Quick Answer — What Does It Cost to Charge an EV?
Charging cost per mile is (vehicle efficiency in kWh per 100 miles ÷ charging efficiency) × electricity rate ÷ 100. For a typical EV at 27 kWh/100 mi on the 2026 US average residential rate of $0.1883/kWh, charged entirely at home, that works out to about $0.058 per mile before charging losses, or roughly $0.064 per mile once the ~10% wall-to-battery loss is included.
Quick reference (annual cost, 12,000 miles/year, charged 100% at home):
- Efficient EV (22 kWh/100 mi) → $517/year
- Typical EV (27 kWh/100 mi) → $635/year
- Larger/less efficient EV (33 kWh/100 mi) → $776/year
Public charging — especially DC fast charging — typically costs 2 to 3 times the home rate, commonly $0.35–$0.48/kWh versus $0.12–$0.25/kWh at home depending on your utility. Most owners do the bulk of their charging at home and only use public chargers occasionally, which is why this calculator lets you set the split rather than assuming one rate for everything.