- Electric vehicles cost 46% to 59% less per mile to fuel than gasoline vehicles of the same class, at national average prices.
- The largest savings come from SUVs and trucks: an electric pickup saves roughly $1,150 per year compared to a gasoline pickup at 12,000 miles.
- State electricity rates and gasoline prices create a wide range: among nine states, Washington EV drivers save about $1,275 per year while Massachusetts EV drivers pay about $42 more than gas drivers.
- With electricity at 25 cents per kWh, an EV costs more to fuel than the average new gas car when gasoline is below $2.61 per gallon.
01 Introduction
Electric vehicles cost 46% to 59% less per mile to fuel than gasoline vehicles of the same class, at national average prices. The answer depends on where you live and what you drive. This article compares fuel cost only: the cost of electricity to charge an EV versus the cost of gasoline to fill a tank. It does not cover purchase price, battery replacement, insurance, or maintenance. For the full picture of what driving costs in America, see our overview. For a five-year view, see EV fuel savings over 5 years, which uses the same class figures.
Scope note: energy cost comparison onlyVehicle efficiency comes from the EPA ratings in the Fuel Economy Guide dataset. Gasoline prices come from the EIA's weekly retail survey. Electricity rates come from the EIA's state-level residential price data.
EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv, model years 1984 to 2026: 49,868 vehicle configurations); EIA Petroleum & Other Liquids; EIA Form 861 Table 5AThe class comparison uses EPA class averages, not selected models. Each class average is an unweighted mean over the tested configurations in that class, so a configuration that sells in small numbers counts as much as one that sells in large numbers.
EPA vehicle dataset, model years 2022 to 2026: 1,146 all-electric and 2,359 regular-gasoline configurations02 How EV Fuel Cost Works
Gasoline vehicles measure efficiency in miles per gallon (MPG). Electric vehicles use two metrics: kWh per 100 miles, which measures how many kilowatt-hours of electricity the vehicle consumes per 100 miles of driving, and MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent), which converts electrical energy to a gasoline equivalent using the EPA's standard of 33.7 kWh per gallon.
FuelEconomy.gov data (vehicles.csv, model years 1984 to 2026): for the 1,437 all-electric configurations, combined MPGe multiplied by kWh per 100 miles and divided by 100 has a median of 33.7 kWh per gallon-equivalent.To calculate EV fuel cost per mile, multiply the vehicle's kWh per 100 miles by your electricity rate, then divide by 100. For a gasoline car, simply divide the price per gallon by the vehicle's MPG.
Standard fuel cost formulaThe national average residential electricity rate was 16.5 cents per kWh in 2024. The national average regular gasoline price was $3.10 per gallon in 2025 (the mean of EIA's weekly prices), the figure used for the class-level comparisons throughout this article, as on the other class-based pages of this site.
EIA Form 861 Table 5A (2024): average retail price of residential electricity; EIA, U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices, 2025 annual average03 Cost Per Mile: EV vs Gas by Vehicle Class
Using EPA class averages, we compare EV and gasoline fuel costs within six vehicle categories. Each category has both electric and gasoline vehicles tested by the EPA.
EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide: EV kWh per 100 miles, model years 2022 to 2026 (1,146 configurations); gasoline MPG of conventional (non-hybrid) gasoline vehicles, model years 2024 to 2025EVs cost less per mile in every vehicle class. The savings range from $0.054 per mile for compact cars to $0.099 per mile for standard SUVs. The percentage savings is smallest for compact cars (46%) and largest for standard SUVs (59%).
Calculated from EPA class averages: EV kWh/100mi × $0.165/kWh vs gasoline price ($3.10/gal) ÷ MPG. Compact: 38.7 kWh/100mi vs 26.2 MPG. Pickup: 47.3 kWh/100mi vs 17.8 MPG.| Vehicle Class | EV (kWh/100mi) | Gas (MPG) | EV $/mile | Gas $/mile | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact Car | 38.7 | 26.2 | $0.064 | $0.118 | 46% |
| Midsize Sedan | 34.1 | 26.0 | $0.056 | $0.119 | 53% |
| Large Sedan | 34.0 | 24.2 | $0.056 | $0.128 | 56% |
| Small SUV | 33.6 | 24.4 | $0.055 | $0.127 | 56% |
| Standard SUV | 41.4 | 18.6 | $0.068 | $0.167 | 59% |
| Pickup Truck | 47.3 | 17.8 | $0.078 | $0.174 | 55% |
EVs save more in larger vehicle classes because gasoline MPG falls faster than EV energy use rises. A gasoline compact car gets 26.2 MPG and a gasoline pickup 17.8 MPG, 32% lower, while the equivalent EVs use 38.7 and 47.3 kWh per 100 miles, 22% more.
EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide class averages (EV: model years 2022–2026; conventional gasoline: model years 2024–2025)Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator04 Annual Fuel Savings
At 12,000 miles per year (close to the FHWA average of 11,327 miles per vehicle), the per-mile savings translate into annual dollar amounts. The savings are largest for the classes with the least efficient gasoline vehicles: SUVs and trucks.
FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1: 11,327 miles per motor vehicle; 12,000 used as a round numberA driver switching from a gasoline pickup truck to an electric pickup saves roughly $1,150 per year in fuel costs alone. Compact car drivers save about $651 per year. For SUVs, the savings fall between $862 and $1,184 per year (small and standard SUVs).
Calculated from EPA class averages at 12,000 mi/yr, $3.10/gal gasoline (2025 average), $0.165/kWh electricity (2024)These savings assume home charging at residential electricity rates; public charging prices are not covered here.
