How Much Does It Cost to Charge an EV? Home vs Public

The basic formula

Every charging cost works the same way: kWh added multiplied by the price per kWh. If you add 40 kWh at 18 cents, you pay $7.20. The tricky part is that prices vary widely depending on where you plug in, and some stations do not bill by the kWh at all.

To turn that into a cost per mile, you need your car's efficiency. The EPA fuel economy label on every new EV lists kilowatt-hours per 100 miles, which fueleconomy.gov says is there "to help you estimate fuel costs." A lower number means a more efficient car.

• Cost per mile = (kWh per 100 miles ÷ 100) × price per kWh.
• Monthly cost = miles driven × cost per mile.
• Some energy is lost as heat while charging, so your actual cost will run a little higher than the math shows.

What home charging costs right now

The EIA's Electric Power Monthly reports that the average US residential electricity price was 18.16 cents per kWh in August 2026, and 18.19 cents for 2026 year to date, up from 17.03 cents for the same period of 2025. Your own rate may be far higher or lower depending on your state and utility, so look at the per-kWh price on your bill rather than relying on the national average.

Home charging is usually the cheapest regular option, and it can get cheaper still if your utility offers a time-of-use or EV rate that discounts overnight power. Some utilities' off-peak rates are a fraction of their standard price.

What public charging costs

Public prices are set by each station owner or network, so they vary by location and sometimes by time of day.

• Public Level 2: a Massachusetts state guide for station owners cited $0.30 to $0.40 per kWh as a reasonable range in 2024. Some Level 2 stations are free, and others charge by the hour.
• DC fast: Kelley Blue Book puts most networks at roughly $0.30 to $0.60 per kWh. A price tracker that follows Electrify America's published rates reported an average peak price of about $0.62 per kWh across its sites in July 2026.
• Peak pricing: Kelley Blue Book notes that at some networks, peak-time rates are nearly twice the off-peak rate.
• Memberships: several networks sell monthly plans that lower the per-kWh price, which can pay off if you fast charge often.

Per-kWh vs per-minute billing

Per-kWh pricing is the easiest to compare, because you pay only for the energy that goes into your battery. Per-minute or per-hour pricing charges for time connected, so a car that charges slowly pays more for the same energy. If your car accepts only 7 kW on Level 2 or charges slowly in the cold, time-based billing can get expensive.

Some stations also add a flat session fee, or a transaction fee when you pay by credit card at the station instead of through the app. Read the full price breakdown in the network app or on the screen before you start.

Idle fees and congestion fees

Many stations charge you for staying plugged in after charging is done. Tesla's Supercharger fee page says congestion fees can be up to $1.00 per minute at busy sites, are typically about $0.50 per minute in the US, and start after a five-minute grace period once you hit 80% or your session ends. Tesla also says there is no cap on how much can accrue.

The Massachusetts guide recommends idle fees for public Level 2 too, citing $3 to $12 per hour as a 2024 range. The fix is simple: set a charging notification on your phone and move the car when it is done.

A worked example

Say your EV's label shows 30 kWh per 100 miles and you drive 1,000 miles a month. That is 300 kWh of driving energy. Here is what it costs at different price points, before charging losses.

The gap adds up over a year. Mostly home charging at the August 2026 national average would cost about $650 for 12,000 miles, while doing all of it at a $0.60 fast charger would cost about $2,160. Plug in your own numbers with our cost calculator.

• Home at 18.16 cents per kWh: about $54.
• Public Level 2 at $0.35 per kWh: about $105.
• DC fast at $0.60 per kWh: about $180.
• Free Level 2 at a workplace or store: $0 for the energy, though parking may still cost money.

Ways to pay less

Most of the savings come from shifting where and when you charge.

• Charge at home as your default if you can, ideally on an off-peak or EV rate.
• Use free or low-cost Level 2 while you are parked anyway, such as at work or while shopping.
• Save DC fast charging for road trips, and stop around 80% when the charging speed drops.
• Compare per-kWh prices in network apps, and check whether a membership would pay for itself.
• Unplug and move promptly to avoid idle fees.