EV Charging Cost Calculator
Enter your EV's energy use, your electricity price and a charging-loss percentage to get the real cost to drive it -- then compare that against an equivalent gas car over the same distance.
Typical AC home charging: ~10-15% (US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center; typical AC (Level 1/2) charging loss range 10-15%).
Energy at the battery
90.0 kWh
Energy drawn from the wall
102.3 kWh
After charging loss
EV cost for this trip
$16.36
EV cost per mile
$0.05
Side by side with a gas car
EIA weekly average, week of September 14, 2026 -- a starting point, not your local price.
Gas cost for this trip
$37.49
Gas cost per mile
$0.12
EV saves
$21.13
over this trip
How it's calculated
Energy needed at the battery is scaled up to account for charging loss before it's priced:
energy at battery (kWh) = distance ÷ 100 × kWh per 100 mi
energy at wall (kWh) = energy at battery ÷ (1 − charging loss %)
EV cost = energy at wall × price per kWh
Worked example
The calculator's own defaults: 30 kWh/100mi, electricity at $0.16/kWh, 12% charging loss, over 300 miles -- against a 28-mpg gas car at $3.50/gal.
| Energy at the wall | 102.3 kWh |
| EV cost | $16.36 |
| Gas car cost | $37.49 |
| EV saves | $21.13 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'energy at the wall' differ from 'energy at the battery'?
Not all the electricity a charger draws from the wall ends up as usable range -- some is lost as heat in the charging cable, the car's onboard charger, and the battery's own charge/discharge cycle. Typical AC home charging loses roughly 10-15% this way (US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center; typical AC (Level 1/2) charging loss range 10-15%), which is why you pay for more energy than actually reaches the battery.
Should I use kWh/100mi or mi/kWh?
Whichever your car's dashboard or EPA window sticker shows -- both describe the same thing. kWh/100mi is more common on EPA labels; mi/kWh is more common on in-car efficiency displays. The calculator converts between them automatically.
How do I find my electricity price per kWh?
Check a recent electric bill -- most utilities show a per-kWh rate, sometimes with separate rates for peak/off-peak charging. If you charge primarily overnight on a time-of-use plan, use the off-peak rate for a more realistic cost.
Does the gas-car comparison assume the same distance?
Yes -- both sides of the comparison use the same distance, so the cost difference reflects only the vehicles' efficiency and your entered prices, not a difference in how far each one drove.
Does this include public fast-charging prices?
No -- it assumes one flat home electricity rate. Public DC fast charging is usually priced per kWh or per minute at a higher rate than home electricity, and often has its own, separate (and typically higher) charging-loss profile at high power.
These are estimates; real consumption varies with driving, load and conditions. This site isn't affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer, utility, or the US Energy Information Administration -- see the Terms.