EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in District of Columbia
At District of Columbia's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.065 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.113 a mile in fuel: $580.60 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Home charging in District of Columbia costs a little over half as much per mile as gasoline: 57%.
State data
What District of Columbia pays
- Home electricity
- 26.0¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $3.40/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 District of Columbia is 26.0¢/kWh, 43% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, so a Model 3 RWD costs $0.065 a mile to charge here. At $3.40/gal, a 30 mpg car in District of Columbia spends $0.113 a mile on fuel.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Electric vehicles in the District of Columbia
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 12,900 all-electric · 4,900 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 4.5% all-electric · 6.2% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 289,000 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 4.0AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (0.32 million)
- Public charging
- 311 locations · 1,084 ports (1,021 Level 2 · 61 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 11.9AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Measured against its vehicles, the District has one of the most electric fleets in the country. The 2025 registrations list 12,900 all-electric cars and light trucks and 4,900 plug-in hybrids among 289,000 light-duty vehicles, so 4.5% are fully electric, the 2nd-highest share among the 51, and 6.2% carry a plug. The US figures are 2.1% and 2.8%.
Measured against households, the picture is less striking: 4.0 EVs per hundred homes, against 4.6 nationally and the 17th-highest on that list. The two measures differ because the District has only 289,000 vehicles for 0.32 million homes, so a high share of a small fleet is a modest count per household.
Public charging here means Level 2. Of 1,084 ports at 311 locations, 1,021 are Level 2 and just 61 are DC fast, the lowest fast-port count anywhere, and fast ports are 6% of the network against 30% nationally. Overall the network is roomy, 11.9 EVs per port against 21.7 for the US, but each fast port is shared by 211 EVs, against 72.
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 District of Columbia. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 26.0¢/kWh · District of Columbia · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.40/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.065 a mile vs gas $0.113 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.065
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.113
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $779.40
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,360.00
- Savings per year
- $580.60
- Prices used
- electricity 26.0¢/kWh · gasoline $3.40/gal (District of Columbia)
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 District of Columbia
At 26.0¢/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 $0.065. A 30 mpg car at $3.40/gal spends $0.113 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $779.40 for the EV, $1,360.00 for gasoline, a difference of $580.60 a year (fuel only). The EV would lose its per-mile edge above 45.3¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 52 mpg.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in the District of Columbia
Electricity is where the District's prices stand out. The residential rate is 26.0¢/kWh, 43% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh and the 9th-highest; gasoline is $3.40/gal, 6% above the US average of $3.20/gal. At those prices the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.065 a mile against $0.113 for a 30 mpg car, 57% of the gas car's energy cost. Over 12,000 miles that leaves $580.60 a year, the 43rd-highest gap among the states.
The break-even rate is 45.3¢/kWh, against an average of 26.0¢/kWh; a gas car would need 52 mpg to match the EV per mile. That threshold is the one that matters most for a District driver, because the charging mix makes public Level 2 the most likely alternative to a home outlet. Public Level 2 is often billed by the hour or by the session rather than by the kilowatt-hour, so convert the posted price to a cost per kilowatt-hour before comparing it with your home rate. Anything under 45.3¢/kWh keeps the EV ahead of gasoline.
If you can charge at home, look at your tariff for a time-of-use or overnight price. At half the average rate, 13.0¢/kWh, the cost per mile falls to $0.032, the biggest single lever on the figures above. The charging cost by model page applies your rate to other vehicles, and the Level 1 and Level 2 charge time page shows how much range an overnight session restores.
Range in cold weather is less of a worry with 4,200 heating degree-days, 7% fewer than the US average of 4,500, but trips out of the District will rely on fast charging that is thin inside it. For the full purchase picture rather than fuel alone, see plug-in hybrid vs EV vs gas. For how the same rate plays out in home heating, there is the District's gas vs electric heat page.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in District of Columbia?
At District of Columbia's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.065 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.113 for a 30 mpg car, $580.60 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 45.3¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 52 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in District of Columbia?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses District of Columbia's home average, 26.0¢/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 $3.40/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in District of Columbia?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 26.0¢/kWh (13.0¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.032 a mile instead of $0.065. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Can I run an EV in the District of Columbia without charging at home?
The numbers point to public Level 2 as the realistic route. The District has 1,021 public Level 2 ports, 11.9 EVs per port against 21.7 nationally, so the plugs are relatively plentiful; fast charging is the scarce part. What changes is the price: a public session replaces the home rate of 26.0¢/kWh, and the EV keeps its lead over a 30 mpg car only while that session costs less than 45.3¢/kWh.
Where can I fast charge in the District of Columbia?
The station count says the options are few: 61 DC fast ports in the District, against 1,021 Level 2 ports. That is 211 EVs per fast port, against 72 nationally. This page cannot show locations or prices; use a station map, and enter the price per kilowatt-hour you find in the calculator above to see the cost per mile.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
Related