EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Maine
At Maine's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.080 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.107 a mile in fuel: $316.70 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Maine is in the narrowest EV fuel-cost band on this site (over 65%): the EV spends about 75% of the gas car's cost per mile.
State data
What Maine pays
- Home electricity
- 32.1¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $3.20/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)
At 32.1¢/kWh, home charging in Maine costs more per mile than in 49 of the other 50 rows on this site. Gasoline in Maine averages $3.20/gal, in line with the US average of $3.20/gal.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Plug-ins on Maine roads
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 11,900 all-electric · 10,300 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 1.0% all-electric · 1.9% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 1,149,700 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 2.1AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (0.56 million)
- Public charging
- 655 locations · 1,628 ports (1,190 Level 2 · 435 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 7.3AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Plug-in hybrids play an unusually large part in Maine's electric fleet. At the end of 2025 the state had 11,900 battery-electric vehicles and 10,300 plug-in hybrids, two groups close in size; nationally the split is far wider, 5,689,100 against 1,765,700. Together they make 1.9% of 1,149,700 light-duty vehicles; battery-electric models alone are 1.0%, the 28th-highest share, against 2.1% for the US.
Public charging is plentiful for a fleet this size. The state lists 655 locations with 1,628 ports, 1,190 of them Level 2 and 435 DC fast, a fast share of 27% against 30% nationally. That works out to 7.3 EVs per public port, the 3rd-lowest ratio among the 51, compared with 21.7 for the country, and 27 per fast port against 72. Crowding at the plug is not Maine's problem; price is the thing to watch.
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 Maine. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 32.1¢/kWh · Maine · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.20/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.080 a mile vs gas $0.107 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.080
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.107
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $963.30
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,280.00
- Savings per year
- $316.70
- Prices used
- electricity 32.1¢/kWh · gasoline $3.20/gal (Maine)
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 Maine
At 32.1¢/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 $0.080. A 30 mpg car at $3.20/gal spends $0.107 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $963.30 for the EV, $1,280.00 for gasoline, a difference of $316.70 a year (fuel only). The $316.70 gap is the lowest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in Maine
At average prices, the fuel saving from an EV in Maine is the lowest among the states, and the electric rate is the reason. Power costs 32.1¢/kWh, the 2nd-highest in the country and 77% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, so the Tesla Model 3 RWD pays $0.080 a mile. Gasoline is in line with the US average of $3.20/gal, and the 30 mpg car pays $0.107. The EV still comes out ahead, by $316.70 a year over 12,000 miles, with the EV spending 75% of the gas car's fuel cost per mile.
The margin is thin enough to check carefully. The rate at which the two cars cost the same per mile is 42.7¢/kWh, against a state average of 32.1¢/kWh; a gas car rated at 40 mpg would tie the EV. A public fast charger priced above the break-even rate makes those miles dearer than gasoline, so in Maine the charger's posted price is worth reading every time. Enter it above to see where it lands.
The overnight rate is the biggest lever a Maine driver has. If your utility has a time-of-use plan whose off-peak price is half the average, 16.1¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD drops to $0.040 a mile, and the comparison with gasoline looks very different. Your tariff lists the plan's hours and price; a home Level 2 charger is what lets a full charge finish inside those hours.
Winter cuts in as well. Maine has 7,400 heating degree-days, 64% more than the US average of 4,500, and a cold battery and a heated cabin raise the kilowatt-hours per mile. The cold-weather range estimate shows the loss. With plug-in hybrids this common, the plug-in hybrid vs EV vs gas comparison may be the most useful next step. Home heating costs for the state are on gas vs electric heat in Maine.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Maine?
At Maine's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.080 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.107 for a 30 mpg car, $316.70 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 42.7¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 40 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Maine?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Maine's home average, 32.1¢/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 $3.20/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Maine?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 32.1¢/kWh (16.1¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.040 a mile instead of $0.080. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Why is the fuel saving from an EV so small in Maine?
Because electricity is expensive and gasoline is not. Power costs 32.1¢/kWh, the 2nd-highest rate in the country, while gasoline is in line with the US average of $3.20/gal. That narrows the gap to $316.70 a year for the example car, the lowest among the states. The EV stays ahead while your rate is under 42.7¢/kWh; an off-peak plan, if your utility has one, is the surest way to widen the lead.
What would an electric pickup cost to charge in Maine?
The Ford F-150 Lightning uses far more energy per mile than a sedan, and at 32.1¢/kWh that comes to $0.154 a mile, set against $0.107 for the 30 mpg car on this page. A fair comparison puts the truck against a gas pickup's real mileage, which is lower than a car's. Off-peak charging, where your utility offers it, lowers that figure in proportion to the rate.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
Related