05 Where EVs Save the Most (and Least)
EV fuel savings depend on two state-level variables: the local electricity rate and the local gasoline price. The states in this comparison are those for which the EIA publishes weekly gasoline prices.
EIA Form 861 Table 5A, residential electricity by state (2024); EIA, Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices by State, Regular All Formulations, 2025 averageUsing the nine states with weekly EIA retail gasoline price tracking (plus the national average), we calculated the annual fuel cost for an EV at the median model year 2024 rating (38.4 kWh per 100 miles) and for a gasoline car at 27.2 MPG (the average for new model year 2024 vehicles, EPA Trends Report Table 2.1) at 12,000 miles per year, using each state's electricity rate and 2025 average gasoline price.
EV benchmark: 38.4 kWh/100mi (median of the model year 2024 all-electric configurations in the EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide). Gas benchmark: 27.2 MPG. 12,000 mi/yr standard assumptionWashington has the largest EV fuel savings of the nine tracked states: $1,275 per year, with electricity at 11.9 cents per kWh and gasoline at $4.13 per gallon.
EIA Form 861 Table 5A, Washington, 2024: 11.9¢/kWh; EIA weekly state gasoline price, Washington, 2025 mean: $4.131/galMassachusetts has the smallest savings among these states: −$42 per year, with electricity at 29.3 cents per kWh and gasoline at $2.97 per gallon. A negative figure means the gas car costs less to fuel.
EIA Form 861 Table 5A, Massachusetts, 2024: 29.3¢/kWh; EIA weekly state gasoline price, Massachusetts, 2025 mean: $2.970/gal| State | Electricity (¢/kWh) | Gas ($/gal) | EV Annual | Gas Annual | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 11.90 | $4.131 | $548 | $1,823 | $1,275 |
| Florida | 14.14 | $2.957 | $651 | $1,304 | $653 |
| U.S. Average | 16.48 | $3.097 | $759 | $1,366 | $607 |
| Minnesota | 15.45 | $2.963 | $712 | $1,307 | $595 |
| Colorado | 14.92 | $2.868 | $687 | $1,265 | $578 |
| Ohio | 15.99 | $2.960 | $736 | $1,306 | $569 |
| Texas | 14.94 | $2.660 | $688 | $1,174 | $485 |
| California | 31.97 | $4.410 | $1,473 | $1,945 | $473 |
| New York | 24.43 | $3.056 | $1,126 | $1,348 | $223 |
| Massachusetts | 29.35 | $2.970 | $1,352 | $1,310 | $-42 |
Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator06 When Gas Cars Cost Less to Fuel
EVs do not always win on fuel cost. The break-even point depends on the ratio between electricity and gasoline prices. Using the benchmarks above (38.4 kWh per 100 miles for the EV, 27.2 MPG for the gas car), the break-even formula simplifies to: the gas price must exceed about 10.4 times the electricity rate (in dollars per kWh) for the EV to cost less to fuel.
Break-even derivation: 12,000/27.2 × gas = 12,000 × 0.3839 × elec; gas = 10.4 × elec. At 10¢/kWh, break-even gas = $1.04. At 30¢/kWh, break-even gas = $3.13In practical terms: at 10 cents per kWh electricity, the EV costs less to fuel unless gas drops below $1.04 per gallon. At 20 cents per kWh, the break-even is $2.09. In Hawaii, where electricity averages 42.9 cents per kWh, the break-even gas price is $4.48 per gallon, above the highest U.S. annual average gasoline price in the EIA series (2022: $3.95). This site has no Hawaii gasoline price, so it does not state which side of that line Hawaii is on.
Calculated from break-even formula. Hawaii electricity: 42.9¢/kWh (EIA Form 861 Table 5A, 2024). Highest annual average U.S. regular price in the EIA series (1992 onward): $3.95 (2022)At national average prices (16.5 cents electricity, $3.10 gas), EVs save about $607 per year in the benchmark comparison. A driver with 25 cent electricity and $2.00 gas would pay $269 more per year to fuel an EV. Gasoline at $2.00 is below every annual U.S. average price in the EIA series after 2004.
Calculated from the electricity rate × gas price matrix using the benchmark efficiencies aboveAmong model year 2026 EVs, the most efficient configurations rate 23.1 kWh per 100 miles, or $0.038 per mile. The least efficient rate 54.0 kWh per 100 miles, or $0.089 per mile, which is still below the class-average gasoline cost per mile in every class shown (for example, $0.127 for a small SUV).
Cost = kWh/100mi × $0.165/kWh ÷ 100. Most and least efficient = lowest and highest combined kWh per 100 miles among the model year 2026 all-electric configurations in each class (Pickup Truck: 37, Standard SUV: 95, Small SUV: 93, Large Sedan: 29, Midsize Sedan: 18, Compact Car: 38 configurations).07 Data Sources
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy: FuelEconomy.gov Vehicle Dataset, model years 1984 to 2026. fueleconomy.gov
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Weekly Retail Gasoline and On-Highway Diesel Prices, Selected States; annual U.S. regular gasoline price. eia.gov
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Form EIA-861 Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Table 5A: Average Monthly Bill, Residential (2024). eia.gov
- EPA: The 2025 Automotive Trends Report (EPA-420-R-26-001), Table 2.1 (27.2 MPG, model year 2024). epa.gov
- FHWA: Highway Statistics, Table VM-1 (2022). fhwa.dot.gov