Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home: Work Out Your Bill

To work out the cost to charge an electric car at home, multiply the electricity used by your price per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Add any extra charges caused by charging. Use the electricity drawn from the wall, rather than the battery size alone. Keep the cost of buying and installing equipment separate.

A national average won't tell you what your next charge will cost. Use your own electricity plan and driving figures. Our home EV charging guide explains how the charging setup fits into the plan.

Check what your energy-use figure includes

Not all the electricity drawn from the wall ends up in the battery. Some is lost as heat or used to heat or cool the battery. Your car's dashboard reading may leave out some of that energy.

The EPA's EV testing guide explains that its MPGe figures include AC charging losses. MPGe is a way to compare energy use with a gasoline car. Check the notes for any EPA or other energy-use figure you use. If it already includes losses between the wall and battery, don't add them again.

The figure you have	Calculation	Check first
Wall kWh per 100 miles	Miles ÷ 100 × stated consumption	Does it already include charging losses?
Battery kWh per mile	Miles × consumption ÷ assumed charging efficiency	Does the efficiency allowance cover energy used during charging?
Recorded charging-session kWh	Add up recorded home charging	Where is energy measured, and what is left out?
Change in displayed battery percentage	A rough estimate of energy added to the battery	Usable battery size, rounded percentages and energy used while charging

Keep home and public charging totals separate. If you also charge at work, don't price all your yearly driving at the home rate.

Try a monthly charging-cost example

For this made-up example, assume you drive 1,000 miles in a month and charge only at home. The car uses 0.30 battery kWh per mile. Charging is assumed to be 90% efficient.

1. Driving energy: 1,000 × 0.30 = 300 battery kWh.
2. Wall energy: 300 ÷ 0.90 = 333.33 kWh.
3. At an example price of $0.18 for each extra kWh: 333.33 × $0.18 = $60.
4. Electricity cost per mile: $60 ÷ 1,000 = 6 cents.

You could also start with 33.33 wall kWh per 100 miles. That gives almost the same result, without adding charging losses again. These are example figures. They aren't national prices, vehicle test results or predictions for your driving and weather.

With the same energy use, a price of $0.12 per kWh gives a $40 bill. At $0.36 per kWh, it's $120. Use the rates on your own plan to see what changes.

Check the whole bill before switching plans

If prices change by time of day, split your charging energy between those periods. For example, 250 kWh at $0.12 plus 83.33 kWh at $0.36 costs about $60. Charging all 333.33 kWh at the cheaper price would cost $40. That only works if your car can finish charging during those hours.

Check weekday, weekend, holiday and seasonal prices. Include delivery charges, taxes, minimum bills and any charge based on peak demand. Use the price of the extra electricity you'll buy. Dividing your whole bill by total kWh can be misleading because it spreads fixed charges across the energy used.

Compare the whole household bill before switching to an EV plan. Say the new plan saves $20 on charging but adds $25 to other household charges. You'd pay $5 more overall. Don't count a fixed charge you'd pay anyway as a new EV cost. Do count an extra meter or subscription if the setup needs one.

Check that your car has enough time to charge at the cheaper price. Our Level 1 vs Level 2 comparison shows how to match charging time to your daily driving.

Work out what solar charging is worth

Solar can help when your car is home while the panels are producing. But using that power for the car may mean giving up a credit for sending it to the grid. Compare that lost credit, any extra equipment costs and the electricity purchases you avoid.

Suppose 10 kWh of spare AC solar power would earn $0.05 per kWh if sent to the grid. Using it for your car means giving up 50 cents in credits. Compare that with what you'd otherwise pay to charge. It may not save the same amount as avoiding 10 kWh at the highest evening price.

Planning to add panels for the car? Use the EV solar sizing worksheet. Our net metering vs net billing guide explains how credits for surplus power affect the value.

Separate installation costs and incentives

Electricity is only part of the cost. Also compare the charger, electrical work, permits, power controls, optional subscriptions and repairs. A faster charger may be more convenient without using much less electricity.

The IRS guidance for the home charger tax credit, checked November 1, 2026, gives a June 30, 2026 deadline for putting qualifying equipment into use. Don't include that former federal credit in the budget for a new installation after that date. Earlier installations still have to meet the rules. An installer's quote doesn't confirm tax eligibility. Check state and utility offers separately too.

Ask installers to price the same work using our installation checklist. There's no single payback time that fits everyone. It depends on the option you're comparing, local electricity prices and the full costs.

Compare your estimate with actual charging

• Record miles, electricity used for home charging and public charging separately.
• Save your dated electricity prices and note when you charged.
• Check whether the charging report leaves out heating or cooling before a trip, standby use or other energy use.
• Check a normal month and a more demanding season. Don't base a year's estimate on one good day.
• If the figures don't match, check where and when energy was measured before blaming the equipment.

Your household meter measures other appliances too. Compare charging use with a suitable starting period, or use a properly installed measuring system. An app's estimate depends on the figures entered.

Conclusion

Use electricity measured at the wall and the prices on your own plan. Count charging losses once, compare the whole bill and show equipment costs separately. That gives you a useful estimate for your home.

Read our Energy Efficiency guides for help with solar, storage and household electricity.

Scott Harding

Scott is the main author of DIY Home Comfort. Learn more about the team and our approach on the About page.