$4.57 to $11.53 per 100 Miles: 67 EVs Ranked by Charging Cost

Updated September 2026 · Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · EPA fueleconomy.gov · next EIA update ~Oct 23

Battery size tells you how far a car goes. Efficiency tells you what it costs. The two are routinely confused, and it is why a big-battery pickup can cost twice as much per mile as a small hatchback while both are called cheap to run.

How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?

Below are 67 current EVs ranked by EPA combined energy use — least to most. Every cost figure assumes the US average residential rate of 17¢/kWh; EPA’s wall-measured efficiency figures already include charging losses. Click any model for its own calculator, state rate quick-fill and Gas comparison.

How these numbers are built

Three inputs, no estimates of our own:

1. EPA combined efficiency (kWh/100 mi) for every current trim, from the fueleconomy.gov dataset, averaged across the configurations the EPA lists for that model year.
2. No added charging-loss factor. EPA’s kWh/100 mi is measured at the wall outlet and already accounts for losses in the cable and the on-board charger. Adding another allowance on top — a common mistake, and one this site made until it was corrected — inflates every figure by about 10%.
3. Your electricity rate — the input that matters most. The national average is 17¢/kWh, but the real range across states runs from about 12¢ to over 50¢, which changes every figure on this page by a factor of four.

“Energy for a full charge” is EPA range × efficiency, not the manufacturer’s battery capacity. Usable capacity is always less than the headline number, and range × efficiency is what you actually pay to replace.

There is no federal EV tax credit in 2026

The new clean vehicle credit (§30D ) and the used clean vehicle credit (§25E ) both ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. No model on this page qualifies for a federal purchase credit, whatever a dealer’s pricing sheet still shows.

The charger credit (§30C , 30% up to $1,000) also ended — for property placed in service after June 30, 2026 — so as of now there is no federal money left on this page for a new purchase or install; only a charger already in service by that date can still be claimed on its year’s return. Beyond that, state and utility programs continue independently of the federal changes — a cheaper overnight EV tariff is usually worth more over a car’s life than any one-off credit. See the 2026 energy tax credit guide for the full position, verify state programs at DSIRE , and speak to a tax professional about your own return.

What public fast charging really costs

Home charging is the cheap case, and almost every “EVs cost pennies to run” figure quietly assumes it. Public DC fast charging is a different product at a different price — commonly around 48¢/kWh, roughly three times a typical residential rate, and some networks bill by the minute rather than by the kilowatt-hour. A fast charger’s advertised price is not what you pay per mile of usable charging, because charging slows sharply above roughly 80% state of charge — the practical comparison is a 10–80% session, not a full one. Idle fees, charged per minute once the car is full, add to a session you did not return to promptly. Each model page above prices its own car at 48¢ against home; the Supercharger vs home calculator takes your station’s real number.

What cold weather does

Cold reduces battery efficiency and adds cabin heating, and real-world consumption commonly rises 20–40% in freezing conditions — heat-pump-equipped cars sit at the better end, resistance-heated ones at the worse. It is a seasonal effect, which is why the annual figures on the model pages are the fairer budget number than a summer or a winter week. Preconditioning while still plugged in is the single most effective mitigation, because the energy for heating the cabin comes from the wall rather than the battery; each model page shows its own winter kWh/100 mi and effective range at the middle of that band.

The 2026 tax position

The federal credits for new (§30D) and used (§25E) clean vehicles ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, and the home charger credit (§30C — 30% of equipment cost up to $1,000) ended for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. Any calculator or dealer still subtracting $7,500 from a 2026 purchase is working from expired law. State and utility programs continue, and some utilities sell markedly cheaper overnight EV kWh; the EV time-of-use calculator nets that against the rest of the house. The full list of what survived is in the energy tax credit guide . Not tax advice.