By EV Charge Cost Editorial Team. Published September 28, 2026, updated October 26, 2026.
Where MPGe comes from
The EPA needed a way to put electric cars on the same label as gas cars. It chose energy content: one gallon of gasoline contains about 33.7 kWh of energy. MPGe is the number of miles an EV drives on 33.7 kWh taken from the wall. The conversions are:
- MPGe = 3,370 ÷ kWh per 100 miles
- kWh per 100 miles = 3,370 ÷ MPGe
Because the EPA measures EV energy at the outlet, MPGe already includes charging losses.
What MPGe means in dollars
MPGe measures energy, not money. A gallon's worth of electricity does not cost the same as a gallon of gas. At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢/kWh (August 2026), 33.7 kWh costs $6.12. Regular gasoline averaged $4.284 a gallon in the week of 2026-10-19.
| MPGe | kWh/100 mi | Per 100 miles | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 56.2 | $10.20 | $1,376.98 |
| 80 | 42.1 | $7.65 | $1,032.74 |
| 100 | 33.7 | $6.12 | $826.19 |
| 120 | 28.1 | $5.10 | $688.49 |
| 140 | 24.1 | $4.37 | $590.14 |
In 49 of 51 states and D.C. in our data, a gallon-equivalent of home electricity costs more than regional gasoline does. Even there, an EV is usually cheaper per mile because it goes much further on that gallon-equivalent than a gas car goes on a real gallon.
A gallon-equivalent costs different amounts by state
Because the price of electricity varies so much, so does the price of a gallon-equivalent. In Nevada, at 12.72¢/kWh, 33.7 kWh costs $4.29. In Hawaii, at 47.18¢/kWh, it costs $15.90. The MPGe of the car is the same in both places; the cost per mile is not. A 101 MPGe EV costs $4.26 per 100 miles in the first state and $15.81 in the second.
At public fast chargers priced around $0.45 per kWh, the gallon-equivalent rises to $15.17. That is why heavy fast-charging users see much smaller savings than people who charge at home.
The catch: MPGe is not linear in cost
Like mpg, MPGe is a "distance per energy" figure, and gains at the high end are worth less than gains at the low end. Going from 80 to 100 MPGe saves $1.53 per 100 miles at 18.16¢/kWh. Going from 120 to 140 MPGe, the same 20-point jump, saves only $0.73. That is why this site uses kWh per 100 miles: it scales directly with your bill. See what kWh per 100 miles means and how to convert between efficiency units.
MPGe of popular EVs
| Model | MPGe | kWh/100 mi | Per 100 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 128 | 26.4 | $4.79 |
| Tesla Model Y | 125 | 26.9 | $4.88 |
| Lucid Air | 123 | 27.3 | $4.96 |
| Toyota bZ | 120 | 28.0 | $5.08 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 120 | 28.0 | $5.08 |
| Subaru Solterra | 117 | 28.9 | $5.25 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 116 | 29.1 | $5.28 |
| Nissan Leaf | 111 | 30.4 | $5.53 |
Reading MPGe on the window sticker
The EPA label shows a large combined MPGe figure and, next to it, the same efficiency expressed as kWh per 100 miles. Both come from the same test, so they always agree through the 3,370 conversion. When you compare two EVs, either number gives the same ranking. When you want to know what a car will cost you, take the kWh figure and multiply by your price per kWh. If a used car's listing gives only MPGe, divide 3,370 by it first.
Comparing MPGe with a gas car's mpg
You cannot compare 100 MPGe and 30 mpg directly on cost, because the energy is priced differently. Compare cost per mile instead. A 30 mpg car at $4.28 a gallon costs $14.28 per 100 miles. A 101 MPGe EV at 18.16¢/kWh costs $6.08. For your own state and car, use the EV vs gas calculator.