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Use your two vehicles’ efficiency figures, the prices you actually pay for gasoline and electricity, and the same annual mileage. An electric vehicle’s fuel-cost advantage is the gasoline car’s cost per mile minus the EV’s electricity cost per mile, multiplied by miles driven. This estimates energy cost only—not purchase price, financing, insurance, maintenance, taxes, charging equipment, or total ownership cost.
The calculation is straightforward, but the result is personal. Electricity tariffs, public-charging rates, gasoline prices, vehicle efficiency, weather, driving speed and annual mileage can move the answer substantially. A national average or a generic “EVs are cheaper” claim cannot substitute for your own inputs.
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The two formulas you need
Choose one EV and one gasoline vehicle, then compare them over the same distance. Use the EV’s EPA electricity-consumption rating in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles (kWh/100 mi), the gasoline vehicle’s EPA miles-per-gallon (MPG) rating, your electricity price per kilowatt-hour, your gasoline price per gallon, and your annual miles.
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EV cost per mile = (EV consumption in kWh/100 miles × electricity price per kWh) ÷ 100
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- WORKS WITH EVERY NON-TESLA EV: Standard J1772 connector plugs straight into Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Rivian, Lucid and every other EV or plug-in hybrid sold with a J1772 port - no adapter needed. Tesla drivers can charge too, using the J1772 adapter that comes with the car. The extra-long 25 ft cable easily reaches across a garage or driveway.
- HARDWIRED - PROFESSIONAL INSTALL: This Level 2 charger is hardwired (not plug-in), so a licensed electrician installs it per National Electrical Code. It delivers up to 48A on a dedicated 60A, 240V circuit - enough to charge most EVs fully overnight. Want more speed? You can set DIP switches 4 and 5 to unlock 50A on a dedicated 70A circuit. Before ordering, check your car's port type and that your electrical panel can support the circuit.
- CONTROL FROM YOUR PHONE: A stronger built-in antenna keeps the charger online even in a garage or basement. Use the free app to start and stop charging, set the charging speed (6-48A), get reminders, and track how much energy and money each charge uses. Requires a 2.4 GHz home WiFi network.
- SAFETY-CERTIFIED & WEATHERPROOF: Independently tested and certified (UL, ETL, FCC, Energy Star). A fully sealed IP66 / NEMA 4 housing stands up to rain, snow, heat and dust indoors or out, and internal steel shielding protects the electronics for years of reliable use.
- GLOW-IN-THE-DARK HOLSTER: The included high-visibility holster glows in the dark so you can find and dock the plug easily at night. Holds the connector securely when not in use.
For example, an EV rated at 30 kWh/100 miles at $0.15 per kWh costs (30 × $0.15) ÷ 100 = $0.045 per mile.
Gasoline cost per mile
Gasoline cost per mile = gasoline price per gallon ÷ gasoline vehicle MPG
A 30-MPG car with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon costs $3.50 ÷ 30 = $0.1167 per mile, or about 11.7 cents.
Annual fuel-cost savings
Annual EV savings = (gasoline cost per mile − EV cost per mile) × annual miles driven
With the illustrative inputs above, the difference is about $0.0717 per mile. At 15,000 miles, that is approximately $1,075 per year using unrounded arithmetic. If the intermediate figures are rounded as in many label examples, the result may be reported as roughly $1,085. These are illustrative inputs, not a current gasoline price or a national average.
If the result is negative, the EV costs more for energy under those assumptions. That does not necessarily make it a worse purchase: purchase price, financing, maintenance, insurance and other costs are separate questions.
Why kWh/100 miles is the right EV number
Electric vehicles are commonly advertised with MPGe as well as kWh/100 miles. MPGe converts electricity into an energy-equivalent gallon so different powertrains can be compared on an energy basis. It is not the direct price input for your utility bill.
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- Charge with Confidence: ChargePoint builds reliable, flexible EV charging stations for home, business, and fleets. Get 24/7 support and access to hundreds of thousands of North American charging locations.
- Charge Smart: With the user-friendly ChargePoint Mobile App, you can control your electric car charger, manage reminders, connect to smart home devices, find stations, get data and charging info, and access the latest features. Note: WiFi is needed for certain functionalities and troubleshooting steps if connectivity issues arise.
- Vast Network: Wherever you go, ChargePoint’s network includes 274k+ stations across North America and Europe and 565k+ roaming partner stations.
- Safe & Durable: Rely on this UL-certified EV charger for safe home charging. It can be installed indoors or outdoors by an electrician and includes a cold-resistant cable.
- Fast & Powerful: This EV charger charges 9× faster than a 120V outlet, delivering up to 45 mi/hr., dependent upon your vehicle. It features a J1772 connector for all non-Tesla EVs and requires a 20A or 80A circuit. For Tesla EVs, this will require an adapter.
