Last updated: October 28, 2026 · By Oren Tamir, Founder & CEO, NRG Clean Power
Quick answer: In California in 2026, charging an EV at home costs about $3.70 to $10 per 100 miles, or $37 to $101 a month for 1,000 miles. The low end is SDG&E’s EV-TOU-5 super off-peak price (12.3 to 13.1 cents per kWh). The high end is the state’s average residential price (33.6 cents per kWh). Gas at $5.89 a gallon costs about $196 for the same 1,000 miles.
Here is the thing most EV cost calculators get wrong for California: the car matters less than the clock. On the same SDG&E plan, the same 1,000 miles costs about $39 if you charge after midnight and about $241 if you plug in at 6 p.m. in summer. Across our installs from San Diego to the Bay Area, the households that save the most on an EV are not the ones with the most efficient car. They are the ones who picked the right rate plan and set a charging schedule.
Run your own numbers first with our EV savings calculator, then use the tables below to see where your utility lands.
Key takeaways
- Home charging in California ranges from about 12 cents to 80 cents per kWh depending on utility, plan and hour. The time of day changes your cost more than the car does.
- Off-peak, a typical EV costs $37 to $90 a month to drive 1,000 miles on an EV rate plan, versus about $196 in gas.
- Public DC fast charging in California often runs around 64 cents per kWh, which makes it about as expensive as gas.
- The federal 30C home charger credit expired for equipment placed in service after June 30, 2026.
- About 2 to 2.5 kW of extra solar covers 1,000 EV miles a month, but under NEM 3.0 the savings depend on when the car charges.
How much does it cost to charge an EV in California?
At California’s average residential price of 33.61 cents per kWh, an EV costs about $10.08 per 100 miles, or about 10 cents a mile. That figure is the EIA average for July 2026, and it is the price you pay if you charge without paying attention to the time.
The math is simple. Multiply your car’s efficiency by your price:
Cost per 100 miles = kWh per 100 miles x price per kWh
We use 30 kWh per 100 miles as a planning number. That covers a typical midsize EV plus the charging losses at the wall. A Tesla Model 3 runs lower, a large SUV or truck runs higher. You can look up your car’s rating on FuelEconomy.gov. If you drive a Tesla, our guide to how many kWh it takes to charge a Tesla has the model-by-model numbers.
Filling a 60 kWh battery from empty costs about $20 at the state average, about $13.50 on PG&E’s EV2-A off-peak price, and about $7.40 to $7.90 on SDG&E’s EV-TOU-5 super off-peak price.
What does it cost to charge an electric car at home on each California utility?
Charging at home costs 12 to 30 cents per kWh off-peak on California’s EV and time-of-use plans, and 45 to 80 cents per kWh at the 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. peak. Here is what that means per 100 miles and per 1,000 miles on each big utility’s EV-friendly plan.
California EV charging cost at home by utility and rate plan (2026)
| Utility and plan | Cheapest charging window | Price per kWh | Cost per 100 miles | Cost for 1,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG&E EV-TOU-5 | Super off-peak, midnight to 6 a.m. (plus 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays) | 12.3 to 13.1 cents | $3.70 to $3.93 | $37 to $39 |
| PG&E EV2-A | Off-peak, midnight to 3 p.m. | 22.6 cents | $6.77 | $68 |
| SCE TOU-D-PRIME (winter) | Super off-peak, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 24 cents | $7.20 | $72 |
| SCE TOU-D-PRIME (winter) | Off-peak, 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. | 30 cents | $9.00 | $90 |
| SCE TOU-D-PRIME (summer) | Off-peak, all hours outside 4 to 9 p.m. | 26 cents | $7.80 | $78 |
| California average, no plan strategy | Any time | 33.6 cents | $10.08 | $101 |
| PG&E EV2-A (summer) | Peak, 4 to 9 p.m. | 53.8 cents | $16.14 | $161 |
| SDG&E EV-TOU-5 (summer) | On-peak, 4 to 9 p.m. | 80.2 cents | $24.06 | $241 |
Source: PG&E Schedule EV2 tariff (energy rates effective June 1, 2026), SDG&E EV-TOU-5 total rates table (effective August 1, 2026), SCE TOU-D-PRIME rates per SCE’s time-of-use plans page (checked October 2026). Cost math assumes 30 kWh per 100 miles.
A few things the table does not show:
- Fixed daily charges are separate. PG&E now bills a daily Base Services Charge by income tier, from about $0.20 to $0.79 a day. SDG&E’s is $0.79 a day, and SCE’s is about $0.79 a day. You pay these with or without an EV, so they do not change your charging cost.
- Community choice providers change the price. If your power comes from a CCA such as Clean Power Alliance or San Diego Community Power, your generation price differs. Use your provider’s joint rate comparison.
