| Quick answerA full charge from empty takes roughly 70 to 90 kWh from the wall for a 2026 Tesla Model 3 or Model Y, including about 10% charging losses. The more useful number is 24 to 30 kWh per 100 miles. In California that costs about $3.30 to $6.50 per 100 miles charging off-peak on SDG&E EV-TOU-5, PG&E EV2-A or SCE TOU-D-PRIME, and $13.50 to $20 per 100 miles if you charge between 4 and 9 p.m. |
Key takeaways
- Battery size is a rough guide. Tesla does not publish exact pack sizes, and EPA kWh per 100 miles is the number that matches your bill.
- In California, when you charge matters more than which Tesla you drive. SDG&E’s peak price is about 6 times its overnight price.
- A typical 12,000-mile year uses about 3,000 kWh, or $390 to $780 off-peak at home.
- About 5 modern solar panels (roughly 2 kW) produce what that car uses in a year.
- Model S and Model X production ended in 2026. This guide focuses on the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck.
Most “how many kWh to charge a Tesla” answers start with the battery. That is the wrong place to start in California. Two Model Y owners with the same car can pay $390 or $2,400 a year to drive it, depending only on the hour they plug in. We install home chargers and solar for Tesla owners from San Diego to Sacramento, and the charging schedule is the first thing we set, before anyone talks about panels.
How many kWh does a Tesla need for a full charge?
A 2026 Model 3 or Model Y needs about 70 to 90 kWh from the wall to go from empty to full. Tesla does not publish pack sizes, so the figures below are industry estimates from regulatory filings and teardowns, with about 10% added for charging losses. The Cybertruck is the exception: its EPA filing lists a 122.4 kWh pack.
Table 1. Tesla battery size and energy needed for a full charge (2026)
| Model (2026) | Est. battery (kWh) | Wall kWh, 0 to 100% | EPA wall kWh per 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 Standard RWD | ~60 to 69 | ~67 to 77 | 24 |
| Model 3 Premium RWD | ~79 to 82 | ~88 to 91 | 25 |
| Model 3 Premium AWD | ~79 to 82 | ~88 to 91 | 26 |
| Model 3 Performance | ~79 to 82 | ~88 to 91 | 30 |
| Model Y Standard RWD | ~60 to 69 | ~67 to 77 | 25 |
| Model Y Premium AWD | ~78 to 81 | ~87 to 90 | 27 |
| Cybertruck | 122.4 (EPA filing) | ~136 | See EPA label |
| Model S / Model X (production ended 2026) | ~100 | ~111 | See EPA label |
Battery sizes are estimates; Tesla does not publish them. kWh per 100 miles are EPA wall-to-wheel ratings as reported for 2026 models (Model 3 Standard: 24 kWh/100 mi per EPA; other trims converted from EPA miles-per-kWh). Wall kWh assumes about 10% charging loss.
Why the wall number is bigger than the battery
Some energy is lost as heat in the charger, the cables and the battery itself, typically around 10% on a Level 2 home charger and more on a standard 120 volt outlet. The EPA kWh-per-100-mile ratings already include those losses, which is why they are the best number for estimating your bill. Multiply your monthly miles by that figure and you have your monthly kWh.
How much does it cost to charge a Tesla at home in California?
For a Model Y Standard using 25 kWh per 100 miles, home charging costs $3.28 per 100 miles on SDG&E EV-TOU-5 super off-peak, $5.75 on PG&E EV2-A off-peak, and $6.50 on SCE TOU-D-PRIME off-peak in summer 2026. The same miles charged at 4 to 9 p.m. cost 2 to 6 times more.
Table 2. Cost to charge a Tesla at home in California by rate plan (Model Y Standard, 25 kWh per 100 mi)
| Utility plan and period | Price per kWh | Per 100 miles | 12,000 miles a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDG&E EV-TOU-5, super off-peak | 13.1¢ | $3.28 | $393 |
| PG&E EV2-A, off-peak (12 a.m. to 3 p.m.), summer | 23¢ | $5.75 | $690 |
| SCE TOU-D-PRIME, off-peak (winter / summer) | 24¢ / 26¢ | $6.00 / $6.50 | $720 to $780 |
| PG&E EV2-A, peak (4 to 9 p.m.), summer | 54¢ | $13.50 | $1,620 |
| SCE TOU-D-PRIME, peak (4 to 9 p.m.), summer | 59¢ | $14.75 | $1,770 |
| SDG&E EV-TOU-5, on-peak (4 to 9 p.m.) | 80.2¢ | $20.05 | $2,406 |
Sources: PG&E EV rate plans (summer 2026 prices), SCE Time-of-Use plans, SDG&E EV-TOU-5 schedule effective August 1, 2026. Excludes fixed Base Services Charges (SCE lists $0.79 per day). 12,000 miles a year is an illustrative assumption.
