EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Arkansas
At Arkansas's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.036 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.097 a mile in fuel: $728.90 a year apart over 12,000 miles. The EV's fuel cost per mile is 37% of the gas car's in Arkansas.
State data
What Arkansas pays
- Home electricity
- 14.4¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $2.90/galEIA weekly regional / AAA state averages, 2025–26 reference
- EV used for the page
- Tesla Model 3 RWD, 25 kWh/100 miEPA, fueleconomy.gov (combined)
Arkansas's home electricity costs 14.4¢/kWh, 21% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, the 9th-lowest of the 51. At $2.90 a gallon, Arkansas is in the lowest gasoline band on this site ($2.90 or less), which narrows the EV's fuel-cost edge.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Electric vehicles on Arkansas roads
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 12,300 all-electric · 4,900 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 0.5% all-electric · 0.7% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 2,455,400 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 1.1AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (1.14 million)
- Public charging
- 384 locations · 1,113 ports (812 Level 2 · 301 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 11.1AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Plug-in cars are still rare in Arkansas. The 2025 count is 12,300 battery-electric vehicles plus 4,900 plug-in hybrids, and hybrids that never plug in, at 77,200, far outnumber both. Among 2,455,400 registered cars and light trucks, the pure-EV share is 0.5%, the 6th-lowest in the country, while the US share is 2.1%. Per household that works out to 1.1 for every hundred homes compared with 4.6 nationwide.
Public charging in the state is mostly the slow, park-and-wait kind. Of 1,113 ports at 384 sites, 812 are Level 2 and 301 are DC fast, so fast units are 27% of the network next to 30% across the US. Level 2 posts suit a car left for a few hours at work or a store, not a quick top-up on the highway. Because the fleet is small, the plugs are not crowded: 11.1 EVs share each port, versus 21.7 nationally, and 41 share each fast port, versus 72. The number of fast ports is itself low, the 10th-lowest of all states.
Registrations: DOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025, light-duty vehicles, rounded to the nearest hundred by AFDC. Charging: DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27, public stations only.
EV vs gas cost per mile
F01Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for Arkansas. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 14.4¢/kWh · Arkansas · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $2.90/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.036 a mile vs gas $0.097 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.036
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.097
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $431.10
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,160.00
- Savings per year
- $728.90
- Prices used
- electricity 14.4¢/kWh · gasoline $2.90/gal (Arkansas)
Estimate. Formula and sources are under “How it works”. Change any input; the result updates as you type.
Worked example
Worked example: Model 3 RWD vs a 30 mpg car in Arkansas
At 14.4¢/kWh, a Model 3 RWD (25 kWh per 100 miles, EPA) draws 25 kWh from the wall for every 100 miles (the EPA measures it at the wall), so each mile costs $0.036. A 30 mpg car at $2.90/gal spends $0.097 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $431.10 for the EV, $1,160.00 for gasoline, a difference of $728.90 a year (fuel only). The EV's cost per mile would match gas only above 38.7¢/kWh.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in Arkansas
Both fuels are inexpensive in Arkansas. Residential power, at 14.4¢/kWh, is the 9th-lowest rate in the country and 21% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh; gasoline, at $2.90/gal, is the 5th-lowest and 9% below the US average of $3.20/gal. One low price trims the EV's cost per mile, the other trims the gas car's, and the net yearly difference on this page comes out the 21st-highest of the states when each runs on its own averages.
Even so, the EV has plenty of cushion. Its per-mile cost would rise to the gas car's only if electricity reached 38.7¢/kWh (the state average is 14.4¢/kWh) or if the gas car achieved 81 mpg. Public charging spends some of that cushion. A Level 2 station billing close to the residential rate leaves the answer nearly unchanged; a DC fast station billing far above it shrinks the advantage, yet the EV stays cheaper per mile until the price crosses the break-even. To price a specific station, enter its per-kWh rate in the electricity box of the calculator above.
Since the low home rate does most of the work, your tariff deserves a close read. Should your utility sell an EV or off-peak plan, its night price takes the place of 14.4¢/kWh and the per-mile figure drops along with it. Short daily trips can run on a Level 1 wall outlet; longer commutes may call for a dedicated unit, priced on the Level 2 installation cost page.
With 3,200 heating degree-days, 29% fewer than the US average of 4,500, winter takes less range here than in colder states, though the coldest mornings still cost some; the cold-weather range calculator puts a number on it. Home heating costs for the state are on the Arkansas heating page.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Arkansas?
At Arkansas's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.036 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.097 for a 30 mpg car, $728.90 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 38.7¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 81 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Arkansas?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Arkansas's home average, 14.4¢/kWh. To see the cost per mile on the road, type the charger's price per kWh into the electricity rate field; the gas side stays at $2.90/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Arkansas?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 14.4¢/kWh (7.2¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.018 a mile instead of $0.036. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Doesn't cheap gasoline in Arkansas wipe out what an EV saves?
Not at these prices. With gasoline at $2.90/gal, the 30 mpg car costs $0.097 per mile; charged at home on 14.4¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.036. Parity would take electricity at 38.7¢/kWh or a gas car getting 81 mpg. Your own pump price and power rate can shift the result, and both can be changed in the calculator above.
Where do Arkansas EV drivers plug in away from home?
Mainly at Level 2 posts: the state has 812 of those and 301 DC fast ports across 384 locations. A Level 2 post fills a battery slowly and fits a stop of several hours, while fast ports serve road trips. The charge time calculator estimates how long each would take for your car and starting charge. Station locations are not mapped on this page, so check the roads you use.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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