EV Charging Cost Calculator — Home, Public & DC Fast
Enter battery size, SOC window, charger level and your electricity rate to get cost per charge, charging time, cost per mile and home vs public vs gas savings. Free, instant, in your browser.
EV charging cost calculator inputs and results
/ inputs
Advanced — losses, fees, time-of-use, gas comparison
| Mode | Per charge | Per 100 mi | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter a SOC window to build the comparison. | |||
Last updated: 24 September 2026 · All math runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
How the EV charging cost calculator works
An EV charging cost calculator turns four numbers — battery size, how far the state of charge moves, your charger's power, and the electricity rate per kWh — into what you will actually pay, how long the session takes, and what it costs per mile. This free calculator also models charging losses, session and idle fees, time-of-use tariffs, and compares home vs public vs DC fast vs gasoline on the same miles.
Quick answer: EV charging cost = battery capacity (kWh) × SOC change ÷ 100 × rate ($/kWh) × (1 + losses) + fees. A 75 kWh EV charged from 20% to 80% at $0.17/kWh with 10% losses costs $8.42 and takes about 4 h 18 min on an 11.5 kW Level 2 charger.
How much does it cost to charge an EV?
At the US average residential rate of about $0.17/kWh (2026), a typical 75 kWh EV costs roughly $8–9 for a 20–80% home charge and about $14 for a full 0–100% charge — around 5.3¢ per mile at 3.5 mi/kWh. Public Level 2 at $0.45/kWh makes the same session about $22.
How to calculate EV charging cost (3 steps)
- Type your usable battery capacity in kWh (or pick an EV preset), set the starting and target state of charge, and choose miles or kilometres for efficiency.
- Choose Level 1, Level 2 or DC fast, confirm the charger power in kW, and enter your electricity rate per kWh (or use a regional preset).
- The calculator returns energy needed, effective energy with losses, total cost, charging time, cost per mile, the public-charger comparison, a monthly estimate and a gasoline check — plus a live charge diagram you can print.
Run your own numbers
Set your battery, SOC window and utility rate above and watch cost, time and cost-per-mile update live. Nothing uploads — it all happens in this tab.
EV charging cost formulas (kWh, losses, $/kWh)
Every tile on the results panel comes from these formulas (costs in your selected currency, energy in kWh, time in hours):
- Energy needed: E = capacity × (target SOC − start SOC) ÷ 100 — the kWh that go into the battery.
- Effective energy (grid draw): Eeff = E × (1 + losses ÷ 100). Default 10% losses on AC (Level 1/2), 8% on DC fast.
- Flat-rate cost: cost = Eeff × rate.
- Time-of-use cost: blended rate = offPeakRate × offPeak% + peakRate × peak% + shoulderRate × shoulder% (shares normalized to 100%), then cost = Eeff × blended rate.
- Session total: total = energy cost + session fee + idle fee (idle rate × idle minutes ÷ 60).
- Charging time: t = Eeff ÷ power (kW). Above 80% on DC fast the tail is divided by the taper factor, because packs slow down near full.
- Cost per mile: total ÷ (E × efficiency). A 45 kWh session at 3.5 mi/kWh covers 157.5 mi.
- Full charge 0–100%: capacity × (1 + losses) × rate + fees.
- Monthly estimate: session total × charges per month.
- Gas equivalent: (miles ÷ mpg) × gas price — same miles, compared against your EV session.
Worked example: 75 kWh, 20→80%, $0.17/kWh
Step 1 — energy into the pack: 75 × (80 − 20) ÷ 100 = 45 kWh. Step 2 — grid draw with 10% losses: 45 × 1.10 = 49.5 kWh. Step 3 — cost: 49.5 × $0.17 = $8.42. Step 4 — time on 11.5 kW Level 2: 49.5 ÷ 11.5 = 4.30 h ≈ 4 h 18 min. Step 5 — cost per mile: 45 × 3.5 = 157.5 mi, so $8.42 ÷ 157.5 = 5.3¢ per mile. The same miles in a 25 mpg car at $3.50/gallon cost $22.05 — the EV saves $13.63 per session.
