How Much Does it Cost to Charge an Electric Car by State?

With electric cars hitting the market offering more compelling features and more range at ever-more appealing prices, it's getting harder to resist taking the EV plunge. But before making such a dramatic change to your lifestyle, it's important to figure out just how much it's going to cost to charge an electric car.

Although sometimes they're painful to look at, we're all familiar with the price of gas in our area—you need only drive by your closest gas station to see them literally writ large. Multiply that by the size of your gas tank, and presto, you've got a good idea of your running costs.

But what about the cost of charging an electric car? That math can be a little more nebulous, especially given the cost of electricity in some states is more than double what it is in others. (Live in Louisiana? We have some good news for you. Charging on Oahu? Better buckle up.) Given that variation, we've created this guide tto give you an idea of what you can expect to pay when you take the EV plunge, regardless of your home state.

But before we do, let's kick things off with a few tips on how to reduce the cost of charging an electric car.

The numbers we're presenting here are the average retail cost of charging an electric car in each state, as calculated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. However, in certain states, there are ways of reducing that charging cost. The most significant is by selecting a Time-of-Use (TOU) plan. Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh. Instead of paying a flat rate per kWh regardless of when you use it, a TOU plan will vary the rate depending on time of day.

"Customers can lower their energy costs by enrolling in an EV rate plan and charging their vehicles during non-peak hours when electricity prices are lower," a Pacific Gas & Electric representative told us. How much? In California, peak rates for PG&E customers can be as high as $0.60 per kWh in the afternoon, which would make it far and away the most expensive state for charging an electric car. However, set your car to recharge itself after 11 p.m. and that rate drops by more than half, to just $0.25 per kWh. These plans vary based on state and even by county in some cases, so it's important to check out your local electricity provider's website for more information.

Charge at Home

The most important thing you can do to save on EV charging costs is to charge at home. This isn't possible everywhere, but if you're a homeowner, you can save a lot by getting a home charger installed. We'll get into specific state charging prices in a moment, but the average price to charge a 60-kilowatt-hour Tesla Model 3 at home is $6.83, while it's $8.88 for Volvo XC40 Recharge with a a 78-kWh battery pack and $14.92 for a Ford F-150 Lightning with its larger 131 kWh battery.

That's based on an average per-kWh cost of just over $0.11. High-speed charging at Electrify America, meanwhile, costs something on the order of $0.41 per kWh. Some Tesla Superchargers are charging as much as $0.50 per kWh. That would mean your $6.83 at-home Tesla Model 3 charge would instead cost $30, while that $14.92 Lightning fill-up jumps to $53.71.

High-speed charging obviously has its benefits—if you're going road-tripping, low-speed Level 2 chargers are going to make that trip an awful lot longer. But charging at home is clearly a lot more affordable, and it's more convenient if you're not in a hurry.

Finally, although most high-speed chargers can only be used at a premium, there are still a fair number of free chargers to be found, usually at grocery stores or other retail establishments. Beyond that, many new cars come with some amount of free charging. Both Volvo and Ford offer 250 kWh worth of free electricity from Electrify America. Make sure you use every kWh!

Now that we've given you some tips, here is what you can expect to pay to charge an electric car at home in each state versus the national average, using the three aforementioned vehicles with different-sized battery packs as the guide.

How We Rated

Before we dig into the hard numbers, a quick note on the methodology. Again, the numbers presented here are based on figures provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which calculates the average price paid per kWh on a state-by-state basis. Should you arrange a TOU plan with your provider in your state, you may very well pay less. Again, this is just the average.

To show example costs, we chose three example vehicles with three battery pack sizes: the Tesla Model 3, the Volvo XC40 Recharge, and the Ford F-150 Lightning. To calculate a charge cost for these vehicles, we multiplied the pack size of each by the average cost-per-kWh mentioned above. That gives the theoretical cost of charging a fully empty car all the way to maximum. In reality, it's virtually impossible to get an EV all the way to zero charge, but because that lower threshold is difficult to determine and rarely made public, we're just going with the full capacity.

Finally, we present the states here in alphabetical order, but for each state we'll mention a ranking. The state ranking first is the cheapest place to charge. (Spoiler alert: It's Louisiana.) Number two is the second least expensive, and so forth, going all the way up to Hawaii, which is the most expensive state. (But worth it, right?)

The state of Alabama ranks No. 26 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.85 less than average if doing a full home charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Alaska is the third most expensive state in the U.S. for charging, meaning you'd spend up to $11.23 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Arizona ranks No. 35 in the cost of charging an electric car in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.06 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning

The state of Arkansas ranks No. 6 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.84 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of California is the second most expensive state for charging in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $17.83 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning. Unlike other states, we're presenting the prices here as if you were on a TOU plan, charging in off-peak hours. Charging on-peak, in the middle of the afternoon, could more than double these figures!

The state of Colorado ranks No. 33 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.28 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Connecticut ranks No. 48 in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $10.32 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Delaware ranks No. 32 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.32 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The District of Columbia ranks No. 39 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $0.85 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Florida ties with South Dakota for No. 30 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.56 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Georgia ranks No. 29 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.73 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Hawaii is the single most expensive state for charging an electric car in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $21.35 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Idaho ranks No. 3 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $4.27 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Illinois ranks No. 25 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.97 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Indiana ranks No. 28 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.74 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Iowa ranks No. 14 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.99 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Kansas ranks No. 34 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.14 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Kentucky ranks No. 11 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.50 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Louisiana is the least expensive state for charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $4.90 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Maine ranks No. 41 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.00 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Maryland ranks No. 38 in charging costs in the US, and is the closest to the U.S. average for per-kWh cost, meaning you'd spend just $0.13 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Massachusetts ranks No. 46 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $9.09 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Michigan ranks No. 40 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.26 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Minnesota ranks No. 36 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $0.89 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Mississippi ranks No. 16 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.78 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Missouri ranks No. 23 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.11 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Montana ranks No. 16 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.78 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Nebraska ranks No. 14 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.99 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Nevada ties with Washington for No. 7 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.83 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of New Hampshire ranks No. 45 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $7.05 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of New Jersey ranks No. 42 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.12 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of New Mexico ranks No. 19 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.52 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of New York ranks No. 43 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $4.74 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of North Carolina ranks No. 20 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.38 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of North Dakota ranks No. 10 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.56 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Ohio ranks No. 21 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.37 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Oklahoma is the second-cheapest state for charging in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $4.74 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Oregon ranks No. 13 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.18 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Pennsylvania ranks No. 24 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.03 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Rhode Island ranks No. 47 in charging costs in the U/S., meaning you'd spend up to $9.55 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of South Carolina ranks No. 27 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.77 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of South Dakota ties with Florida for No. 30 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $1.56 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Tennessee ranks No. 22 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.27 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Texas ranks No. 9 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.79 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Utah ranks No. 4 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.90 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Vermont ranks No. 44 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $6.65 more than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Virginia ranks No. 18 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $2.74 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Washington ties with Nevada for No. 7 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.83 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of West Virginia ranks No. 12 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.28 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Wisconsin ranks No. 37 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $0.56 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.

The state of Wyoming ranks No. 4 in charging costs in the U.S., meaning you'd spend up to $3.90 less than average if doing a full charge of an F-150 Lightning.