--- title: "Best Time to Charge an EV at Home (the Cheapest Hours)" description: "On a flat rate, every hour costs the same (18.16¢/kWh on average). On a time-of-use plan, overnight is usually cheapest. See what shifting your charging saves." url: https://evchargecosts.com/guides/cheapest-time-to-charge-an-ev/ updated: 2026-10-26 --- # Best Time to Charge an EV at Home (the Cheapest Hours) If you pay a flat rate, the hour does not matter: every kWh costs the same, 18.16¢/kWh on average in the U.S. (August 2026). On a time-of-use plan, **overnight off-peak hours are usually cheapest**, and moving 377 kWh a month of charging there can save a meaningful share of the $68.44 monthly cost. By [EV Charge Cost Editorial Team](https://evchargecosts.com/about/). Published September 28, 2026, updated October 26, 2026. ## First, find out what kind of plan you have Whether timing matters depends entirely on your rate plan: - **Flat or tiered rate:** the price does not change by hour. Charge whenever it is convenient. On a tiered plan, what matters is how many kWh you use in the month, not when. See [tiered rates](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/tiered-electricity-rates-ev-charging/). - **Time-of-use (TOU):** prices change by time of day and sometimes by day of week and season. Charging in the cheapest window is the single biggest lever you have. - **EV-specific plans:** some utilities offer a plan with a deep overnight discount for EV owners, sometimes on a separate meter. - **Real-time or dynamic pricing:** prices follow the wholesale market hour by hour. Cheap hours are often, but not always, overnight or when renewable output is high. Your bill or the utility's website names your plan. If you are not on TOU, check whether your utility offers one. ## What off-peak charging is worth Off-peak discounts differ widely by utility, so the table shows a range of *hypothetical* discounts off the U.S. average price of 18.16¢/kWh, for 13,500 miles a year in a 33.5 kWh/100 mi EV with all charging moved off-peak. **Illustration: monthly and yearly charging cost at hypothetical off-peak discounts** | Off-peak discount | Off-peak price | Per month | Per year | Saved per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 0% | 18.16¢/kWh | $68.44 | $821.29 | $0.00 | | 10% | 16.34¢/kWh | $61.60 | $739.16 | $82.13 | | 20% | 14.53¢/kWh | $54.75 | $657.03 | $164.26 | | 30% | 12.71¢/kWh | $47.91 | $574.90 | $246.39 | | 40% | 10.90¢/kWh | $41.06 | $492.77 | $328.52 | | 50% | 9.08¢/kWh | $34.22 | $410.64 | $410.65 | Check the whole bill, not just the EV. A TOU plan usually charges more at peak times, so the savings shrink if the household runs air conditioning, cooking and laundry during peak hours. ## Is the off-peak window long enough? At 13,500 miles a year, the average day is about 37 miles, or 12.4 kWh. Replacing that takes about 8 h 36 min on a 1.44 kW Level 1 outlet and 1 h 37 min on a 7.68 kW Level 2 charger. Either fits in a typical overnight window. After a long day, the math changes. Adding 200 miles (67.0 kWh) takes about 8 h 43 min at 7.68 kW but 46 h 32 min on Level 1, which spills into peak hours on most plans. If your off-peak window is short, Level 2 matters more. Try your own numbers in the [charging time calculator](https://evchargecosts.com/charging-time/). ## Other timing factors Seasonal changes are smaller than time-of-day differences but real. Over the last 13 months of EIA data, the average in [Alabama](https://evchargecosts.com/states/alabama/) ranged from 15.99¢/kWh (December 2025) to 17.41¢/kWh (April 2026). See [seasonal electricity prices and EV charging](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/seasonal-electricity-prices-ev-charging/). - **Cold mornings:** preheating the cabin while still plugged in uses grid power, ideally off-peak, instead of the battery. - **Solar at home:** if you have panels, midday charging from your own surplus can beat any grid rate. See [solar panels and EV charging](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/solar-panels-and-ev-charging/). - **Public fast chargers:** some networks price by time of day too. Check the app before you plug in. One more point: charging at a cheap hour does not change how many kWh the car needs. The savings come only from the price difference, so the effort is worth it in proportion to how much you drive. ## How to set it and forget it - Confirm the exact off-peak hours, including weekends and seasons. - Set a charging schedule in the car or the charger app. Using one schedule, not both, avoids conflicts. - Set a departure time if your car supports it, so charging finishes just before you leave. - Check the next bill's interval data to confirm charging happened off-peak. More on scheduling in [smart chargers and scheduling](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/smart-ev-chargers-and-scheduling/) and [time-of-use rates and EV charging](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/time-of-use-rates-ev-charging/). ## Run your own numbers - [Charging cost calculator](https://evchargecosts.com/) - [EV vs gas calculator](https://evchargecosts.com/ev-vs-gas/) - [Charging time calculator](https://evchargecosts.com/charging-time/) - [Cost in your state](https://evchargecosts.com/states/) - [How we calculate](https://evchargecosts.com/methodology/) ## Related guides - [How Much Does It Cost to Charge an EV at Home?](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/how-much-does-it-cost-to-charge-an-ev-at-home/) - [Time-of-Use Rates and EV Charging](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/time-of-use-rates-ev-charging/) - [How Much Will an EV Raise My Electric Bill?](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/how-much-will-an-ev-raise-my-electric-bill/) - [How Much Does It Cost to Fully Charge an Electric Car?](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/cost-to-fully-charge-an-electric-car/) - [Public Fast Charging vs Home Charging: Cost Compared](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/public-fast-charging-vs-home-charging-cost/) - [How to Find Your Electricity Rate per kWh on Your Bill](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/how-to-find-your-electricity-rate/) [All 59 guides](https://evchargecosts.com/guides/) ## Questions people ask ### Is it cheaper to charge an EV at night? Only if your plan charges less at night. On a flat-rate plan the price per kWh is the same around the clock. ### How much can I save by charging off-peak? It depends on the discount. As an illustration, a 30% off-peak discount on 18.16¢/kWh would save about $246.39 a year for 13,500 miles in a typical EV. --- Source page: https://evchargecosts.com/guides/cheapest-time-to-charge-an-ev/ Data: EIA (electricity August 2026, gasoline 2026-10-19), EPA fueleconomy.gov. License: CC BY 4.0.