EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in California
At California's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.074 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.157 a mile in fuel: $987.50 a year apart over 12,000 miles. The EV's fuel cost per mile is 47% of the gas car's in California.
State data
What California pays
- Home electricity
- 29.8¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $4.70/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)
Home electricity in California is 29.8¢/kWh, 64% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, so a Model 3 RWD costs $0.074 a mile to charge here. California has the highest gasoline price of the 51 on this site: $4.70 a gallon.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Electric vehicles on California roads
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 1,843,100 all-electric · 490,900 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 5.0% all-electric · 6.4% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 36,666,500 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 14.0AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (13.18 million)
- Public charging
- 20,390 locations · 69,660 ports (49,700 Level 2 · 19,664 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 26.5AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
California has the highest number of electric cars of any state, and the highest share of its fleet. At the end of 2025 it had 1,843,100 all-electric cars and light trucks registered and 490,900 plug-in hybrids. All-electric models are 5.0% of the state's 36,666,500 light-duty vehicles, against 2.1% nationally, and there are 14.0 of them for every hundred homes, against 4.6 for the US, the highest ratio in the country.
Its public network has the highest port count too: 69,660 ports at 20,390 locations, 49,700 of them Level 2 and 19,664 DC fast. Fast ports are 28% of the total, close to the US share of 30%. Per car, though, it is tighter than average. With 26.5 EVs per public port, against 21.7 nationally, California has the 8th-highest ratio among the states, and each DC fast port is shared by 94 EVs, against 72 for the US. The largest charging network in the country is, per car, one of the busier ones.
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 California. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 29.8¢/kWh · California · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $4.70/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.074 a mile vs gas $0.157 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.074
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.157
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $892.50
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,880.00
- Savings per year
- $987.50
- Prices used
- electricity 29.8¢/kWh · gasoline $4.70/gal (California)
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 California
At 29.8¢/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 $0.074. A 30 mpg car at $4.70/gal spends $0.157 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $892.50 for the EV, $1,880.00 for gasoline, a difference of $987.50 a year (fuel only). The EV's cost per mile would match gas only above 62.7¢/kWh.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in California
California sits at or near the top on both sides of the comparison. Gasoline is $4.70/gal, the highest pump price in the country, and home electricity is 29.8¢/kWh, the 4th-highest rate. Even so, the EV comes out ahead, with the 4th-highest yearly gap among the states, although its own cost per mile, $0.074, is well above the $0.045 it would be at the US average rate.
The margin is wide. The EV would cost the same per mile as the gas car only at an electricity rate of 62.7¢/kWh, against a state average of 29.8¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated at 63 mpg. A larger EV narrows it fast: the Ford F-150 Lightning on the same home rate comes to $0.143 a mile, close to the $0.157 of the 30 mpg car, so for a heavy vehicle the answer depends on which gas model it replaces.
Because the home rate is so high, the tariff you charge on matters more here than almost anything else on this page. Many residential plans are priced by time of day; if yours has an overnight rate, that rate, not 29.8¢/kWh, belongs in the field above, and the cost per mile falls in proportion. The same applies on the road. With 94 EVs per fast port, a busy charger can mean a wait, and its price per kilowatt-hour is the number to compare with the break-even rate of 62.7¢/kWh.
For the costs this comparison leaves out, the Level 2 installation cost page prices a home charger, and EV charging cost by model gives the monthly bill for other vehicles. If you also heat with electricity, the gas vs electric heating page for California runs the same rate through a furnace and a heat pump.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in California?
At California's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.074 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.157 for a 30 mpg car, $987.50 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 62.7¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 63 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in California?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses California's home average, 29.8¢/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 $4.70/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in California?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 29.8¢/kWh (14.9¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.037 a mile instead of $0.074. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Is an EV still worth it in California with electricity this expensive?
On fuel cost, yes, because gasoline here costs even more: $4.70/gal, 47% above the US average of $3.20/gal. At the average rate of 29.8¢/kWh the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $892.50 a year to charge for 12,000 miles, and it keeps an edge over a 30 mpg car up to a rate of 62.7¢/kWh. A time-of-use plan with a lower overnight rate widens the gap; public fast charging narrows it.
Are there enough public chargers in California?
In count, the highest of any state: 69,660 public ports, 19,664 of them DC fast. Per car the picture is tighter, at 26.5 EVs per port against 21.7 nationally, and 94 per fast port against 72. Most charging is done at home, which is what this page prices; for longer trips, the charge time page shows how long a stop takes.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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