EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Pennsylvania
At Pennsylvania's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.054 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.113 a mile in fuel: $706.90 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Per mile, the EV spends about 48% of what the gas car does.
State data
What Pennsylvania pays
- Home electricity
- 21.8¢/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)
Pennsylvania has the 14th-highest electricity rate of the 51 on this site: 21.8¢/kWh. Pennsylvania's pump price of $3.40/gal is the 9th-highest of the 51 on this site.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Pennsylvania's EVs and its charging network
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 113,400 all-electric · 55,900 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 1.2% all-electric · 1.8% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 9,601,100 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 2.2AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (5.13 million)
- Public charging
- 2,091 locations · 5,936 ports (3,849 Level 2 · 2,075 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 19.1AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Pennsylvania has a large fleet by count and a modest one by share. The 2025 registrations list 113,400 battery-electric cars and light trucks, the 15th-highest total of any state, plus 55,900 plug-in hybrids. Set against 9,601,100 light-duty vehicles, though, EVs are 1.2% of the fleet, the 27th-highest share and under the national 2.1%. The same holds per household: 2.2 EVs for every hundred homes, against 4.6 across the US.
Charging is where Pennsylvania ranks higher. The state has 5,936 public ports at 2,091 locations, the 11th-highest port count in the country, and 2,075 of them are DC fast, the 9th-highest fast-port total. The other 3,849 are Level 2. Fast ports make up 35% of the network, a bit above the national 30%. Because the network is large relative to the fleet, it is less crowded than average: 19.1 EVs per public port against 21.7 nationally, and 55 per fast port 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 Pennsylvania. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 21.8¢/kWh · Pennsylvania · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.40/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.054 a mile vs gas $0.113 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.054
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.113
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $653.10
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,360.00
- Savings per year
- $706.90
- Prices used
- electricity 21.8¢/kWh · gasoline $3.40/gal (Pennsylvania)
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 Pennsylvania
At 21.8¢/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 $0.054. A 30 mpg car at $3.40/gal spends $0.113 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $653.10 for the EV, $1,360.00 for gasoline, a difference of $706.90 a year (fuel only). That difference is the 26th-highest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
Electric miles at Pennsylvania prices
Both fuels cost more than average here, and the EV still comes out ahead. Residential electricity is 21.8¢/kWh, 20% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh and the 14th-highest rate among the states; gasoline is $3.40/gal, 6% above the US average of $3.20/gal. At those prices the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.054 a mile and a 30 mpg car $0.113, so electricity costs the EV 48% of what gasoline costs the car. Over 12,000 miles the estimated difference is $706.90 a year, the 26th-highest among the states, with the pricier power and the pricier gasoline roughly offsetting each other.
There is plenty of room before the answer changes. The EV only loses its per-mile edge at an electricity rate of 45.3¢/kWh, or against a gas car that gets 62 mpg. That second figure is worth a look if the alternative you are weighing is an efficient hybrid; type its rating into the mpg field. Public charging is the other place to check. A Level 2 post priced near the home rate barely moves the estimate, while a DC fast session at a much higher per-kilowatt-hour price narrows the gap, so put the price shown on the charger into the electricity field.
The home tariff is the biggest lever you control. With a time-of-use plan that charges half the average, 10.9¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD would run at $0.027 a mile. Larger vehicles feel the rate more: the Ford F-150 Lightning comes to $0.104 a mile at 21.8¢/kWh, so for a truck buyer the rate on the bill matters more than for a sedan.
Pennsylvania winters cut range on cold days; the cold-weather range page estimates by how much. For the cost of the car itself alongside fuel, use plug-in hybrid vs EV vs gas.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Pennsylvania?
At Pennsylvania's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.054 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.113 for a 30 mpg car, $706.90 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 62 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Pennsylvania?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Pennsylvania's home average, 21.8¢/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 $3.40/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Pennsylvania?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 21.8¢/kWh (10.9¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.027 a mile instead of $0.054. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Is charging at home in Pennsylvania expensive?
The average residential rate, 21.8¢/kWh, is above the US figure of 18.2¢/kWh, and higher than in 37 other states. It still works out to $0.054 a mile for the Tesla Model 3 RWD, or $653.10 a year over 12,000 miles, against $1,360.00 in gasoline for a 30 mpg car. If your utility offers an off-peak rate, use that price in the calculator above instead of the average.
How does winter driving change the EV estimate in Pennsylvania?
The figures on this page assume average conditions. With 5,600 heating degree-days, 24% more than the US average of 4,500, Pennsylvania drivers spend a good part of the year in weather that lowers range and raises the kilowatt-hours used per mile, so a January cost per mile runs above the $0.054 shown here. The cold-weather range page estimates the range loss at a given temperature; the gap to the gas car's $0.113 leaves room for it.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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