[CHART: bar chart. Title: “Cost per 100 miles to charge a Tesla in California, off-peak vs peak (2026)”. Categories: SDG&E EV-TOU-5, PG&E EV2-A, SCE TOU-D-PRIME. Series 1 off-peak: $3.28, $5.75, $6.50. Series 2 peak: $20.05, $13.50, $14.75. Source: utility tariff pages. Alt text: “Tesla home charging cost per 100 miles by California utility, peak vs off-peak”.]
Takeaway: on SDG&E, the difference between charging at midnight and charging at 6 p.m. is about $2,000 a year for the same car.
The regular (non-EV) plans cost more off-peak. SCE’s TOU-D-4-9PM plan, for example, is 34 cents off-peak in summer before its baseline credit. If you drive a Tesla and are not on an EV plan, that single switch is usually the biggest saving available. PG&E’s EV2-A also works with the CARE and FERA discounts, according to PG&E.
Want the full picture on EV charging across makes? See our guide to how much it costs to charge an electric vehicle, or run your own numbers in the NRG EV savings calculator.
How much does a full Tesla charge cost at home vs a Supercharger?
A full charge of a Model 3 Premium costs about $12 on SDG&E super off-peak, $21 on PG&E EV2-A off-peak, and about $45 at a Supercharger priced at 50 cents per kWh. Supercharger prices vary by site and time of day, and California sites are among the most expensive in the country, so check the price shown in the car before you plug in.
Table 3. Cost of a full charge (0 to 100%) by Tesla model
| Model | Wall kWh (est.) | SDG&E super off-peak (13.1¢) | PG&E EV2-A off-peak (23¢) | Supercharger at 50¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 / Model Y Standard | ~72 | $9.43 | $16.56 | $36 |
| Model Y Premium | ~88 | $11.53 | $20.24 | $44 |
| Model 3 Premium / Performance | ~90 | $11.79 | $20.70 | $45 |
| Model S / Model X | ~111 | $14.54 | $25.53 | $56 |
| Cybertruck | ~136 | $17.82 | $31.28 | $68 |
50 cents per kWh is an illustrative Supercharger price, not a quote. Tesla sets prices per site and time of day and displays them in the vehicle and app. Few drivers charge from 0 to 100%; scale down for a typical 20 to 80% session.
How long does it take to charge a Tesla at home?
On a Level 2 home charger, most 2026 Model 3 and Model Y Premium trims can fill up overnight in about 8 hours, because they accept 11.5 kW. The Model 3 Standard has a 7.7 kW onboard charger, so its empty-to-full charge takes closer to 9 to 10 hours.
Table 4. Tesla charging speed by charger type
| Charger | Power | Range added per hour | Empty to full, ~90 kWh car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, standard 120 V outlet | ~1.4 kW | ~4 to 6 miles | 2 to 3 days |
| Level 2, 32 A on a 40 A circuit | 7.7 kW | ~25 to 30 miles | ~12 hours |
| Level 2, 48 A Wall Connector on a 60 A circuit | 11.5 kW | ~40 to 45 miles | ~8 hours |
| Supercharger (DC fast) | Up to 250 kW (225 kW on Standard trims) | Hundreds of miles | About 10 to 80% in 25 to 35 minutes |
Range per hour estimated from EPA consumption figures. Actual speeds vary with battery temperature and state of charge.
The good news for California owners: the cheap windows are long. PG&E’s EV2-A off-peak runs from midnight to 3 p.m., 15 hours a day, so even a car limited to 7.7 kW fully recharges without touching peak. Our guide to EV charger installation costs in California covers panel capacity, permits and utility rebates. Note that the federal 30C credit for home chargers applied only to property placed in service by June 30, 2026, per the IRS.
How many solar panels does it take to charge a Tesla?
