set by its operator, so enter the per-kWh price posted on the charger you use. The table shows the same driving at a range of prices from 10 to 50 cents.
Running cost is only part of the comparison between an electric and a gas car. Purchase price, insurance, maintenance and depreciation differ too and are outside this calculator.
EV Charging Cost Calculator FAQ
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
Multiply the kWh drawn from the wall by your price per kWh. At 30 kWh per 100 miles, 90% charging efficiency and 15 cents per kWh, 1,000 miles costs $50.00, or 5 cents a mile.
How do I calculate the cost of one charge?
Battery capacity times the share you add, divided by the charging efficiency, times the price. A 75 kWh battery from 20% to 80% is 45 kWh into the battery, 50 kWh from the wall at 90%, and $7.50 at 15 cents per kWh.
Why does charging use more electricity than the battery holds?
Some energy is lost as heat in the charger and the battery while charging. Charging efficiency is the share that reaches the battery, so at 90% efficiency, 45 kWh in the battery takes 50 kWh from the wall.
Is charging an EV cheaper than buying gas?
It depends on the two prices and the two cars. At 30 kWh per 100 miles and 15 cents per kWh the electric car costs 5 cents a mile, against 11.7 cents for a 30 mpg car at $3.50 a gallon. With those cars, charging stays cheaper per mile up to 35 cents per kWh.