United States · 4 free calculators · No sign-up
What does an EV
really cost?
Not the sticker price. The whole thing — electricity in your state, winter range, the charger on your wall, and five years next to a gas car.
Honest note: the federal $7,500 clean vehicle credit ended September 30, 2025. Many older calculators still subtract it. None of the tools below do — every number here is money out of your pocket today.
Index — the tools
04 tools / 01 pageEV vs Gas, all-in.
Most comparisons only count fuel — that's how they mislead. This one counts purchase price, fuel, maintenance, and the home charger over the years you'll actually own the car.
Your numbers
Average residential rate shown below — edit it if your utility differs.
30 is a typical sedan/crossover. A large SUV is closer to 38–42.
The verdict
| Cost | EV | Gas |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | – | – |
| Fuel / electricity | – | – |
| Maintenance | – | – |
| Home charger (one-time) | – | $0 |
| Total | – | – |
Charging cost, by your state.
Electricity isn't one price in America — it's fifty. Washington pays about a third of what California pays per mile. Pick your state, then split home vs public charging honestly.
Your numbers
Public DC fast charging typically runs 40–55¢/kWh — set below.
What you'll pay
How far in February?
The EPA number on the window sticker is a mild-weather number. Cold batteries and cabin heat are the two thieves — AAA measured up to 41% loss at 20°F. See your real range before the first cold snap does it for you.
Your numbers
Heat pumps (most newer Teslas, Hyundai/Kia, etc.) use far less energy to make heat.
Your real winter range
The install quote, opened up.
Quotes for the same job range from $750 to $4,500, and homeowners can't tell why. It's four things: the charger, the cable run, your panel, and the permit. Price each one.
Your setup
Older 100A panels in full houses often need this. It's the single biggest cost driver — get it confirmed before signing any quote.
Expect to pay
| Line item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Charger hardware | – |
| Labor & cable run | – |
| Panel upgrade | – |
| 240V outlet | – |
| Permit & inspection | – |
Rule of thumb: get three quotes. If one is double the others, the difference is almost always the panel — ask each electrician, in writing, whether your panel actually needs upgrading.
Straight answers.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
At the U.S. average residential rate of about 16.5¢/kWh, a typical EV using 0.30 kWh per mile costs about 5¢ per mile — roughly $62 a month at 15,000 miles a year. In Washington (~11.5¢/kWh) it's near $43 a month; in California (~30¢/kWh) it can exceed $110. Use tool 02 with your state for your number.
Is an EV actually cheaper than a gas car over 5 years?
On running costs, usually yes: electricity per mile is roughly half the cost of gasoline per mile, and scheduled maintenance averages about half (no oil, fewer moving parts, gentler brake wear). The honest catch is purchase price — if the EV costs much more upfront and you drive little, the payback can stretch past five years. Tool 01 shows your break-even year.
How much range does an EV lose in winter?
AAA testing found up to 41% loss at 20°F with cabin heat running; Geotab's fleet data shows roughly 20% near freezing across many models. Heat-pump cars, preconditioning while plugged in, and garaging all claw back real miles — tool 03 models each one.
How much does home charger installation cost?
A simple Level 2 install — charger near a panel with spare capacity — typically totals $750–$1,700 including the charger. Long cable runs raise labor; a 200A panel upgrade adds roughly $1,500–$3,000 and is the main reason some quotes land at $2,500–$4,500+. Tool 04 breaks your quote into line items.
Does the $7,500 federal EV tax credit still apply?
No. The federal clean vehicle credit ended September 30, 2025, and no calculator on this page counts it. Some states still run their own rebate or utility programs for cars and chargers — those are worth checking locally, as amounts and eligibility change often.
Is public fast charging still cheaper than gas?
Usually not. At 48¢/kWh, a 0.30 kWh/mile EV costs about 14.4¢ per mile — more than a 30 MPG gas car at $3.15/gallon (10.5¢ per mile), and roughly what a 22 MPG SUV pays. Home charging is where the savings live; a high public-charging share is the fastest way to erase them.
How these numbers work
State electricity rates are average residential prices in the range reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — your utility's actual rate, time-of-use plan, and delivery charges will differ, so every rate field is editable. Maintenance defaults use the widely cited consumer-average figures of roughly 6¢/mile for EVs and 10¢/mile for gas cars, and are folded into tool 01's defaults. Winter loss curves are modeled on AAA and Geotab published test ranges. Installation figures reflect typical U.S. electrician pricing for each line item; they are estimates for planning, not quotes. Nothing on this page is financial advice — it's arithmetic you can check.