By EV Charge Cost Editorial Team. Published September 28, 2026, updated October 26, 2026.
Step 1: total energy for the trip
Trip energy (kWh) = miles × kWh per 100 miles ÷ 100. The EPA rating includes charging losses, so this is energy as billed. For 500 miles in a typical 33.5 kWh/100 mi EV, that is 167.5 kWh.
Highway driving often uses more than the EPA combined rating, and cold weather adds more. As an illustration, if your car uses 15% more on the highway, the trip needs 192.6 kWh. Scale any cost below by the same factor. See highway speed and EV efficiency.
Step 2: how much comes from home
Leave with a full battery charged at home and the first leg runs on your cheapest energy. In the estimate below, we assume you start at 100% and arrive at a charger with an illustrative 10% buffer, so the home-charged miles are 90% of the EPA range. Everything after that is fast charged.
Step 3: price the fast-charged miles
Multiply the remaining energy by the public price. We use an example price of $0.45/kWh; replace it with the price at the stations on your route, which varies by network, location and time. If a station bills per minute, your effective price depends on how fast your car charges; see the DC fast charging curve.
Worked example: 500 miles, one way
The table applies the method to popular models using EPA range and efficiency for each model's representative trim, home power at the U.S. average price (18.16¢/kWh) and the example public price. Stops assume each fast-charging session adds 70% of the EPA range (roughly 10% to 80%), an illustration.
| Model | Trip kWh | Home miles | Fast miles | Home cost | Fast cost | Total | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 131.9 | 311 | 189 | $14.92 | $22.39 | $37.30 | 1 |
| Tesla Model Y | 134.3 | 303 | 197 | $14.80 | $23.78 | $38.57 | 1 |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV | 163.1 | 276 | 224 | $16.37 | $32.83 | $49.20 | 2 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 172.5 | 242 | 258 | $15.17 | $40.04 | $55.20 | 2 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 239.6 | 288 | 212 | $25.06 | $45.71 | $70.77 | 1 |
For comparison, a 30 mpg gas car would use about 16.7 gallons for the same trip, or $71.40 at the U.S. average of $4.284 a gallon (EIA, week of 2026-10-19). In this example, Tesla Model 3 would spend $37.30, $34.10 less than the gas car.
What moves the total most
- The public price. Fast-charged miles cost 2.5 times as much as home-charged miles at the example price and the U.S. average rate. A cheaper network or a membership plan changes the total more than anything else.
- Destination charging. A Level 2 charger at your hotel or a relative's home turns fast-charged miles for the return leg into cheaper overnight miles. If the host bills you, the cost is their electricity rate; the state price pages show what that is likely to be.
- Round trips. The return leg usually starts without a home charge, so its fast-charged share is larger unless you charge at the destination.
- Your home state's price. The same home-charged start costs more in Hawaii (47.18¢/kWh) than in Nevada (12.72¢/kWh).
Adjusting the estimate for your trip
To adapt the table, change one input at a time. For a longer trip, only the fast-charged miles grow, because the home-charged start is fixed by your range. For a shorter trip that fits within one charge, the whole cost is home power: a trip of 100 miles costs a typical EV about $6.08 at 18.16¢/kWh. If you expect heavier highway use, multiply every cost by your consumption factor, such as 1.15 in the 15% illustration above.
A quick checklist before you go
- Charge to 100% at home, timed to finish close to departure.
- Check the plug type and payment method at each planned stop; see NACS vs CCS vs J1772.
- Plan to arrive low and leave around 80% at fast chargers.
- Look for lodging with Level 2 charging.
- Budget with a margin for highway speed and weather.