Is charging an EV cheaper than gas?

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The verdict, stated plainly and then shown: at the national average residential electricity price of 18.31 cents per kilowatt-hour and the national average regular gasoline price of $4.354 a gallon, a typical electric car costs about a third as much to fuel as a typical gasoline car. ENERGY STAR puts it the same way -- driving on electricity costs less than half what it costs to drive a standard gasoline vehicle. We are not going to stop at a national average, though, because the spread between states is wider than the gap this page is measuring.

Where the four numbers come from

• Electricity: 18.31 cents per kWh. U.S. average residential price for July 2026, from the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, released 2026-09-24. The rolling 12-month figure is 17.99 cents and calendar 2025 was 17.30.
• Gasoline: $4.354 per gallon. U.S. average regular, week ending 2026-10-05, from the EIA's Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update released 2026-10-06.
• Vehicle consumption: the EPA's own kWh-per-100-miles ratings, not manufacturer claims.
• The energy equivalence: 1 gallon of gasoline = 33.7 kWh. That is the EPA's figure, the one MPGe is built on.

The arithmetic, so you can redo it with your own numbers

Read the two halves of that table against each other and the shape of the answer appears: an efficient EV beats an efficient gasoline car by about two and a half to one, and an electric truck beats a thirsty gasoline car by about the same margin. The place the comparison gets close is a heavy EV against an efficient hybrid -- a Hummer at $12.82 against a 35 mpg car at $12.44 is a loss, on fuel cost alone.

By state, because this is where it actually varies

The break-even rate, which is the number to remember

That is the figure worth carrying around. The highest state average in the country is 48 cents, and the U.S. average is 18.31. The margin is not marginal. Where it does get tight is public DC fast charging, which is priced per kWh at rates that can approach or exceed that break-even -- which is why home versus public charging matters to the economics and not only to convenience.

Three honest caveats

• Charging losses. Not every kilowatt-hour leaving the wall reaches the battery; some becomes heat in the cable and the car's onboard charger. Your meter reads slightly more than the car reports receiving, so the EV figures above are a little optimistic. Cost to charge at home covers this.
• Cold weather. The EPA measures EV fuel economy dropping roughly 39% and range roughly 41% at 20 F against 75 F in mixed driving, with about two thirds of the extra energy going to cabin heat. Winter cost per mile is higher. Cold weather charging.
• This page is fuel only. Insurance, depreciation, tires, maintenance and the purchase price are all outside it. Fuel is the part that is cleanly calculable from published data, which is why it is the part we calculate.

The one change that moves the number most

Everything above uses your utility's average residential rate. If your utility offers a time-of-use or EV rate, the overnight price is usually well below that average, and charging is the one large household load you can move entirely into the cheap window. That requires a charger or a car that can schedule -- which is the whole practical case for a connected charger, and the reason the picks below are a scheduling-capable unit and the monitor that shows what it actually drew.

Work out your own figure rather than taking ours: find the price per kWh on your bill, read your car's kWh per 100 miles from its trip computer or the EPA rating, and multiply. Time-of-use charging explains how to line the schedule up with the rate.

What turns the saving into a real one

A charger that schedules into the cheap window, and a monitor that tells you what the EV circuit actually used. Prices are live from Amazon and carry the date they were read.

1. A first charger, hardwired

E48A

Emporia Level 2 EV Charger (Classic)

Emporia · J1772 · 48 A / 11.5 kW · 25 ft cable

The safe default for a first home charger: 48 amps hardwired, a genuinely long cable, a NEMA 4 outdoor-rated case, and no subscription attached to the app.

What is good

• +48 A hardwired is the fastest tier most homes can realistically support
• +25 ft of cable reaches across a two-car garage without a fight
• +NEMA Type 4 enclosure is rated for outdoor mounting
• +Energy monitoring in the app with no subscription

What is not

• −Drops to 40 A if you use the NEMA 14-50 plug rather than hardwiring
• −The app is the only way to change the amperage setting

Published specifications for the Emporia Level 2 EV Charger (Classic)

Maximum output	48 A / 11.5 kW at 240 V (hardwired)
Plug-in output	40 A with the NEMA 14-50 plug
Connector	SAE J1772
Cable	25 ft
Enclosure	NEMA Type 4, indoor or outdoor
Certification	UL listed, Energy Star
Warranty	3 years

Skip this if: Skip it if you want a unit with no app or network connection at all. The Grizzl-E Classic is the simpler machine.

Specifications above are the manufacturer’s published figures. Source: Emporia Energy. We have not tested this unit — see how we pick.

Check price on Amazon#ad how we are funded

2. Circuit-level detail

Emporia Vue 3 home energy monitor

Emporia · In-panel sensors

Clamps onto your mains and up to 16 individual circuits, so you can see exactly what the EV charger draws and how much headroom your panel really has. Pairs with Emporia's own charger to charge from surplus solar.

What is good

• +Up to 16 circuit sensors, so the EV circuit gets its own exact reading
• +Wired Ethernet as well as Wi-Fi, which matters inside a metal panel
• +Pairs with the Emporia EV charger to charge from surplus solar
• +Shows real panel headroom -- useful before deciding on a charger's amperage

What is not

• −Sensors go inside the panel, which is electrician territory
• −Routing up to 16 clamps is fiddly in a crowded panel
• −Only as useful as the time you spend in the app

Published specifications for the Emporia Vue 3 home energy monitor

Mains sensors	2 x 200 A
Branch circuit sensors	Up to 16 x 50 A
Connectivity	2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, plus 10/100 wired Ethernet
Solar	Monitors net metering without extra equipment
3-phase homes	A separate 3-phase/4-wire model is sold
Certification	UL certified
Warranty	1 year

Skip this if: Skip it if you only want a whole-home total. Sixteen circuit sensors is a lot of hardware to route through a panel for one number.

Specifications above are the manufacturer’s published figures. Source: Emporia Energy, Emporia Energy, Excess Solar, Emporia Energy, 3-phase model. We have not tested this unit — see how we pick.

$199.99 · View on Amazon#ad how we are funded · price as of October 17, 2026