Cost to charge an EV in California (2026)
California's home electricity price is 35.25¢/kWh. Charging a typical EV runs about $120/month ($1,438/year), which makes it the 50th cheapest of the 50 states and DC.
Set it to your car
California · 35.25¢/kWh
$120 /mo
$1,438 a year to charge at home
- Cost per 100 miles
- $10.58
- Like paying for gas at
- $3.17/gal
- Gas car (30 mpg)
- $1,768/yr
- The EV saves
- +$330/yr
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Home charging; public fast charging costs more. Electricity prices: EIA, April 2026.
California EV charging, by the numbers
- Residential electricity price
- 35.25¢/kWh
- Cost to drive 100 miles
- $10.58
- Gas-equivalent price
- $3.17/gal
- Home charging, per month
- $120
- Home charging, per year
- $1,438
- Gas car (30 mpg), per year
- $1,768
- The EV saves, per year
- +$330
- National rank
- #50 of 51
At 35.25¢/kWh, California's residential electricity price sits above the US average of 18.83¢/kWh. Charging a typical EV (13,600 mi/yr at 30 kWh/100 mi) at home costs about $120/month here, versus about $64/month at the national average. That works out to $10.58 per 100 miles, or a gas-equivalent $3.17/gallon next to a $3.90 pump price for a 30 mpg car.
California ranks #50 of the 50 states and DC, cheapest to priciest. The cheapest is North Dakota at $3.71 per 100 miles; the most expensive is Hawaii at $13.99.
Compare California with other states
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV in California?
At California's residential electricity price of 35.25¢/kWh and typical driving (about 13,600 miles a year at 30 kWh/100 miles), charging a typical EV at home costs roughly $120 a month, about $1,438 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 $1,438 a year in California versus roughly $1,768 in gasoline for a 30 mpg car at $3.90 a gallon, a difference of about $330 a year.
What is the gas-equivalent price of charging in California?
About $3.17 per gas-equivalent gallon: the electricity to drive as far as one gallon of gas carries a 30 mpg car. Compare that to the $3.90 pump price. Driving 100 miles on electricity costs about $10.58 here.
Electricity price for California: US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, April 2026. Charging and gas figures are estimates for typical US driving; see how the numbers are built. Home charging; public fast charging costs more.