The Environmental Protection Agency explains: “Unlike MPG, consumption relates directly to the amount of electricity used, and thus to expenditures on electricity.” For a cost calculation, use the specific vehicle’s EPA kWh/100-mile consumption figure. If a listing provides only miles per kWh, convert it first:
kWh/100 miles = 100 ÷ miles per kWh
For instance, 3.0 miles per kWh equals 33.33 kWh/100 miles. Do not mix an EPA combined rating for one vehicle with a city-only or highway-only rating for the other unless that driving pattern is intentional.
Gather inputs that match your actual driving
Use the exact vehicle versions
Efficiency can differ by battery size, motor configuration, wheel-and-tire package, body style and model year. Record the EPA combined kWh/100-mile figure for the EV and the EPA combined MPG figure for the gasoline comparison car. For model year 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy reported EPA combined EV efficiency ranging from 1.49 to 4.17 miles per kWh. That spread is why one “typical EV” number is misleading.
When comparing two real vehicles, hold the mileage and energy prices constant and change only the vehicles’ efficiency figures. If you are replacing an existing car, use its actual long-term fuel economy when that is more representative than the laboratory rating, but use comparable real-world data for the EV as well.
Use the price you really pay
For gasoline, use the price per gallon at the stations you normally use or a dated local average. For electricity, use the marginal price of the kilowatt-hours used for charging, including time-of-use rates, demand charges that genuinely apply to your household, taxes or fees that vary with consumption, and any utility credit you can reliably claim.
Do not assume every EV driver pays a residential rate. Workplace, apartment, destination and fast-charging prices can be different, and some public networks bill by time or session rather than by kWh. Convert the amount you pay into an effective price per kWh before applying the formula. If a station charges a flat session fee, divide the total session cost by the energy delivered to estimate its effective rate.
Use your mileage, not a default
Multiply by the miles you actually expect to drive in a year. EPA labels commonly use a standard assumption of 15,000 miles per year for their annual fuel-cost estimate. That is useful for a like-for-like label comparison, but a driver covering 6,000 miles or 25,000 miles will see a different dollar result even with identical vehicles and prices.
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- WORKS WITH EVERY NON-TESLA EV: Standard J1772 connector plugs straight into Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Rivian, Lucid and every other EV or plug-in hybrid sold with a J1772 port - no adapter needed. Tesla drivers can charge too, using the J1772 adapter that comes with the car.
- PLUG IN, NO HARDWIRING: Level 2 charger delivers up to 40A to fully charge most EVs overnight. Plugs into a 240V, 4-prong NEMA 14-50 outlet (the RV/range type - NOT a dryer outlet) on a dedicated 50A circuit. The extra-long 25 ft cable easily reaches across a garage or driveway. Before ordering, check your car's port type and that you have the right outlet.
- CONTROL & SAVE FROM YOUR PHONE: A stronger built-in antenna keeps the charger online even in a garage or basement. Use the free app to start/stop charging, set speed (6-40A), get reminders, and track energy use and cost. Schedule off-peak overnight charging to cut your electric bill. Requires 2.4 GHz WiFi.
- SAFETY-CERTIFIED & WEATHERPROOF: Independently tested and certified (UL, ETL, FCC, Energy Star). A fully sealed IP66 / NEMA 4 housing stands up to rain, snow, heat and dust indoors or out, and internal steel shielding protects the electronics for years of reliable use.
- GLOW-IN-THE-DARK HOLSTER: The included high-visibility holster glows in the dark so you can find and dock the plug easily at night. Holds the connector securely when not in use.
Account for home, workplace and public charging
Most drivers use more than one charging price. Calculate a weighted electricity price based on the share of miles—or, equivalently, the share of charging energy—obtained at each rate.
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Weighted electricity price = (share at rate 1 × rate 1) + (share at rate 2 × rate 2) + …
Suppose 70% of your charging is at home at $0.15 per kWh and 30% is public charging at $0.42 per kWh. The weighted price is (0.70 × $0.15) + (0.30 × $0.42) = $0.231 per kWh. An EV using 30 kWh/100 miles then costs (30 × $0.231) ÷ 100 = $0.0693 per mile.
Use the share of energy purchased at each rate if your public sessions occur mostly when the battery is low or if charging losses differ materially. A miles-based share is usually an adequate planning estimate. Argonne’s vehicle-cost calculator distinguishes residential electricity rates and public-charging prices; that distinction matters whenever public charging is part of your routine.
