EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Rhode Island
At Rhode Island's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.070 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.107 a mile in fuel: $434.60 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Rhode Island is in the narrowest EV fuel-cost band on this site (over 65%): the EV spends about 66% of the gas car's cost per mile.
State data
What Rhode Island pays
- Home electricity
- 28.2¢/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 28.2¢/kWh, home charging in Rhode Island costs more per mile than in 44 of the other 50 rows on this site. Gasoline in Rhode Island 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
EVs in Rhode Island
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 9,800 all-electric · 6,300 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 1.3% all-electric · 2.1% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 759,600 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 2.3AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (0.42 million)
- Public charging
- 361 locations · 890 ports (716 Level 2 · 154 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 11.0AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Rhode Island's EV counts are small, but its EV share sits near the middle of the states. At the end of 2025 Rhode Island had 9,800 all-electric cars and light trucks and 6,300 plug-in hybrids registered, out of 759,600 light-duty vehicles. EVs make up 1.3% of that fleet, the 24th-highest among the states, below the national 2.1%; per hundred homes the figure is 2.3, against 4.6 for the US. Hybrids without a plug are far more common, at 42,200.
The public network leans heavily on slower plugs. Of 890 ports at 361 locations, 716 are Level 2 and just 154 are DC fast, the 4th-lowest fast-port count in the country. That makes the fast share 17%, against 30% nationally. Counted over all ports, the network is roomy, 11.0 EVs per port against 21.7 for the US; counted over fast ports alone it is closer to average, 64 EVs each 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 Rhode Island. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 28.2¢/kWh · Rhode Island · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.20/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.070 a mile vs gas $0.107 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.070
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.107
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $845.40
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,280.00
- Savings per year
- $434.60
- Prices used
- electricity 28.2¢/kWh · gasoline $3.20/gal (Rhode Island)
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 Rhode Island
At 28.2¢/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 $0.070. A 30 mpg car at $3.20/gal spends $0.107 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $845.40 for the EV, $1,280.00 for gasoline, a difference of $434.60 a year (fuel only). The $434.60 gap is the 5th-lowest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
The narrow EV margin in Rhode Island
High electricity prices take much of the advantage away. Rhode Island's residential rate is 28.2¢/kWh, 55% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh and the 7th-highest in the country, while gasoline is in line with the US average of $3.20/gal. At home the Tesla Model 3 RWD therefore costs $0.070 a mile, against $0.045 at the national average rate, and the 30 mpg car costs $0.107. Electricity runs the EV at 66% of the gas car's fuel cost, and the yearly difference of $434.60 over 12,000 miles is the 5th-lowest among the states.
The comparison most worth running here is against an efficient gas car. At this electricity price, a gas car rated 45 mpg would match the EV per mile, so if the alternative you are considering is a hybrid, type its mpg into the calculator above and see how much is left. On rates, the margin is wider: the EV only loses at 42.7¢/kWh.
Public fast charging can erase the gap. A DC fast session usually costs more per kilowatt-hour than home power, and with the home rate already 28.2¢/kWh, a road-trip mile can approach the gas car's $0.107. With few fast ports and many Level 2 posts, most public charging here is the slower kind; check the price on the post before you plug in, since public prices vary by network.
The strongest lever is the tariff. If your utility offers a time-of-use or EV rate, enter it in place of 28.2¢/kWh; at half the average, 14.1¢/kWh, the cost falls to $0.035 a mile. The plug-in hybrid vs EV vs gas page adds the purchase price, and EV charging cost prices specific models at your rate.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Rhode Island?
At Rhode Island's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.070 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.107 for a 30 mpg car, $434.60 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 45 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Rhode Island?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Rhode Island's home average, 28.2¢/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 $3.20/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Rhode Island?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 28.2¢/kWh (14.1¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.035 a mile instead of $0.070. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Would a hybrid cost less to fuel than an EV in Rhode Island?
It can come close. At the average rate of 28.2¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD runs at $0.070 a mile, and a gas car would match that at 45 mpg. Against the 30 mpg default the EV is ahead by $434.60 a year, the 5th-lowest gap among the states. Put the mpg of the hybrid you are considering, and your own electricity rate, into the calculator above to see which way it falls.
Where can I fast charge in Rhode Island?
The station data counts 154 DC fast ports in the state, out of 890 public ports, and does not say where they are; a charging map does. Most public plugs are Level 2, which suits a stop of a few hours. For home charging, the Level 2 installation cost page estimates the charger, and the charge time page shows what a Level 1 outlet manages overnight.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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