EV Cost Per Mile Calculator

The EV Cost Per Mile Calculator computes the fuel cost of driving each mile in an electric vehicle versus a gasoline car using your actual electricity rate and vehicle efficiency.

Why Cost Per Mile Is the Number That Matters

Monthly fuel bills, annual savings, and total cost of ownership are all useful metrics, but they require context to interpret. Cost per mile strips away the variables of driving distance and time period to produce a single, directly comparable figure. When you know that a Tesla Model 3 costs 4.64 cents per mile to fuel at home and a comparable gasoline sedan costs 13.53 cents, the gap is immediately clear — no spreadsheet needed.

This single number also allows comparisons that other metrics obscure. Comparing a compact EV to a full-size EV, or an EV charged at home to the same EV charged at a DC fast station, becomes a simple matter of looking at two figures side by side. Cost per mile is the common denominator that makes annual fuel comparisons and break-even calculations possible in the first place — they all multiply this base number by miles driven.

How the Formula Works

The EV cost per mile formula multiplies vehicle efficiency by electricity cost, adjusted for charger losses.

EV Cost Per Mile = (Efficiency in Wh/mi ÷ 1,000) × Electricity Rate ÷ Charger Efficiency

For a vehicle rated at 250 Wh/mi on a $0.167/kWh residential rate with 90% charger efficiency: (250 ÷ 1,000) × $0.167 ÷ 0.9 = $0.04639, or 4.64¢/mi. The gasoline equivalent is simpler: price per gallon divided by MPG. At $4.06/gallon and 30 MPG: $4.06 ÷ 30 = $0.1353, or 13.53¢/mi.

Two inputs dominate the EV result: vehicle efficiency and electricity rate. The charger efficiency factor (typically 0.85–0.92) adds 8–18% to the raw calculation. Many simpler tools omit charger losses entirely, which understates the true cost by roughly half a cent per mile. Over 12,000 annual miles, that half-cent adds up to $60 in unaccounted electricity. You can check exactly what electricity costs in your area using the state-by-state rate comparison.

EV vs Gasoline: Cost Per Mile by Vehicle Class

The cost advantage of electric driving is not uniform across all vehicle types. Compact EVs with low energy consumption show the largest percentage savings, while electric trucks — despite consuming more electricity per mile — still save significantly because their gasoline counterparts are even less efficient. The table below compares representative models using US average rates ($0.167/kWh residential, $4.06/gallon gasoline) with 90% charger efficiency.

Vehicle Class	EV Model	EV ¢/mi	Gas Model	Gas ¢/mi	Savings ¢/mi
Compact sedan	Hyundai Ioniq 6 (230 Wh/mi)	4.27	Honda Civic (36 MPG)	11.28	7.01
Mid-size sedan	Tesla Model 3 LR (250 Wh/mi)	4.64	Toyota Camry (32 MPG)	12.69	8.05
Compact SUV	Tesla Model Y (270 Wh/mi)	5.01	Toyota RAV4 (30 MPG)	13.53	8.52
Mid-size SUV	Kia EV9 (340 Wh/mi)	6.31	Kia Telluride (23 MPG)	17.65	11.34
Full-size truck	Ford F-150 Lightning (420 Wh/mi)	7.80	Ford F-150 (22 MPG)	18.45	10.66

The per-mile savings range from 7¢ for compact sedans to over 11¢ for mid-size SUVs. Multiplied by 12,000 annual miles, that translates to $840–$1,360 in fuel savings per year before maintenance differences are considered. The truck comparison is particularly notable: although the F-150 Lightning's 7.80¢/mi is nearly double the Ioniq 6's 4.27¢/mi, the savings gap versus its gasoline counterpart is actually larger in absolute terms because the gas F-150's 18.45¢/mi is so high. Drivers of large vehicles stand to save the most, a pattern explored further in the total ownership cost breakdown.

How Charging Method Changes the Per-Mile Number

The table above uses home charging at the residential rate. Switching to public charging shifts the economics substantially. A Tesla Model 3 charged exclusively at DC fast stations ($0.40/kWh average) costs 11.11¢/mi — still below the 13.53¢ gasoline figure, but the gap narrows from 8.90¢ to just 2.42¢. At $0.50/kWh (some premium networks), the EV per-mile cost reaches 13.89¢, actually exceeding gasoline.

This is why charging method matters as much as vehicle choice. The per-mile cost at home on an off-peak TOU rate might be 3.50¢, while the same vehicle at a highway DC fast charger costs 14¢. The four-fold difference highlights the value of home charging infrastructure for daily driving. The per-session charging cost breakdown shows exactly how these rates translate to your monthly bill.

Worked Example: Tesla Model 3 at 4.64¢/mi vs Gasoline at 13.53¢

A Tesla Model 3 Long Range owner charges at home using the US average residential rate of $0.167/kWh. The comparison is a gasoline sedan averaging 30 MPG with gas at $4.06/gallon.

EV cost per mile: (250 Wh/mi ÷ 1,000) × $0.167 ÷ 0.9 = 4.64¢/mi. Gas cost per mile: $4.06 ÷ 30 = 13.53¢/mi. Savings per mile: 13.53 − 4.64 = 8.90¢/mi. Over 12,000 annual miles: $0.089 × 12,000 = $1,067.33 in fuel savings. Monthly EV fuel cost at 1,000 miles: $46.39. Monthly gas cost at 1,000 miles: $135.33.

The EV costs approximately one-third as much per mile to fuel. That $89 monthly gap — nearly $1,070 annually — is the baseline savings figure that feeds into break-even timeline calculations.

Worked Example: F-150 Lightning at 6.63¢/mi vs Gas F-150 at 16.59¢

A Ford F-150 Lightning owner charges at home in Texas at $0.142/kWh. The gas F-150 averages 22 MPG with Texas gasoline at $3.65/gallon.

EV cost per mile: (420 ÷ 1,000) × $0.142 ÷ 0.9 = 6.63¢/mi. Gas cost per mile: $3.65 ÷ 22 = 16.59¢/mi. Savings per mile: 16.59 − 6.63 = 9.96¢/mi. Annual savings at 12,000 miles: $0.0996 × 12,000 = $1,195.56. Monthly EV cost at 1,000 miles: $66.27. Monthly gas cost at 1,000 miles: $165.91.

The electric truck's per-mile cost is 60% lower than its gasoline equivalent despite being one of the least efficient EVs on the market. Truck owners covering 15,000 or more miles annually save over $1,500 per year in fuel alone — a figure that contributes significantly to the broader EV versus gasoline cost comparison.

Watt-hour Per Mile

Watt-hour per mile (Wh/mi) is the standard measure of EV energy consumption — how many watt-hours of battery energy the vehicle uses to travel one mile. It is the EV equivalent of MPG, but inverted: a lower Wh/mi number means greater efficiency. The EPA rates every EV sold in the United States with a Wh/mi figure derived from standardised test cycles. Real-world efficiency varies based on driving speed, ambient temperature, terrain, HVAC usage, and tyre pressure. Efficiency directly determines cost per mile: a vehicle rated at 230 Wh/mi costs roughly 45% less per mile to fuel than one rated at 420 Wh/mi on the same electricity rate.

Cost per mile is the foundation on which every other EV cost calculation builds. For a broader view of how per-mile fuel economics combine with purchase price, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation, the total ownership cost calculator assembles the full picture across your chosen ownership period.