EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Tennessee
At Tennessee's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.034 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.097 a mile in fuel: $757.40 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Tennessee pairs 13.4¢/kWh electricity with $2.90/gal gasoline, so the EV runs on about 35% of the gas car's fuel cost per mile.
State data
What Tennessee pays
- Home electricity
- 13.4¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Gasoline
- $2.90/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)
Tennessee's home electricity costs 13.4¢/kWh, 26% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, the 6th-lowest of the 51. At $2.90 a gallon, Tennessee is in the lowest gasoline band on this site ($2.90 or less), which narrows the EV's fuel-cost edge.
Statewide averages. Put your own rate and pump price in the calculator above.
EVs on the road here
Tennessee's electric fleet and public plugs
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 55,400 all-electric · 16,100 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 0.9% all-electric · 1.2% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 6,012,100 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 2.1AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (2.66 million)
- Public charging
- 1,136 locations · 3,151 ports (2,070 Level 2 · 1,080 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 17.6AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Tennessee sits in the middle of the states on EV count and below it on share. The 2025 figures show 55,400 battery-electric cars and light trucks, the 22nd-highest total in the country, and 16,100 plug-in hybrids. Out of 6,012,100 light-duty vehicles, that makes EVs 0.9% of the fleet, the 31st-highest, against 2.1% nationally. Per hundred homes the state has 2.1 EVs, under the US figure of 4.6. Conventional hybrids, 215,800, remain the more common electrified vehicle.
Charging is spread across 1,136 public locations with 3,151 ports: 2,070 Level 2 and 1,080 DC fast. The fast share, 34%, is a little above the US share of 30%. Relative to the fleet, the network is somewhat less crowded than the national one, with 17.6 EVs per public port against 21.7 and 51 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 Tennessee. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 13.4¢/kWh · Tennessee · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $2.90/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.034 a mile vs gas $0.097 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.034
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.097
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $402.60
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,160.00
- Savings per year
- $757.40
- Prices used
- electricity 13.4¢/kWh · gasoline $2.90/gal (Tennessee)
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 Tennessee
At 13.4¢/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 $0.034. A 30 mpg car at $2.90/gal spends $0.097 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $402.60 for the EV, $1,160.00 for gasoline, a difference of $757.40 a year (fuel only). The $757.40 difference is the 17th-highest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
Two cheap fuels, one clear winner in Tennessee
Both electricity and gasoline are inexpensive in Tennessee, and the cheap electricity counts for more. Home power costs 13.4¢/kWh, the 6th-lowest residential rate among the states; gasoline costs $2.90/gal, the 5th-lowest pump price and 9% below the US average of $3.20/gal. Charged at home, the Tesla Model 3 RWD runs at $0.034 a mile and a 30 mpg car at $0.097, so the EV's energy costs 35% of the gas car's. Across 12,000 miles that is an estimated $757.40 a year, the 17th-highest gap among the states even with gasoline this cheap.
The answer holds across a wide band of prices. Electricity would need to reach 38.7¢/kWh for the EV to lose its per-mile edge, or the gas car would need 86 mpg. That leaves room for public charging. A Level 2 session priced moderately above the home rate keeps the EV well ahead; a DC fast session priced per kilowatt-hour can narrow the gap considerably, so for a car that fast charges often, put the charger's price in the electricity field above and compare again.
Most of the cost is decided at home, by the tariff. On a time-of-use or EV plan at half the average, 6.7¢/kWh, the Tesla Model 3 RWD would cost $0.017 a mile. A heavier vehicle uses more per mile: at 13.4¢/kWh the Ford F-150 Lightning comes to $0.064. For a fuller picture that includes the purchase, the plug-in hybrid vs EV vs gas page adds the car, and the Level 2 installation cost page adds the home charger. If you are also weighing the heating system, the Tennessee gas vs electric heat page uses the same electricity price.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Tennessee?
At Tennessee's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.034 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.097 for a 30 mpg car, $757.40 a year over 12,000 miles. The EV would lose its fuel-cost edge only above about 38.7¢/kWh, or against a gas car rated above 86 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Tennessee?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Tennessee's home average, 13.4¢/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 $2.90/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Tennessee?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 13.4¢/kWh (6.7¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.017 a mile instead of $0.034. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
Does Tennessee's public charging keep up with its EVs?
On the counts, yes. There are 17.6 EVs per public port in the state, against 21.7 nationally, and 51 per DC fast port, against 72, so each plug is shared among fewer cars than the US average. The counts do not show location or price. A year of home charging for the Tesla Model 3 RWD comes to $402.60 at 13.4¢/kWh; EV charging cost prices other models at your own rate.
Is gasoline cheap enough in Tennessee to cancel out the EV advantage?
Not at average prices. Gasoline at $2.90/gal is the 5th-lowest price in the country, yet the EV still costs $0.034 a mile against $0.097 for the gas car, because electricity is cheap as well. The EV would only lose its per-mile edge against a gas car rated about 86 mpg, or at an electricity rate near 38.7¢/kWh.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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