Cost to charge an electric car in California (2026)
California's home electricity price is 33.61¢/kWh. Charging a typical electric car (EV) runs about $114/month ($1,371/year), which makes it the 50th cheapest of the 50 states and DC.
Set it to your car
California · 33.61¢/kWh
$114 /mo
$1,371 a year to charge at home
- Cost per 100 miles
- $10.08
- Like paying for gas at
- $3.02/gal
- Gas car (30 mpg)
- $2,806/yr
- The EV saves
- +$1,435/yr
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Home charging; public fast charging costs more. Electricity prices: EIA, July 2026.
California EV charging, by the numbers
- Residential electricity price
- 33.61¢/kWh
- Cost to drive 100 miles
- $10.08
- Gas-equivalent price
- $3.02/gal
- Home charging, per month
- $114
- Home charging, per year
- $1,371
- Regular gas, California (week of September 28, 2026)
- $6.19/gal
- Gas car (30 mpg) at that price, per year
- $2,806
- The EV saves, per year
- +$1,435
- National rank
- #50 of 51
At 33.61¢/kWh, California's residential electricity price sits above the US average of 18.31¢/kWh. Charging a typical EV (13,600 mi/yr at 30 kWh/100 mi) at home costs about $114/month here, versus about $62/month at the national average. That works out to $10.08 per 100 miles, or a gas-equivalent $3.02/gallon next to a $6.19 pump price for a 30 mpg car.
Gas prices use the EIA weekly retail average for regular gasoline in California: $6.19 a gallon in the week of September 28, 2026. At that price a 30 mpg car costs about $2,806 a year to fuel, so charging at home in California saves about $1,435 a year.
California ranks #50 of the 50 states and DC, cheapest to priciest. The cheapest is Louisiana at $3.82 per 100 miles; the most expensive is Hawaii at $14.40.
California electricity price, last 12 months
California's residential electricity price was 33.61¢/kWh in July 2026, up 2.9% from 32.66¢ in July 2025. At typical driving that moves home charging from $111 to $114 a month.
| Month | ¢/kWh | Cost per 100 mi | Home charging per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 33.61 | $10.08 | $114 |
| June 2026 | 34.74 | $10.42 | $118 |
| May 2026 | 33.25 | $9.98 | $113 |
| April 2026 | 35.25 | $10.58 | $120 |
| March 2026 | 33.35 | $10.01 | $113 |
| February 2026 | 33.22 | $9.97 | $113 |
| January 2026 | 30.29 | $9.09 | $103 |
| December 2025 | 34.71 | $10.41 | $118 |
| November 2025 | 31.89 | $9.57 | $108 |
| October 2025 | 33.60 | $10.08 | $114 |
| September 2025 | 32.04 | $9.61 | $109 |
| August 2025 | 31.65 | $9.50 | $108 |
| July 2025 | 32.66 | $9.80 | $111 |
Source: US EIA Open Data API, electricity retail sales, residential sector. The EIA revises recent months after first release.
California vs the rest of the West Coast region
California is the 6th cheapest of the 7 West Coast states to charge an electric car at home (EIA PADD 5).
Cheapest and priciest nationally
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in California?
At California's residential electricity price of 33.61¢/kWh and typical driving (about 13,600 miles a year at 30 kWh/100 miles), charging a typical EV at home costs roughly $114 a month, about $1,371 a year. Public DC fast charging costs more.
Is it cheaper to charge an EV or buy gas in California?
For home charging, yes. Charging runs about $1,371 a year in California versus roughly $2,806 in gasoline for a 30 mpg car at $6.19 a gallon (the EIA weekly regular gas price for California), a difference of about $1,435 a year.
What is the gas-equivalent price of charging in California?
About $3.02 per gas-equivalent gallon: the electricity to drive as far as one gallon of gas carries a 30 mpg car. Compare that to regular gas at $6.19 a gallon in the week of September 28, 2026, the price for California. Driving 100 miles on electricity costs about $10.08 here.
Is it getting more expensive to charge an EV in California?
California's residential electricity price was 33.61¢/kWh in July 2026, up 2.9% from 32.66¢ in July 2025. At typical driving that moves home charging from $111 to $114 a month.
Electricity price for California: US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026. Gas price: US EIA, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices, California, week of September 28, 2026. Charging and gas figures are estimates for typical US driving; see how the numbers are built. Home charging; public fast charging costs more.