Charging a Tesla at home costs roughly $12 to $16 for a full charge at the national average electricity rate — about a third of what it costs to cover the same distance in a comparable gas car.
What a full home charge actually costs
At the U.S. average residential electricity rate of $0.17 per kWh, EnergySage calculates a full charge at $12.03 for a standard Model 3, $15.91 for a Model 3 Long Range, and $15.95 for a Model Y Long Range RWD. Worked out per mile, that’s about 6 cents for a Tesla versus roughly 16 cents for a comparable gas vehicle — a savings EnergySage puts at over $1,200 a year for a driver covering about 12,200 miles.
Why the real number depends on your state
That $0.17/kWh figure is just a national average, and electricity rates vary far more than gas prices do. Electric Choice’s breakdown puts the national average closer to 18.44 cents per kWh, but rates run from around 11 cents per kWh in North Dakota to nearly 40 cents per kWh in Hawaii — a full 60 kWh charge that costs under $12 in a cheap-power state can run close to $24 in Hawaii. Whatever your Tesla’s battery size, check your own utility rate before assuming a national-average figure applies to you.
Kim Java ran her own charging math on a road trip in this video from August 31, 2026:
Her numbers reflect one charging session on her own rate plan and route — the sources above, not the video, are the evidence for what charging actually costs and how much you’ll save over gas.
Photo by Andersen EV.