What does charging your EV at home actually cost, and would a home charger pay for itself?
Your EV charging has a number. Most people guess it way too high.
Most people never run the numbers. Put in your miles and your electric rate, and watch the real annual cost appear. Home charging vs. a gas car, plus a straight answer on whether the savings pay back a new home charger. If they don't, we'll say so.
Your driving
Fill in what you can. The numbers update as you type.
Charging at home costs
Add your annual miles, electric rate, and EV efficiency to see the real annual number. It's usually a lot smaller than people guess.
Estimate only: based on the assumptions below.
Home charging vs. gas, over 5 years
If you entered a charger + install cost, it's included in the home column. This is where the gap gets loud.
Straight fuel math only, no maintenance, insurance, depreciation, public-charging stops, or the car's purchase price factored in. Real life varies.
- Home cost per mile = electric rate ÷ miles per kWh.
- Gas cost per mile = gas price ÷ MPG.
- Assumes you charge at home. Public DC fast charging costs more and isn't modeled here.
- No charging losses modeled (real-world adds ~10% to electricity; it rounds small).
1 · Here's what we found
2 · What to actually do (the decision, not a sales pitch)
3 · Resources
The amps get the attention. Your electrical panel is what actually sets your speed.
If the payback math says home charging is worth it, don't blow the budget chasing 48 amps on a charger your car or circuit can't even use. For most drivers, a 40-amp charger on the right circuit refills more than enough overnight, and the one smart feature worth paying for is scheduling to off-peak rates, which can cut the electricity number above in half.
We broke down which charger features actually matter, which are marketing, and where the price-to-charge sweet spot really is across eight popular units, plus a one-page install checklist to run before you shop.
Which home charger actually matters →Setting up charging at home?
Get our one-page guide: the home charger that actually fits your panel and your driving, the one smart feature worth paying for, and what to skip.