How much does it cost to charge hybrid car

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Before dropping $40,000, $50,000, or $60,000 on a shiny new electric vehicle, many consumers will need to know: "How much will it cost to charge this thing?" and "Will I save on gas?"

It all depends on the model you buy and where you decide to plug in, but charging an EV generally costs significantly less than refueling a gas car. As with gas cars, some EVs are more energy-efficient than others, leading to a lower charging bill. Slower, at-home charging at home tends to be cheaper than using high-powered, fast-charging stations. 

A slew of other variables can impact charging costs, but this guide offers a rough idea of what to expect. 

The most popular method: Home charging

In general, most electric cars can travel 3 to 4 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. In 2021, residential electricity cost 13.73 cents per kWh on average, per the US Energy Information Administration. At that rate, someone who drives 1,000 miles per month would spend anywhere from $34 to $46 charging at home. 

Fully recharging an electric car with a healthy range of 300 miles would require 75-100 kWh and cost $10-$14. 

There are also some potential up-front costs to charging at home. All EVs come with a home-charging cable that plugs into a wall outlet and provides an extremely slow trickle of energy, approximately 3 to 6 miles of range per hour. This type of charging is known as Level 1. 

For a quicker charge, many owners choose to install a more powerful Level 2 charger, which uses an upgraded 240-volt circuit to deliver some 20-40 miles of range per hour. Tesla's Level 2 charger costs $550, and the company estimates an additional $750-$1,500 for an electrician to hook it up.  

Your mileage may vary

Electricity costs vary greatly across the country. In some states, you can expect to pay less than 10 cents per kWh. In others, rates can be as high as 25 cents per kWh. And some EVs are less efficient than others. Models like the Rivian R1T pickup truck, Porsche Taycan sedan, and Audi E-Tron SUV only get a little over two miles per kWh. 

Someone who owns an R1T and lives in Massachusetts, where electricity costs 25.28 cents per kWh, would pay around $126 to their utility provider to drive 1,000 miles. By contrast, it would cost only $25 to run a highly efficient Tesla Model 3 the same distance at 10 cents per kWh.

Moreover, the cost to charge depends on the time of day one chooses to plug in. Many owners charge their vehicles overnight when electricity rates are a fraction of peak daytime costs. EVs typically allow owners to schedule charging for certain hours of the day. 

Pay up for a quicker charge

DC fast chargers, capable of adding significant amounts of range in 30 minutes or less, are the quickest method of replenishing an electric car's battery. But that added convenience means they're more expensive than home charging or slower public chargers.

It's difficult to assign a precise cost to fast charging, given the wide variety of providers and payment models. Some stations charge by the kWh, while others charge by the minute. Many companies offer a membership in exchange for lower rates. 

On a recent trip to an Electrify America fast charger, I paid $26.59 for around 58 kWh of energy, worth roughly 180 miles of range in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUV I was driving. When you crunch the numbers, the cost to use a DC fast charger can be as much as — or more than — the cost to fuel a reasonably efficient combustion vehicle, depending on gas prices. 

Electric is almost always cheaper

Electric cars are generally cheaper to refuel than their gasoline-drinking counterparts, particularly if you choose an efficient model and charge at home. As gas prices hover above $4 per gallon, the cost difference is even greater. 

According to a March analysis of per-mile fueling costs by the consulting firm ICF's Climate Center, it now costs roughly three times more to run a gas vehicle than an electric car.

In general, it costs less to run an electric vehicle than a comparable internal combustion-powered model. However, depending on how, where, and when you charge an EV, the cost can vary wildly. Charging an EV at home is usually the cheapest way to go, though you may incur some added costs to make the process more efficient. Depending on the type of public charging station you use, replenishing the battery on the road can either be free or surprisingly costly.

Here’s what you can expect to pay to keep an electrified ride running:

At Home

Charging an electric vehicle at home, assuming you have a garage and/or access to the power grid, is the most common way to go. Most models include a basic 110-volt charging unit that plugs into a standard electric outlet via a conventional three-prong plug. Called Level 1 charging, this is the slowest way to replenish an EV’s battery. It can take between eight and as long as 24 hours to obtain a full charge, depending on the model.

It’s well worth it to spend around $250-$400 to have an electrician install a dedicated 240-volt line in your garage to take advantage of what’s called Level 2 charging. This can refresh a drained battery in as little as four hours. You’ll also need to purchase an external Level 2 charging unit, which is also called the electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE). A good quality EVSE can cost between $300 and around $1,200, and they come in plug-in and hard-wired varieties. If you’re choosing a wall-mounted unit, expect to pay another $300-$600 for installation. On the plus side, you may be able to take advantage of state and/or local incentives for buying and having a charger installed.

