TL;DR
Wh/mi means watt-hours per mile: how much battery energy your Tesla uses to go one mile, so lower is better. The EPA label lists the same thing as kWh per 100 miles, and you multiply by 10 to get Wh/mi. The 2026 Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive is rated at 25.1 kWh per 100 miles, or 251 Wh/mi. At Virginia's average home electricity price of 16.83 cents per kWh, that is about 4.2 cents a mile. At California's 33.25 cents, it is about 8.3 cents a mile.
What does Wh/mi mean on a Tesla? It is the number that tells you what a mile costs you in electricity. Once you know your Wh/mi and your price per kWh, you can work out your cost per mile in one step. This guide shows where to find the number, how to do the math, and what it comes to in three states.
What does Wh/mi mean?
Wh stands for watt-hours, a small unit of energy, and 1,000 Wh make one kilowatt-hour (kWh), the unit on your electric bill. Wh/mi is watt-hours used per mile. A car that uses 250 Wh/mi uses a quarter of a kWh every mile.
The EPA fuel economy label states the same idea a different way. The EPA's guide to the electric vehicle label says the kWh per 100 miles figure tells you how many kilowatt-hours the vehicle would use to travel 100 miles, and that it relates directly to cost. To convert it, multiply by 10: 25.1 kWh per 100 miles is 251 Wh/mi.
Where do you see Wh/mi in a Tesla?
The Energy app on the touchscreen has a Consumption tab that graphs your Wh/mi. Not a Tesla App reported on March 19, 2025 that you can show the last 10, 100 or 200 miles, and that a small info icon near your average Wh/mi lets you clear the history. Clearing it helps after towing or very hard driving, so the average reflects how you drive now. Screens change with software updates, so look for the same idea if your menu differs.
One caution: as we note in our lineup data, the EPA figure is derived from MPGe and measured at the wall, so it includes charging losses. We did not find Tesla documentation that says whether the car's own Wh/mi figure includes them, so treat your screen number and the EPA number as close but not identical.
How do you turn Wh/mi into cost per mile?
Use this formula: cost per mile = (Wh/mi divided by 1,000) times your price per kWh. Your price per kWh is on your electric bill. For an example, we use the state averages in our calculators, which come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's average residential price for January to July 2026, read October 4, 2026.
| State | Average home price | Cost per mile at 251 Wh/mi | Cost per 100 miles | Cost for 10,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 16.06 cents per kWh | 4.03 cents | $4.03 | $403 |
| Virginia | 16.83 cents per kWh | 4.22 cents | $4.22 | $422 |
| California | 33.25 cents per kWh | 8.35 cents | $8.35 | $835 |
Here is the Virginia row in the open: 251 divided by 1,000 is 0.251 kWh per mile. Multiply by 16.83 cents and you get 4.22 cents a mile. Over 10,000 miles that is 4.22 cents times 10,000, or $422. These are home-charging figures at a state average, so your own rate, your own habits and any time-of-use plan will change them. Superchargers cost something different, which we cover in our Supercharger pricing guide.
How much energy does each Tesla trim use?
The table uses the 2026 EPA ratings in our lineup data, checked October 4, 2026, and the Virginia price from above.
| Model | Trim | EPA kWh per 100 miles | MPGe | Wh/mi | Cost per mile in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model Y | Standard Rear-Wheel Drive | 24.4 | 138 | 244 | 4.11 cents |
| Model Y | Premium Rear-Wheel Drive | 25.1 | 134 | 251 | 4.22 cents |
| Model Y | Premium All-Wheel Drive | 27.4 | 123 | 274 | 4.61 cents |
| Model Y | Performance | 32.1 | 105 | 321 | 5.40 cents |
| Model 3 | Standard Rear-Wheel Drive | 24.2 | 139 | 242 | 4.07 cents |
| Model 3 | Premium All-Wheel Drive | 26.3 | 128 | 263 | 4.43 cents |
The spread is real: the Model Y Performance uses about 32% more energy per mile than the Standard Rear-Wheel Drive (321 versus 244 Wh/mi), which is about 1.3 cents a mile at Virginia prices.
Why does your Wh/mi differ from the EPA number?
The EPA label's fine print says your results can differ with how you drive, air conditioning use, weather, road conditions and load. Two things that move the number are speed and cold, and we cover both in how much highway speed costs your Tesla's range and how to prepare for winter range loss. A higher Wh/mi in winter also means a higher cost per mile, since you pay for every watt-hour.
Wh/mi and cost per mile FAQ
Is a lower Wh/mi better? Yes. A lower number means the car uses less energy to go a mile, so you get more range from the same battery and pay less per mile.
What is a good Wh/mi for a Model Y? The EPA ratings above run from 244 to 321 Wh/mi depending on trim, so use the rating for your trim as the reference point and compare your own screen average to it.
Can I pay less per mile? Often, yes. Many utilities offer a cheaper rate for charging at night. We explain how to check in our guide to cheaper electricity rates for Tesla charging.
What to do
- Open the Energy app and note your average Wh/mi over the last 100 miles.
- Find your price per kWh on your electric bill.
- Multiply: Wh/mi divided by 1,000, times your price per kWh, gives your cost per mile.
- Put your state and yearly miles into the savings calculator to see your own yearly fuel savings against a gas car, or use the charging calculator for the cost of a single charge.
