Database / Guides / How much does it cost to charge an EV?
Charging an EV costs less than filling a gas tank — usually a lot less. Here's the exact math, so you can plug in your own electricity rate.
Cost per mile = (kWh per 100 miles ÷ 100) × your electricity rate. Multiply by your annual miles and you have your yearly charging bill. Every vehicle page on this site lists kWh/100 mi and miles per kWh, so the inputs are waiting for you.
Take the 2025 Lucid Air: the EPA estimates $500 a year in fuel, the lowest of any EV here. That figure assumes 15,000 miles a year at the EPA's electricity price. Your rate is on your utility bill — swap it into the formula above and you'll land within a few dollars of reality.
Home charging on a standard residential rate is the cheapest way to fuel any car sold today, full stop. Public fast chargers cost more per kWh — you're paying for speed and real estate — so the drivers who save the most are the ones who charge at home overnight and use fast chargers for road trips. Our fuel-cost calculator lets you compare any EV against your current car with your own numbers.
Charging losses. About 10–15% of the electricity you pay for never makes it into the battery — it becomes heat in the charger and cables. The EPA's figures (and ours) already account for this, so the fuel costs on this site are wall-to-wheels, not fantasy.
Almost always, especially with home charging. The formula is (kWh per 100 miles ÷ 100) × your electricity rate — every vehicle page here lists the consumption figure you need.
You're paying for speed and prime real estate, not just electricity. Home charging overnight is the cheapest way to fuel any car; fast chargers are for road trips.
About 10-15% of the electricity you pay for becomes heat in the charger and cables instead of reaching the battery. EPA figures already include these losses.
Figures: U.S. EPA via fueleconomy.gov, model years 2025–2027. Updated October 2026.