EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in South Dakota
At South Dakota's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.038 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.100 a mile in fuel: $745.50 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Per mile, the EV spends about 38% of what the gas car does.
State data
What South Dakota pays
- Home electricity
- 15.2¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $3.00/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 15.2¢/kWh, a Model 3 RWD costs $0.038 a mile to charge at home in South Dakota. South Dakota's pump price of $3.00/gal is the 34th-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
A small EV fleet in South Dakota
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 3,000 all-electric · 2,400 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 0.4% all-electric · 0.7% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 796,300 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 0.9AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (0.35 million)
- Public charging
- 114 locations · 330 ports (173 Level 2 · 157 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 9.1AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
South Dakota's battery-electric count is the 3rd-lowest in the nation: the 2025 registrations show 3,000 of them, with 2,400 plug-in hybrids besides. Among 796,300 light-duty vehicles they amount to 0.4%, where the nation reaches 2.1%. Per hundred homes the state has 0.9 and the US 4.6, which places South Dakota the 5th-lowest on that measure too.
Public charging is sparse but fast. Only 330 ports exist, at 114 locations, the 3rd-lowest port total, and 157 of them are DC fast while 173 are Level 2. That fast share, 48%, compares with 30% across the US: a mix that suits a driver crossing the state better than one parking overnight. Competition at the plug is light, 9.1 EVs per port against 21.7 nationally and 19 per fast port against 72. Distance between stations is the real limit in South Dakota, and statewide totals cannot measure it.
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 South Dakota. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 15.2¢/kWh · South Dakota · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.00/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.038 a mile vs gas $0.100 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.038
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.100
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $454.50
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,200.00
- Savings per year
- $745.50
- Prices used
- electricity 15.2¢/kWh · gasoline $3.00/gal (South Dakota)
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 South Dakota
At 15.2¢/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 $0.038. A 30 mpg car at $3.00/gal spends $0.100 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $454.50 for the EV, $1,200.00 for gasoline, a difference of $745.50 a year (fuel only). That difference is the 19th-highest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
Winter, distance and the South Dakota math
Fuel prices favor the electric car here. Power at home is 15.2¢/kWh, 17% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh; gasoline is $3.00/gal, 6% below the US average of $3.20/gal. The Tesla Model 3 RWD comes to $0.038 a mile, next to the $0.045 it would cost nationally, and the tie point sits far off: power at 40.0¢/kWh, with the state averaging 15.2¢/kWh, or a gasoline car rated 79 mpg.
That cushion earns its keep where so much public charging is DC fast. Long drives across South Dakota will run on fast sessions, billed by the kilowatt-hour at prices usually far above residential power. Key the station's price into the electricity field and watch the cost per mile; while it stays below the break-even, the EV still costs less to fuel.
Winter is the larger variable. The state logs 7,400 heating degree-days, 64% more than the US average of 4,500 and the 6th-highest of any state. Cold saps range and pushes up the energy used per mile, yet this estimate holds efficiency at the rated level all year, so the coldest months cost more per mile than the figure shown, and the gaps between fast chargers weigh more heavily. The cold-weather range page shows how much distance a frigid day removes.
At home, a Level 1 outlet can keep up with a short commute, and a Level 2 unit refills the battery after longer days; Level 2 installation cost estimates what one costs to put in. Check whether your utility bills a lower price at night; if so, that is the rate to put in the calculator. What a South Dakota house pays to stay warm is on the gas vs electric heating page.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in South Dakota?
At South Dakota's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.038 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.100 for a 30 mpg car, $745.50 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 40.0¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 79 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in South Dakota?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses South Dakota's home average, 15.2¢/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 $3.00/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in South Dakota?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 15.2¢/kWh (7.6¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.019 a mile instead of $0.038. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Is an EV road trip across South Dakota realistic?
With planning. The 157 DC fast ports at 114 locations make up 48% of the public network, so the plugs that do exist lean toward the kind a long drive needs. The total is small, though, the 5th-lowest fast-port count in the country, and station locations are not on this page. Map your stops in advance and budget for the cold: at 7,400 heating degree-days, winter trims range on a great many days.
What does it cost to charge at home in South Dakota?
On the average residential price of 15.2¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.038 per mile and $454.50 over a year of 12,000 miles; the national figure per mile is $0.045. The Ford F-150 Lightning needs $0.073 per mile at that price. Enter the rate from your own bill, or the overnight rate of a time-of-use plan if you are on one.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
Related