Include charging losses when they matter
The vehicle’s EPA consumption rating describes energy use for the vehicle, while your meter may record additional electricity lost in the charger and charging process. For a simple estimate, use the EPA figure consistently. For a household budget, you can adjust it upward by your measured wall-to-battery consumption: divide the electricity recorded by your charger by the miles driven during the same period. Do not add an arbitrary loss percentage if you already have meter data.
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The following example keeps every assumption visible:
| Input | Illustrative value |
|---|---|
| EV consumption | 30 kWh/100 miles |
| Gasoline-car efficiency | 30 MPG |
| Electricity price | $0.15 per kWh |
| Gasoline price | $3.50 per gallon |
| Annual driving | 15,000 miles |
- EV: (30 × $0.15) ÷ 100 = $0.045 per mile; $0.045 × 15,000 = $675 per year.
- Gasoline car: $3.50 ÷ 30 = $0.1167 per mile; $0.1167 × 15,000 = about $1,750 per year.
- Difference: about $1,075 per year in energy cost using unrounded figures.
The calculation does not say that the EV saves $1,075 overall. If the EV costs more to buy, carries higher financing or insurance costs, or requires paid charging equipment, those amounts belong in a separate ownership comparison.
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- Charge with Confidence: ChargePoint builds reliable, flexible EV charging stations for home, business, and fleets. Get 24/7 support and access to hundreds of thousands of North American charging locations
- Charge Smart: With the user-friendly ChargePoint Mobile App, you can control your electric car charger, manage reminders, connect to smart home devices, find stations, get data and charging info, and access the latest features
- Vast Network: Wherever you go, ChargePoint’s network includes 274k+ stations across North America and Europe and 565k+ roaming partner stations
- Safe & Durable: Rely on this UL-certified EV charger for safe home charging. It can be installed indoors or outdoors by an electrician and includes a cold-resistant cable
- Fast & Powerful: This EV charger charges 9× faster than a 120V outlet, delivering up to 45 mi/hr., dependent upon your vehicle. It features a J1772 connector for all non-Tesla EVs and plugs into a 240V outlet with a 14-50 receptacle, requiring a 40A or 50A circuit. For Tesla EVs, this will require an adapter
How to do the calculation for your own vehicles
- Write down the vehicles. Record model year, trim, drivetrain and wheel size so you do not accidentally use a rating for a different configuration.
- Find the EV’s EPA kWh/100-mile figure. Use the combined consumption value, not MPGe alone. Keep the units exactly as shown.
- Find the gasoline car’s MPG. Use the combined rating for a mixed commute, or a city/highway rating that matches a known driving pattern.
- Measure energy prices. Enter your local gasoline price per gallon and each electricity rate you pay. Include public charging if you use it.
- Estimate the charging mix. Assign percentages to home, work, destination and fast charging; the percentages should total 100%.
- Calculate a weighted electricity price. Multiply each rate by its share and add the results.
- Calculate each cost per mile. Apply the two formulas above without changing the distance or units.
- Multiply the difference by annual miles. Run a low-mileage and high-mileage case if your driving varies.
- Test price and efficiency changes. Recalculate with a higher public-charging share, a different gasoline price or the vehicles’ city/highway figures to see how sensitive the result is.
Spreadsheet layout and calculator-ready formulas
A small spreadsheet makes assumptions visible and easy to update. Put these values in separate cells:
- EV consumption: kWh/100 miles
- Home electricity rate, workplace rate and public rate
- Share of charging at each rate
- Gasoline price per gallon
- Gasoline vehicle MPG
- Annual miles
Then use formulas equivalent to:
Weighted electricity price = (home share × home rate) + (work share × work rate) + (public share × public rate)EV cost per mile = EV kWh/100 mi × weighted electricity price ÷ 100Gas cost per mile = gas price per gallon ÷ gas MPGAnnual savings = (gas cost per mile − EV cost per mile) × annual miles
Keep a date beside every price. Gasoline and public-charging prices can change frequently, while a utility tariff may change at a scheduled time or by season. A dated result is more useful than a supposedly permanent number.
Common mistakes that produce misleading savings
Comparing different distances
Do not compare an EV’s cost for 100 miles with a gasoline car’s cost for a full tank. Convert both to cost per mile, then scale to the same annual mileage.
Using MPGe as though it were MPG
MPGe is an energy-equivalence measure. It does not mean the EV consumes gallons of gasoline, and dividing an electricity price by MPGe produces the wrong units. Use kWh/100 miles for electricity cost.
Ignoring public charging
An EV charged mostly at home can have a very different result from one charged mostly at high-priced DC fast chargers. Enter the price and share that fit your routine instead of assuming free or inexpensive charging.
Using a national price as a personal forecast
A national gasoline or electricity average may be a starting point, but it cannot capture your utility territory, time-of-use plan, apartment charging fee or local fuel market. Replace it with your own rates whenever possible.
