Home EV charging cost
About $51 per month
Typical driver profile, 1,001 miles per month at 3.5 mi/kWh · Prepared
Self-prepared estimate, based on the assumptions you entered
A note on this estimate
Home charging costs separate cleanly from the upfront hardware and install. This is the recurring electricity number alone, the one that shows up on your utility bill once the charger is in. The math is the one from What Home EV Charging Actually Costs, reproduced here so you can run your own numbers.
Monthly home charging
$51
286 kWh delivered to the wall
Annual home charging
$618
3,431 kWh per year
Cost per mile
$0.051
Flat residential rate $0.180/kWh
Versus gasoline
Same mileage, same year. The pump price moves more than the electric rate does, so the gap fluctuates, but in nearly every US market home charging is meaningfully cheaper.
Monthly savings vs gas
$99
$1,184 per year
Gas monthly cost
$150
$0.150/mile at 30 mpg
Five-year fuel savings
$5,918
Assumes constant prices; gasoline typically rises faster than electricity
How the math works
The formula from the article, walked step by step with the numbers you entered.
- 1. Annual miles. 32.9 mi/day × 365 = 12,009 miles/year.
- 2. Battery energy. 12,009 mi ÷ 3.5 mi/kWh = 3,431 kWh/year.
- 3. Wall energy. Charging losses set to 0%, so wall energy equals battery energy: 3,431 kWh/year. EPA-rated mi/kWh already includes losses.
- 4. Effective rate. Flat rate of $0.180/kWh.
- 5. Annual cost. 3,431 kWh × $0.180/kWh = $618 per year, or $51 per month.
- 6. Gas baseline. 12,009 mi ÷ 30 mpg × $4.50/gal = $1,801 per year for the equivalent gas car.
Your inputs
| Driving profile | Typical driver, ~1,000 miles/month |
| Daily miles | 32.9 mi/day (1,001 mi/mo) |
| Vehicle efficiency | 3.5 mi/kWh (28.6 kWh/100mi) |
| Rate plan | Flat rate: $0.180/kWh |
| Charging losses | 0.0% (EPA mi/kWh assumed; losses included upstream) |
| Gas comparison | 30 mpg at $4.50/gal |
Things this estimate does not include
- Upfront hardware and install. A complete home setup typically runs $800-$2,500 before incentives. That is a one-time cost, not part of the recurring number above. The article's sections 1-5 walk through it.
- Federal 30C tax credit. 30% of installed cost, capped at $1,000, only in eligible census tracts. Expires June 30, 2026. See the 30C deadline article.
- State and utility rebates. Many utilities offer EV charger rebates or bill credits on top of federal incentives. Look these up on your state page before sizing your install budget.
- Rate escalation. Utility rates rose about 21% over the five years through 2026 (EIA). Gasoline prices rise faster on average, with more volatility, so the gap above tends to hold or widen.
- On-site solar. If you have or plan rooftop solar, your marginal cost for daytime charging can approach zero. EV plus solar is a natural pairing that changes the long-run economics more than any rate plan.
Next steps
- Read What Home EV Charging Actually Costs for the full editorial frame, the upfront cost breakdown, and the regional installation cost guide.
- Look up your actual residential rate on your state page and re-run with that number. The national average is a useful starting point but rarely your actual bill.
- Check whether your utility has an EV-specific time-of-use rate. If it does, enrolling and scheduling overnight charging is the single-biggest lever on this bill.
- Confirm your home sits in an IRS-eligible census tract before counting on the federal 30C credit.
This estimate is a planning aid, not a guarantee. Numbers use the assumptions you entered plus published national averages where you left defaults in place. Actual electricity bills vary by utility, rate plan, weather, and driving conditions. The Section 30C federal tax credit referenced above expires June 30, 2026 under current law.
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