As for what you’ll pay in electricity costs to keep a given EV running, you can get a rough idea of what it will cost via the Environmental Protection Agency’s fueleconomy.gov website. It lists energy consumption information for all makes and models for the sake of comparison, and that includes electric cars. Each listing will tell you how many kilowatts per hour (kWh) it takes, on average, to drive an EV for 100 miles, and how much it will cost to drive 25 miles, based on average electricity rates. It also states how much you’ll pay to drive the vehicle for 15,000 annual miles in combined city/highway use.

As an example, the EPA estimates it costs an average of $0.81 to drive a Hyundai Ioniq Electric for 25 miles and $500 to pilot it for 15,000 miles. In contrast, the EPA says the most fuel-efficient version of the 2019 Toyota Corolla costs $2.12 to drive for 25 miles and exacts $1,300 at the gas pump annually.

Importantly, the EPA’s website allows you to customize predicted home charging costs according to the number of miles you drive during a given year, and your per-kWh electric rate.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration maintains a chart of average per-kWh electric rates for all 50 states here. According to the agency’s latest data, Louisiana residents pay the least in the nation for electricity at an average $0.098 per kWh. It costs the most to keep an EV running in Hawaii with an average cost of $0.331 for every kWh. Keep in mind that these are averages, and every local energy provider sets its own rates. Your electric bill likely states what you pay per kWh for energy, though that figure may not include the cost of delivery, taxes, and fees. A better way to figure this is to divide the amount of your total bill with all charges by the number of kWh you consumed in a given month.

If your provider allows billing for electricity based on demand at various times of the day, you may be able to charge an EV in the middle of the night at a reduced rate.

Be aware, however, that no matter what you pay per kWh it will cost more to keep an EV running during the coldest months of the year. Frigid weather negatively affects a battery’s performance and limits its ability to accept a charge. Research conducted by the AAA found that when the mercury dips to 20°F and the heater is in use, an average EV loses around 41 percent of its operating range. It also takes longer to charge the vehicle under frigid conditions. The AAA’s study found that at 20°F with the heater running, an owner will pay an additional $25 for every 1,000 miles driven to keep the battery charged, compared to the cost of running the vehicle at 75°F. An EV’s range is also adversely affected in extremely hot weather to a certain degree, especially with the air conditioning in use.

Level 2 Public Charging

Level 2 is the most prevalent type of pubic charging, and you’ll find units installed in retail parking lots, public parking garages, and new-car dealerships, typically in or near larger cities, college towns, and other areas where there’s a higher concentration of EVs.

Some Level 2 public charging stations can be used at no cost, while others charge a fee. This can either be on a pay-as-you-go basis using a credit card, or via an account with a charging network like ChargePoint or Blink. The cost to charge an EV differs from provider to provider and from state to state. Some states allow pricing based on the kWh of electricity used, while others only allow providers to charge on a per-minute basis. While the ChargePoint network allows the property owner where the charger is situated to set rates, Blink charges between $0.04-$0.06 per minute or from $0.39 to $0.79 per kWh, in states where that’s permitted.

Chevrolet says its Bolt EV will get back an average 25 miles of operating range per hour of Level 2 charging. That’s a cost of between $2.40 and $3.60 at the above rates, compared to the EPA’s estimate of $2.15 to drive a gas-powered Chevrolet Cruze for 25 miles.

Level 3 Public Charging

A much less common – but far quicker – alternative is to access a Level 3 public charging station. Also known as DC Fast Charging, it can bring a given electric car’s battery up to 80% of its capacity in around 30-60 minutes.

EVgo maintains the nation’s largest network of Level 3 charging stations in major metropolitan areas, and offers free charging for two years to buyers of the BMW i3 or Nissan Leaf in select markets. Meanwhile, Tesla Motors maintains its own Supercharger network of fast-charging stations across the U.S., though their use is limited to Tesla vehicles. For its part, Porsche will give buyers of its full-electric Taycan three years of unlimited 30-minute charging at Electrify America charging units when it debuts for the 2020 model year.

Unfortunately, while Level 3 is the fastest way to charge an EV it’s also the costliest. As an example, we were recently billed $0.29 a minute for DC Fast Charging in the Chicago area via an EVgo station. (It’s $0.25 a minute for EVgo subscribers.) A 25-minute session that added around 50 miles of added range to a Volkswagen eGolf cost $7.25, which comes out to $3.62 for 25 miles. By comparison, the EPA says it costs an average of $2.26 to pilot the standard gas-powered VW Golf the same distance.

Tesla says it charges an average $0.28 per kWh to use one of its Superchargers in states where that type of billing is allowed. Where per-minute rates are mandated, it’s at $0.26 while cars are charging at or below 60 kW, and $0.13 while cars are charging above 60 kW. As with all types of chargers, rates vary by location and can change periodically.

All of the used EV listings here at MYEV.com provide average per-session costs to obtain a full charge and estimate an owner’s expected monthly cost to keep running.

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Category: EV 101

Tags: Fast Charging, Charging

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