Level 1 vs Level 2 vs DC fast charging cost and time
Level 1 (1.4 kW, household outlet) is the slowest and usually the same $/kWh as home power — fine for plug-in hybrids, painful for big packs. Level 2 (7.2–19.2 kW) is the home and workplace standard: a 20–80% session on a 75 kWh battery lands in the 4–7 hour range. DC fast (50–350 kW) charges by the minute or the kWh at a premium, and typically costs more per kWh than home electricity.
| Mode | Typical power | Typical rate | 20–80% on 75 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1.4 kW | home tariff | ~35 hours |
| Level 2 | 7.2–19.2 kW | home tariff | ~2.6–7 hours |
| DC fast 50 kW | 50 kW | $0.35–0.60/kWh | ~1 hour |
| DC fast 150 kW | 150 kW | $0.35–0.60/kWh | ~20 minutes |
Home charging vs public charging vs gasoline
Home charging vs public charging: home wins on price almost everywhere. Static example using the worked numbers above (75 kWh, 20→80%, 3.5 mi/kWh, 8 sessions/month, 25 mpg at $3.50/gal):
| Mode | Cost per charge | Per 100 mi | Per month (8×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Level 2 @ $0.17/kWh | $8.42 | $5.34 | $67.32 |
| Public Level 2 @ $0.45/kWh | $22.28 | $14.14 | $178.20 |
| DC fast 50 kW @ $0.48/kWh | $23.33 | $14.81 | $186.64 |
| Gasoline — 25 mpg @ $3.50/gal | $22.05 | $14.00 | $176.40 |
Home electricity at 5.3¢ per mile undercuts gasoline (14¢) by more than half. Public L2 and DC fast land near gasoline parity — convenience pricing, not economy pricing. Estimates use 2026-plausible US averages; your utility bill and network app are the source of truth.
What affects your charging cost
- Electricity tariff — the single biggest lever. US residential averaged about $0.17/kWh in 2026; California often runs $0.30+, Texas around $0.15.
- Time-of-use windows — overnight off-peak rates can be half the peak price. The TOU toggle blends your session across the shares you set.
- Charging losses — onboard chargers, cables and battery chemistry waste roughly 8–12% of the energy you pay for.
- Session and idle fees — some networks charge a connection fee or bill you for lingering past a full charge.
- Charger level — power changes time, not the kWh price at home; on networks, DC fast is priced at a premium per kWh.
- Weather and taper — cold packs accept energy more slowly, and DC charging tapers above ~80%, stretching session time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
Charging a 75 kWh EV from 20% to 80% at the US average residential rate of about $0.17/kWh (2026) costs roughly $8–9 including typical 10% charging losses. A full 0–100% charge at that rate is about $14. Home Level 2 charging is almost always the cheapest option per kWh.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at a public charger?
Public Level 2 chargers commonly charge $0.30–$0.50 per kWh, so the same 20–80% session (about 49.5 kWh drawn with losses) costs $15–$25. DC fast chargers run $0.35–$0.60/kWh plus occasional session fees, putting a 20–80% top-up at $17–$30 depending on the network.
How long does it take to charge an EV from 20% to 80%?
On a 7.2 kW Level 2 charger, a 20–80% session on a 75 kWh battery (45 kWh into the pack) takes about 6–7 hours including losses. A 50 kW DC fast charger does it in roughly an hour; a 150 kW unit in about 20 minutes, because charging slows down above 80%.
What is the formula for EV charging cost?
EV charging cost = usable battery capacity (kWh) × SOC change ÷ 100 × electricity rate ($/kWh), multiplied by (1 + charging losses) and plus any session or idle fees: cost = capacity × ΔSOC × (1 + losses) × rate + fees. For 75 kWh, 20→80%, $0.17/kWh and 10% losses: 45 × 1.10 × 0.17 = $8.42.
Is it cheaper to charge an EV at home or at a public charger?
Home charging is cheaper. At $0.17/kWh home power, a 20–80% session costs about $8.42; the same session on a public Level 2 charger at $0.45/kWh costs about $22.28 — roughly 2.6× more. Over eight sessions a month that is about $67 at home versus $178 in public.
How much does it cost to charge an EV per month?
Eight 20–80% home sessions a month on a 75 kWh battery at $0.17/kWh with 10% losses cost about $67 a month — roughly 5.3¢ per mile at 3.5 mi/kWh. Charge only at public rates and the same driving costs $178 or more per month.
Does charging an EV cost more than driving a gas car?
Not at home. At 3.5 mi/kWh and $0.17/kWh, electricity costs about 5.3¢ per mile; a 25 mpg car at $3.50/gallon costs 14¢ per mile — nearly three times more. Public fast charging at $0.45/kWh lands around 14¢ per mile, about the same as gasoline, so home charging is where EVs win.
Do DC fast chargers charge more per kWh?
Usually yes. DC fast charging is commonly $0.35–$0.60 per kWh versus $0.12–$0.20 at home on a residential tariff, and some networks add session fees. DC losses are slightly lower (about 8% versus 10% for AC), but not enough to offset the higher rate.