Example answer: At 1,000 miles monthly, 3 miles/kWh, 10% charging loss and $0.16/kWh, charging at home costs about $59.26 per month; gasoline for the same miles at 28 MPG and $3.50 per gallon costs $125.00 in fuel. These are energy costs only, not total ownership costs.
What actually determines the home charging bill?
Multiply monthly driving miles by the energy your EV uses per mile, then account for energy lost while charging. As an example, 1,000 miles at 3 miles/kWh uses about 333 kWh in the battery. At an assumed 10% charging loss, the wall supplies about 370 kWh. At $0.16 per kWh, that is about $59 per month. All values are examples you can change above.
Efficiency may be advertised as kWh per 100 miles. To convert, divide 100 by the published number: a vehicle using 30 kWh per 100 miles travels about 3.33 miles per kWh. Cold temperatures, speed, hills, tires, cabin heating and driving style can change the result.
Why does the charging-loss setting matter?
The battery doesn't necessarily receive every kilowatt-hour drawn from the electric meter. The model divides battery energy by 1 − charging-loss fraction. A 10% loss means 90% reaches the battery; that is different from simply adding 10% to the battery's energy. Actual losses vary by vehicle, equipment, temperature and charging power.
Compare energy expenses, not entire vehicle ownership
The gasoline comparison is intentionally narrow: it estimates the cost of fuel for the same mileage and compares it with the home-charging electricity cost. It does not include differences in purchase price, depreciation, tires, insurance, maintenance, financing, road taxes or public fast charging. If you regularly rely on paid DC fast charging, the home-only number can understate your real energy bill.
How to get a more accurate local estimate
Use your last electric bill to find the effective per-kWh cost, including variable charges where possible. If your utility offers time-of-use pricing, enter the rate that applies when you actually plug in. Then compare with your real monthly mileage and the EV's observed efficiency rather than its best-case specification.
For the complete vehicle decision—including purchase price and resale value—try the EV vs. Gas ownership calculator. For any home appliance or charging setup, use the electricity cost calculator.
Assumptions and limits
Hypothetical energy-only illustration. Electricity rates vary by time and utility; actual EV efficiency and charging loss are variable. The model excludes installation charges, fixed utility charges, public charging, taxes and total vehicle ownership costs.
Independent references
Continue calculating
First published and reviewed: November 3, 2026. Calculations are self-contained and use the hypothetical values shown above.