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Mixing laboratory and real-world figures
EPA ratings provide a consistent comparison, but cold temperatures, high speeds, hills, payload, towing, heating and air-conditioning affect actual consumption. If you adjust one vehicle with real-world data, make a comparable adjustment to the other.
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- WORKS WITH EVERY TESLA + OTHER EVs: Built-in Tesla-style plug (NACS standard) connects directly to Tesla Model S, 3, X and Y - and any EV with a NACS port - no adapter needed. The plug even has a button to pop open your Tesla’s charge port. Non-Tesla J1772 vehicles can charge with a NACS-to-J1772 adapter (not included). The extra-long 25 ft cable easily reaches across a garage or driveway.
- HARDWIRED - PROFESSIONAL INSTALL: This Level 2 charger is hardwired (not plug-in), so a licensed electrician installs it per National Electrical Code. It delivers up to 48A on a dedicated 60A, 240V circuit - enough to charge most EVs fully overnight. Want more speed? Your can set DIP switches 4 and 5 to unlock 50A on a dedicated 70A circuit. Before ordering, check your car’s port type and that your electrical panel can support the circuit.
- CONTROL FROM YOUR PHONE: A stronger built-in antenna keeps the charger online even in a garage or basement. Use the free app to start and stop charging, set the charging speed (6-48A), get reminders, and track how much energy and money each charge uses. Requires a 2.4 GHz home WiFi network.
- SAFETY-CERTIFIED & WEATHERPROOF: Independently tested and certified (UL, ETL, FCC, Energy Star). A fully sealed IP66 / NEMA 4 housing stands up to rain, snow, heat and dust indoors or out, and internal steel shielding protects the electronics for years of reliable use.
- GLOW-IN-THE-DARK HOLSTER: The included high-visibility holster glows in the dark so you can find and dock the plug easily at night. Holds the connector securely when not in use.
Counting charging hardware as fuel
A home Level 2 charger may improve convenience and charging speed, but its purchase and installation cost is not electricity cost. Include it in a separate ownership or payback calculation. The U.S. Department of Energy’s consumer charging guide treats charging options and equipment separately from energy pricing.
When the answer changes with prices or driving
The break-even electricity price is useful when you know gasoline and vehicle efficiency but are uncertain about a tariff:
Break-even electricity price per kWh = (gasoline price per gallon ÷ gasoline MPG) × 100 ÷ EV kWh/100 miles
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Using $3.50 gasoline, a 30-MPG car and a 30 kWh/100-mile EV, the break-even electricity price is ($3.50 ÷ 30) × 100 ÷ 30 = about $0.389 per kWh. Below that rate, the EV has the lower energy cost; above it, the gasoline car does under these assumptions.
You can also calculate break-even annual mileage for a fixed purchase-price difference, but that requires adding the price difference and other ownership costs. Fuel savings alone cannot establish how long it takes to recover a higher purchase price.
Fuel savings are not total ownership savings
Energy cost is one line in a vehicle budget. A broader comparison should separately evaluate:
- Purchase price, taxes, registration and financing
- Insurance premiums
- Routine maintenance and repairs
- Home-charger purchase and installation
- Battery warranty and replacement risk assumptions
- Depreciation or resale value
- Road-use fees, incentives and any applicable tax treatment
The Department of Energy’s vehicle-cost-calculator methodology treats purchase cost and annual costs as separate components. Keep those categories separate so a low charging bill is not mistaken for proof that the vehicle is cheaper to own overall.
How to interpret published benchmarks
Historical comparisons can illustrate the method but should not be presented as current promises. A Department of Energy comparison published May 17, 2021 found average EV fuel cost about 60% lower than gasoline under its assumptions: gasoline at $2.85 per gallon and an eGallon price of $1.16 on March 31, 2021. Those prices are dated historical inputs, not a quote for your location in 2026.
Your result may be larger or smaller because the relevant variables are local electricity and gasoline prices, the efficiency of the exact vehicles, charging mix and miles driven. Re-run the calculation whenever one of those inputs changes materially.
A practical decision checklist
- Have I used the exact EV trim’s kWh/100-mile rating?
- Have I used a comparable gasoline vehicle and MPG figure?
- Are gasoline and electricity prices local, dated and stated in the correct units?
- Does the charging mix include public or workplace charging I actually use?
- Are both vehicles evaluated over the same annual miles?
- Have I separated energy cost from purchase, maintenance and other ownership costs?
- Have I tested a reasonable range of prices, weather and driving conditions?
If you can answer yes to each question, the result is a defensible estimate of fuel-cost savings—not a guarantee of total financial savings.
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