About 5 panels, or 2 kW of solar, for a Tesla driven 12,000 miles a year. That car uses about 3,000 kWh annually, and each kW of solar on a good California roof produces roughly 1,450 to 1,800 kWh a year. At NRG’s current range of $2.40 to $3.25 per watt, those panels add roughly $4,800 to $6,500 to a system.
Spread over 25 years of production, that works out to about 7 to 9 cents per kWh in our modeling (cash purchase, 0.5% yearly panel degradation, before maintenance). Compare that with 23 to 26 cents off-peak from PG&E or SCE, which is not locked for 25 years. The state’s ratepayer advocate reports average residential rates of 33.7 cents at PG&E and 34.4 cents at SCE as of June 2026, per the CPUC Public Advocates Office. Note that the federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025, so purchased systems no longer receive it.
The NEM 3.0 catch: when the car is home matters
Under California’s Net Billing Tariff, the solar you export at noon earns a small credit, roughly 5 to 8 cents per kWh on average, while the power you buy back to charge at night costs 23 cents or more. That creates three very different outcomes:
- Car home during the day (remote work, retirees, second car): charge straight from the panels between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. You use nearly every solar kWh at full value.
- Car away all day, charged at night on an EV plan: the panels still pay, but most of their value comes from covering the house, not the car. The cheap night rate does the rest.
- Car charged in the evening with no EV plan: the most expensive pattern. A home battery that fills from solar during the day and covers 4 to 9 p.m. loads fixes much of it.
Tesla owners often ask whether to charge the car from a Powerwall. Usually not: a 13.5 kWh battery is better spent covering the house through the peak, while the car charges on cheap overnight power. See Powerwall 3 expansion options and solar battery costs for the storage side, and current solar panel costs in California for full-system pricing.
How can I lower my Tesla charging costs in California?
Switch to your utility’s EV rate, schedule charging in the car, and avoid 4 to 9 p.m. Those three steps matter more than anything else on this list.
- Move to an EV plan: PG&E EV2-A, SCE TOU-D-PRIME or SDG&E EV-TOU-5. Each utility has a rate comparison tool in your online account.
- Use Scheduled Charging in the Tesla app so the car starts after the peak ends, even if you plug in at 6 p.m.
- Follow Tesla’s charge-limit guidance for your battery: many owners set a daily limit around 80%, while cars with LFP batteries (common on Standard trims) are designed to charge to 100% regularly. Check the recommendation shown in your car.
- Treat Superchargers as a road-trip tool, and start sessions in off-peak windows when the site offers them.
- Precondition while plugged in on cold mornings so the battery warms from grid power, not from range.
Frequently asked questions
How many kWh does it take to charge a Tesla Model Y?
About 67 to 90 kWh from the wall for a full charge, depending on trim, and about 25 to 27 kWh for every 100 miles of driving.
How much does it cost to charge a Tesla at home in California?
About $3.30 to $6.50 per 100 miles on off-peak EV rates in 2026, or $390 to $780 a year for 12,000 miles. Charging from 4 to 9 p.m. can push that above $1,600 a year.
Is it cheaper to charge a Tesla than to buy gas in California?
Yes at home off-peak, by a wide margin. At Superchargers priced around 50 cents per kWh, the cost per mile gets much closer to an efficient gas car, so fast charging is best kept for trips.
Can I charge a Tesla on a regular outlet?
Yes, with the mobile connector, but a 120 volt outlet adds only about 4 to 6 miles per hour. It works if you drive under about 30 miles a day. Most owners install a 240 volt Level 2 charger.
Does it matter what time I charge my Tesla?
In California it matters more than almost anything else. On SDG&E EV-TOU-5 the 4 to 9 p.m. price is about 6 times the super off-peak price.
How many solar panels do I need to charge a Tesla?
About 5 modern panels (2 kW) for 12,000 miles a year. Size the full system around your home and car together, since both run on the same meter.
Charge your Tesla on your own power
NRG Clean Power is a Tesla Certified Installer with more than 30 years in California (CSLB license #1026168). We install home EV chargers, solar and batteries, and we will size all three around how and when you actually drive. Get a quote in 2 minutes, or check how many kWh per day is normal for a California home once an EV is added.
Sources
- PG&E, Electric Vehicle rate plans (EV2-A, EV-B)
- Southern California Edison, Time-of-Use rate plans including TOU-D-PRIME
- CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report
- IRS, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C)
- U.S. EPA fuel economy ratings for 2026 Tesla models (fueleconomy.gov)