EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Minnesota
At Minnesota's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.043 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.103 a mile in fuel: $724.00 a year apart over 12,000 miles. At these prices, home charging costs half or less of gasoline per mile in Minnesota.
State data
What Minnesota pays
- Home electricity
- 17.2¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $3.10/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)
Minnesota's rate of 17.2¢/kWh is the 21st-highest of the 51, between 15¢ and 20¢/kWh. Gasoline in Minnesota averages $3.10/gal, 3% below 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
Minnesota's electric fleet
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 59,800 all-electric · 24,800 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 1.3% all-electric · 1.8% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 4,668,400 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 2.7AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (2.23 million)
- Public charging
- 1,164 locations · 3,326 ports (2,244 Level 2 · 1,069 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 18.0AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Minnesota sits near the middle of the country on electric cars, even with the 3rd-highest count of heating degree-days. Registrations at the end of 2025 counted 59,800 battery-electric vehicles, the 21st-highest total, and 24,800 plug-in hybrids among 4,668,400 light-duty vehicles. The all-electric share is 1.3%, the 25th-highest of the 51, compared with 2.1% nationally, and there are 2.7 EVs per hundred homes against 4.6.
The charging network has kept roughly in step with that fleet. 3,326 public ports at 1,164 locations give Minnesota the 21st-highest port count, and 1,069 of those ports are DC fast, a share of 32% that matches the US pattern of 30% closely. Each public port has 18.0 EVs to serve, against 21.7 nationally, and each fast port 56, against 72. Level 2 ports make up most of the rest, 2,244 of them, the kind you leave a car on for hours.
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 Minnesota. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 17.2¢/kWh · Minnesota · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.10/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.043 a mile vs gas $0.103 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.043
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.103
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $516.00
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,240.00
- Savings per year
- $724.00
- Prices used
- electricity 17.2¢/kWh · gasoline $3.10/gal (Minnesota)
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 Minnesota
At 17.2¢/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 $0.043. A 30 mpg car at $3.10/gal spends $0.103 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $516.00 for the EV, $1,240.00 for gasoline, a difference of $724.00 a year (fuel only). A gas car would need about 72 mpg to match it.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in Minnesota
At average prices an EV saves money on fuel in Minnesota, though not by an unusual amount. Electricity at 17.2¢/kWh is 5% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, and gasoline at $3.10/gal is 3% below the US average of $3.20/gal. The Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.043 a mile, a 30 mpg car $0.103, and over 12,000 miles the EV comes out $724.00 ahead, the 23rd-highest yearly gap among the states. To wipe that out, the electric rate would have to climb to 41.3¢/kWh, against a state average of 17.2¢/kWh.
Winter is the variable the averages smooth over. Minnesota has 8,000 heating degree-days, 78% more than the US average of 4,500. In deep cold an EV spends energy warming its battery and its cabin, so the kilowatt-hours per mile rise, and with them the cost per mile. The cold-weather range calculator shows how much a frigid morning takes off a full charge, and it lets you compare a resistive cabin heater with a heat pump.
That cold also shapes how to charge. A car that charges in a garage overnight starts the day with a warmer battery and a full pack, and if your utility offers an off-peak rate, that is when the cheapest power is sold. At half the average rate, 8.6¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD would run at $0.021 a mile. A Level 2 circuit makes a full overnight charge realistic even in January; charge time shows the hours and installation cost the price of the circuit.
Public fast charging usually costs more than home power, and in cold weather a session can take longer as well. When a station posts its price per kWh, type it into the electricity field above to see the per-mile cost of a road trip. For heating the same house, see gas vs electric heat in Minnesota.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Minnesota?
At Minnesota's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.043 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.103 for a 30 mpg car, $724.00 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 41.3¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 72 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Minnesota?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Minnesota's home average, 17.2¢/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 $3.10/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Minnesota?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 17.2¢/kWh (8.6¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.021 a mile instead of $0.043. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Does winter make an EV more expensive to run in Minnesota?
Yes, per mile, because the car uses more electricity to heat the cabin and battery. The price you pay, 17.2¢/kWh on average, does not change; the amount you buy does. The yearly estimate here, $516.00 for 12,000 miles, uses the EPA efficiency figure, so expect real winter months to run higher and summer months lower.
Are there enough public chargers in Minnesota for highway trips?
The state has 1,069 DC fast ports, the 21st-highest count, at a ratio of 56 EVs per fast port against 72 nationally. Totals do not show where the ports are or how many work on a given day, so plan routes with a live station map. In cold weather, arrive with some charge in reserve and allow extra time.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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