EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile in Wisconsin
At Wisconsin's average prices, a Tesla Model 3 RWD costs an estimated $0.049 a mile to charge at home and a 30 mpg gas car $0.103 a mile in fuel: $657.70 a year apart over 12,000 miles. Per mile, the EV spends about 47% of what the gas car does.
State data
What Wisconsin pays
- Home electricity
- 19.4¢/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)
At 19.4¢/kWh, a Model 3 RWD costs $0.049 a mile to charge at home in Wisconsin. Wisconsin's pump price of $3.10/gal is the 25th-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
How many EVs Wisconsin drives
- Light-duty EVs registered
- 41,900 all-electric · 18,600 plug-in hybridDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025
- EV share of light-duty vehicles
- 0.8% all-electric · 1.2% with a plugDOE AFDC, registrations on Dec 31, 2025 · 5,036,200 vehicles
- EVs per 100 homes
- 1.8AFDC registrations ÷ RECS 2020 housing units (2.39 million)
- Public charging
- 906 locations · 2,445 ports (1,474 Level 2 · 962 DC fast)DOE AFDC station counts, 2026-10-27
- EVs per public port
- 17.1AFDC registrations ÷ AFDC public ports
Wisconsin sits in the lower half of the states for electric cars. The 2025 registrations show 41,900 all-electric cars and light trucks and 18,600 plug-in hybrids, among 5,036,200 light-duty vehicles in all. EVs hold 0.8% of that total, the 18th-lowest share among the 51 states, and the plug-in share including hybrids is 1.2%, against 2.8% nationally. Measured per household, there are 1.8 EVs for every hundred homes, well short of the US 4.6.
The charging network is mid-sized: 2,445 public ports at 906 locations, the 25th-highest total among the states. Of those, 1,474 are Level 2 and 962 are DC fast, so fast charging makes up 39% of the network, above the US share of 30%. With a modest fleet, the plugs go further than average: there are 17.1 EVs per public port, against 21.7 for the country, and 44 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 Wisconsin. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 19.4¢/kWh · Wisconsin · EIA, August 2026 · gasoline $3.10/gal (2025–26 ref.) (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
Estimated savings per year (12,000 miles)
EV $0.049 a mile vs gas $0.103 a mile, home charging.
- EV cost per mile (EPA kWh/100 mi, at the wall)
- $0.049
- Gas cost per mile
- $0.103
- EV, 12,000 miles a year
- $582.30
- Gas car, 12,000 miles a year
- $1,240.00
- Savings per year
- $657.70
- Prices used
- electricity 19.4¢/kWh · gasoline $3.10/gal (Wisconsin)
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 Wisconsin
At 19.4¢/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 $0.049. A 30 mpg car at $3.10/gal spends $0.103 a mile. Over 12,000 miles: $582.30 for the EV, $1,240.00 for gasoline, a difference of $657.70 a year (fuel only). That difference is the 37th-highest of the 51 on this site.
What the numbers say
The Wisconsin EV estimate, winter included
Power here costs a little more than average and gasoline a little less, which trims the EV's lead without removing it. Electricity is 19.4¢/kWh, 7% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh; gasoline is $3.10/gal, 3% below the US average of $3.20/gal. On those prices the Tesla Model 3 RWD costs $0.049 a mile and a 30 mpg car $0.103, so the EV's energy bill is 47% of the gas car's. Over 12,000 miles that leaves an estimated $657.70 a year, the 15th-lowest gap among the states.
The tie points sit far from today's prices. Electricity would have to reach 41.3¢/kWh for the EV to cost as much per mile, or the gas car would have to manage 64 mpg. Public Level 2 charging at a price somewhat over the home rate leaves the EV comfortably ahead; frequent DC fast charging is where the comparison tightens, so type the charger's per-kilowatt-hour price into the electricity field above when most of your miles start at a fast charger.
What the averages do not show is a Wisconsin January. With 7,400 heating degree-days, the 6th-highest count in the country, cold mornings cut range and raise the energy used per mile, partly because the car heats its cabin and battery. The cold-weather range page estimates that loss. Warming the cabin while the car is still plugged in at home moves part of that energy onto the home rate instead of the battery.
Your tariff is the other variable. A time-of-use or EV plan at half the average rate, 9.7¢/kWh, would bring the Tesla Model 3 RWD to $0.024 a mile. A Level 1 outlet adds range slowly, and more slowly in the cold; the charge time page compares it with Level 2, and the Level 2 installation cost page prices the upgrade.
Questions
FAQ
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in Wisconsin?
At Wisconsin's average prices, yes for the page's example: $0.049 a mile for a Model 3 RWD at home against $0.103 for a 30 mpg car, $657.70 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 64 mpg. Both prices are editable above.
What about public fast charging in Wisconsin?
Fast chargers usually charge more per kWh than a home rate. This page uses Wisconsin's home average, 19.4¢/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 $3.10/gal.
How do time-of-use rates change this in Wisconsin?
The EV's cost per mile moves in direct proportion to the rate you charge at. If an overnight rate were half of 19.4¢/kWh (9.7¢/kWh), the Model 3 RWD would cost $0.024 a mile instead of $0.049. Check your utility's tariff for the real overnight rate and type it in.
How much range will an EV lose in a Wisconsin winter?
This page prices the energy, not the range; the cold-weather range calculator estimates the loss for a given temperature. The state's 7,400 heating degree-days, 64% more than the US average of 4,500, mean a long stretch of cold driving each year. Lower range on cold days also means more kilowatt-hours per mile, so a winter cost per mile runs above the $0.049 estimated here at average conditions.
Is a Ford F-150 Lightning cheaper to run than a gas pickup in Wisconsin?
At the average rate of 19.4¢/kWh, the estimate is $0.093 a mile for the Ford F-150 Lightning. The gas comparison on this page is a 30 mpg car at $0.103, not a pickup, so enter your truck's mpg in the calculator above to compare like with like. A gasoline truck gets fewer miles per gallon than the default car, which raises its cost per mile.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same two cars, each state's own prices:
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