How Much Does it Cost to Charge an Electric Car?
Updated September 2021
Below you will find our updated “Cost to Charge” charts with most of the electric vehicles on the road today (USA). Not only do the charts illustrate the cost to charge (per hour), but also how many miles of range can be added (max) per hour of charging as well. Share with friends and family who don’t drive electric cars yet!
Calculating the Cost to Charge Your Electric Car is Easy:
1. Find your most recent utility bill to obtain your cost per kWh. The average rate in the U.S. is $0.1269 per kWh (December 2019), which is the cost we use in the chart below.*
2. Find your electric vehicle battery capacity using the chart below or the vehicle manufacturer’s website.
3. Multiply the electric rate from #1 with your battery capacity from #2. This will be an estimate of the cost to fully charge your electric vehicle if it’s completely empty.
*Battery sizes were obtained using manufacturer websites. This chart does not take into account the usable battery percentage; it may cost less to charge your vehicle from empty to full if the usable battery percentage is less than the battery size.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD OR PRINT A PDF OF BOTH CHARTS: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CHARGE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE
The chart above relates to home charging using the average US residential electric rate (December 2019). Click on either chart to see a larger view or click the links below to download, view, print, or reference our charts.
Download: Cost to Charge an Electric Vehicle Chart – Residential Rates
The chart above displays commercial charging costs (workplace charging, fleet charging, destination charging, or multi-unit dwelling charging). This chart uses the average US commercial electric rate (December 2019).
Download: How Much Does it Cost to Charge an Electric Vehicle – Commercial Rates
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Doesn’t the car record the amount of power used to charge the battery?
Hi Charles!
Thanks for reaching out. Some EV’s will show how much power was used for charging when you first turn the vehicle on after a charge, but the availability of this information varies by vehicle (some show the details and others do not). I am not aware of any vehicles that keep historical records on power used for charging over time, but the vehicle’s owner manual may provide additional insight. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Hi,
Does it matter how long it takes to charge the vehicle. I got my Mache E the day before and I tried the at-home charger. It gave me 30 miles something in 10 hours (3 miles per hour). It was at 126 and went to 156 10 hours later and this is how i calculated.
So, the duration does not matter right?
Hi Nirmal,
Thank you for reaching out. In short, the duration will only matter in the sense that you are regaining enough battery charge in that timeframe. From the numbers you presented I assume you are using what is considered a level 1 EVSE that comes with the vehicle. This is very slow and considered more of a trickle charger, something to carry in the trunk in case of emergency.
If your daily commute isn’t more than the 30 miles you said you gained overnight, faster charging may not be needed for your situation. However if you are finding that you are traveling say something like 50 or 100 miles a day while doing your regular daily tasks you may want to consider a level 2 EVSE like our HCS-40 which will give you up to approximately 26 miles of range per hour of charge.
If you would like to explore further please reach out to us via email (sales@clippercreek.net) or phone (530-887-1674).
How about sorting both this and the time to charge charts? You have the Chevy Volt well after the other cars. Use a standard sort – if it’s a Chevy put with other Chevys. If it’s a BMW, put it with the other BMWs. etc. This would make these two charts easier to use.
Hello Mike, thank you for your comment. The chart is sorted with Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) at the top section and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) at the bottom for an easy comparison. (See the red label on the left side.)
This is a great source. Great job and thanks for posting. We all should confuse the industry with facts. 🙂
So commuting 20 miles or less like the national average makes simple workplace charging a nobrainer!
I live in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. I have just purchased a Sun Country SCH 25P EVSE (Clipper Creek LCP – 25P EVSE) delivered on Monday, August 22. I am living in a retirement home that has permitted me to install both the electrical source and at charging station. I now need to work out with them the cost of the electricity I use. I do all my charging at night at off peak rates – in Ontario 8.7 cents per kilowatt hour. I drive approximately 11,000 kilometers per year. I also intend to use electricity to heat the battery and to warm the car for twenty minutes each morning before use in the winter.
Hi Paul,
What type of vehicle will you be charging? The amount of power used to charge your vehicle will depend on what vehicle is being charged as each vehicle has a certain size kWh battery pack. Using the size of the battery pack of the vehicle can give you a rough estimate of the costs for charging the vehicle.
If your retirement home would like to track the exact usage they may want to have a meter installed in line with the station to track this.
One option is called the EKM Meter. EKM a simpler meter where you can go out and manually read the usage, which a user could track in a spreadsheet. They also have smart meters that can be integrated with their EKM Dash software. More information about the EKM Meter can be found online at
the EKM Meter website.Another option is
the TED Meter. The TED Meter allows you to see real-time electricity usage through a handheld display. The information shown by the meter is a great way to project the monthly cost of charging. If you are looking to only meter the EVSE check out theTED 5000-Cwhich is for one source with display.WAAAy out of date. Chev Volt OLD!
SAD!
The 2016/2017 Chevy Volt is right above the Chevy Volt in the list; is there something incorrect about our numbers there?
You should list it as “Chevy Volt Gen 2” or “Chevy Volt 2016/2017”, instead of “2016/2017 Chevy Volt”. People’s eyes are thrown off when you lead with the numbers when all other models are listed with manufacturer 1st. I had to look at the chart a few times before I even realized the second generation Volt was listed.
Mike, Thanks for the feedback – we have made that change.
Suzanne Guinn, Marketing