How Much Does It Really Cost to Charge an EV at Home? — July 2026

The monthly cost, by state price

At 7,200 W (a 240V/30A Level 2 charger) for 3 hours a day — a full overnight charge, not necessarily every night — at each state's official average residential rate for July 2026:

The full table for all 50 states and D.C., plus a calculator for your own hours and rate, is on the EV charger cost-to-run page.

Turning that into a cost per mile

A monthly charging bill only means something once you can compare it to what you actually drive. EPA-style efficiency testing reports EV consumption in miles per kWh, and it varies by vehicle — for illustration here, we use 3.5 miles per kWh, a figure in range for a well-performing modern midsize EV (some compact EVs do noticeably better, some larger ones noticeably worse — check your own vehicle's EPA rating for a real number). At that efficiency:

Run the same division with your own state's price (from the table above or your state page) and your own vehicle's rated mi/kWh for a number that actually applies to you, then compare it to what you were paying per mile in gas — the arithmetic is the same, just with a different price and a different efficiency figure.

What changes the number most

• Off-peak charging, if your utility offers it. A time-of-use rate can price overnight charging well below the flat average used above — ask your utility whether an EV or off-peak rate plan exists before assuming the standard rate is your only option.
• How often you actually charge to full. The table assumes a full session; most days only replace what was driven, which is usually a fraction of a full charge — use the calculator on the cost-to-run page to enter your own typical hours.
• Level 1 vs. Level 2 changes speed, not the total energy cost. A standard 120V outlet (Level 1) charges far more slowly than a 240V Level 2 charger, but for the same number of kWh delivered, the electricity cost is the same — the difference is only how many hours it takes to deliver them.
• Whether you are in a deregulated state. See deregulated vs. regulated states for whether shopping for a lower supply rate is even an option where you live.

Run your own hours and rate

Keep going

• Why did my electric bill double? — a new large load, including an EV charger, is one of the six realistic causes.
• Cost to run an EV charger — the full 51-jurisdiction table and calculator.
• How to lower your electric bill — where large intermittent loads rank against everything else in the house.
• Time-of-use electricity rates, explained — how off-peak charging windows actually work, and what an EV charger looks like shifted off-peak.