What does it cost to charge an electric car?

The U.S. average residential electricity rate is 18.0¢/kWh over the 12 months to August 2026, up 6.5% year over year. At that rate, the EVs we track cost from $4.38 per 100 miles (Tesla Model 3) to $7.73 (Rivian R1S).

Where you charge matters more than which EV you drive: among the states covered, rates run from 14.2¢/kWh in Washington to 32.3¢/kWh in California (2.3×), while efficiency runs from 24.3 to 42.9 kWh per 100 miles (1.8×).

Electricity and gas prices by state

StateElectricityvs U.S.Regular gas
Washington14.2¢/kWh-21% vs U.S.$4.70
Florida15.4¢/kWh-15% vs U.S.$3.44
Texas16.0¢/kWh-11% vs U.S.$3.14
New York28.6¢/kWh+59% vs U.S.$3.62
California32.3¢/kWh+79% vs U.S.$5.05
U.S. average18.0¢/kWh–$3.61

Residential electricity and retail regular gasoline, 12-month averages (U.S. EIA).

Most efficient EVs

#EVkWh/100 miPer 100 mi (U.S. avg)
1Tesla Model 32026 Standard RWD24.3$4.38
2Tesla Model Y2026 Long Range AWD27.5$4.96
3Nissan Leaf2026 75 kWh (18-in steel wheels)27.8$5.02
4Hyundai Ioniq 52027 Standard Range29.0$5.23
5Chevrolet Equinox EV2027 FWD31.1$5.61
6Ford Mustang Mach-E2026 RWD31.4$5.67
7Honda Prologue2026 FWD32.5$5.87
8Cadillac Lyriq2027 RWD (11 kW charger)36.8$6.64
9Kia EV92026 Standard Range RWD38.0$6.86
10Rivian R1S2026 Dual Standard (20-in)42.9$7.73

U.S. residential electricity price

Residential electricity price, U.S. average (¢/kWh, monthly)
Monthly residential electricity price in U.S. averageU.S. average: 16.8¢/kWh in September 2024 to 18.2¢/kWh in August 2026.14¢16¢18¢20¢Sep 2024Aug 2025Aug 2026U.S. average 18.2¢ September 2024: U.S. average 16.8¢/kWh October 2024: U.S. average 17.1¢/kWh November 2024: U.S. average 16.9¢/kWh December 2024: U.S. average 16.3¢/kWh January 2025: U.S. average 15.9¢/kWh February 2025: U.S. average 16.4¢/kWh March 2025: U.S. average 17.0¢/kWh April 2025: U.S. average 17.2¢/kWh May 2025: U.S. average 17.3¢/kWh June 2025: U.S. average 17.4¢/kWh July 2025: U.S. average 17.4¢/kWh August 2025: U.S. average 17.6¢/kWh September 2025: U.S. average 18.1¢/kWh October 2025: U.S. average 17.9¢/kWh November 2025: U.S. average 17.8¢/kWh December 2025: U.S. average 17.1¢/kWh January 2026: U.S. average 17.4¢/kWh February 2026: U.S. average 17.6¢/kWh March 2026: U.S. average 18.6¢/kWh April 2026: U.S. average 18.9¢/kWh May 2026: U.S. average 18.4¢/kWh June 2026: U.S. average 18.4¢/kWh July 2026: U.S. average 18.3¢/kWh August 2026: U.S. average 18.2¢/kWh
Show monthly data
MonthU.S. average
Aug 202618.2¢/kWh
Jul 202618.3¢/kWh
Jun 202618.4¢/kWh
May 202618.4¢/kWh
Apr 202618.9¢/kWh
Mar 202618.6¢/kWh
Feb 202617.6¢/kWh
Jan 202617.4¢/kWh
Dec 202517.1¢/kWh
Nov 202517.8¢/kWh
Oct 202517.9¢/kWh
Sep 202518.1¢/kWh
Aug 202517.6¢/kWh
Jul 202517.4¢/kWh
Jun 202517.4¢/kWh
May 202517.3¢/kWh
Apr 202517.2¢/kWh
Mar 202517.0¢/kWh
Feb 202516.4¢/kWh
Jan 202515.9¢/kWh
Dec 202416.3¢/kWh
Nov 202416.9¢/kWh
Oct 202417.1¢/kWh
Sep 202416.8¢/kWh