- LADWP works differently. LADWP’s time-of-use Schedule R-1B puts its cheapest Base period at 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays and all weekend. It also gives a 2.5 cent per kWh EV discount on top, per the LADWP electric rates schedule. LADWP adds monthly adjustment factors to its base energy charge, so check your bill for your all-in price. Even so, LADWP customers are usually at the low end of California charging costs.
Your plan is the biggest lever. For a full breakdown of PG&E’s options, see our guide to current PG&E rate plans. SCE customers can compare SCE rate plans.
What does it cost to charge an electric car at home per month?
Most California drivers spend $37 to $101 a month to charge at home for 1,000 miles, depending on plan and timing. Here it is by mileage.
Monthly EV charging cost in California by miles driven (2026)
| Miles per month | kWh needed | California average (33.6 cents) | PG&E EV2-A off-peak (22.6 cents) | SDG&E EV-TOU-5 super off-peak (13.1 cents) | Gas at $5.89/gal, 30 mpg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 150 | $50 | $34 | $20 | $98 |
| 750 | 225 | $76 | $51 | $29 | $147 |
| 1,000 | 300 | $101 | $68 | $39 | $196 |
| 1,250 | 375 | $126 | $85 | $49 | $245 |
| 1,500 | 450 | $151 | $102 | $59 | $294 |
Source: rates from the PG&E and SDG&E tariffs above and the EIA July 2026 California average; gas from the EIA weekly California retail price, $5.888 per gallon for the week of October 26, 2026.
The easiest way to lower the cost to charge an electric car at home is also free: set the car’s charging schedule to start after midnight, then forget about it.
When is the cheapest time to charge an EV in California?
For most California homes, the cheapest time to charge an EV is after midnight. On SCE’s winter schedule and SDG&E’s newer weekday window, midday is cheap too. The one window to avoid on every utility is 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- PG&E EV2-A: Off-peak is every hour outside 3 p.m. to midnight, all year, weekends included. The off-peak price is the same in summer and winter (22.6 cents). Peak is 4 to 9 p.m., and part-peak covers 3 to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight.
- SCE TOU-D-PRIME: In winter (October to May), the cheapest hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 24 cents. That favors daytime charging, which pairs well with solar. In summer, everything outside 4 to 9 p.m. is off-peak at 26 cents.
- SDG&E EV-TOU-5: Super off-peak runs midnight to 6 a.m. every day, plus 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, at about 12 to 13 cents. The weekday midday window has been year-round since May 1, 2026 (approved in SDG&E’s April 1 rate change), per KPBS. SDG&E’s pricing plans page lists EV-TOU-5 among the plans with the midday window.
- LADWP R-1B: The Base period runs 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.
When an EV plan beats a standard time-of-use plan: on PG&E, EV2-A beats E-TOU-C for most EV households because its off-peak price applies to the whole house, not just the car. Your dishwasher, pool pump and laundry also get the cheap rate if you run them after midnight. If your home’s usage is heavy in late afternoon and you rarely charge, the standard plan can still win. PG&E’s rate comparison tool on your account will run both.
Is home charging cheaper than public fast charging in California?
Yes, by a wide margin. Home charging off-peak costs 12 to 30 cents per kWh. Public DC fast charging in California often costs 60 cents or more. We checked an Electrify America flagship station in San Francisco at $0.64 per kWh in August 2026 (DCFC Tracker). At that price, 1,000 miles costs about $192, almost the same as gas.
How the three charging levels compare:
- Level 1 (a regular 120 V outlet): adds about 5 miles of range per hour, per the U.S. Department of Energy. That is fine for 30 to 40 miles a day if the car sits overnight.
- Level 2 (240 V home charger): adds about 25 miles of range per hour. A Level 2 charger is what lets you fit all your charging into a cheap overnight window. See what it costs in our guide to the cost to install a home EV charger in California.
- DC fast charging (public): best for road trips. It is not a good plan for everyday charging in California.
Federal charger credit update: the federal 30C credit for home EV chargers (30% up to $1,000) covered equipment in eligible census tracts placed in service through June 30, 2026, per the Alternative Fuels Data Center. A charger installed after that date does not qualify. Some California utilities and cities still run their own charger rebates, so check your utility before you buy.
Is charging an EV cheaper than gas in California?
Yes. Charging at home costs about half as much as gas at California’s average electricity price, and about a fifth as much on the cheapest overnight EV plan.
Charging off-peak at home costs a third to a fifth as much as gas. Public fast charging erases most of that savings.
California gas averaged $5.888 a gallon in the week of October 26, 2026, against $4.269 nationally, per the EIA. At 30 mpg, that is about 19.6 cents a mile. A California EV charged at the state average costs about 10 cents a mile. On PG&E EV2-A off-peak it costs about 6.8 cents, and on SDG&E super off-peak about 3.9 cents.
How much solar do you need to charge an EV in California?
About 2 to 2.5 kW of extra solar covers 1,000 EV miles a month. That is roughly 5 to 6 modern 420 W panels.
The math: 1,000 miles a month at 30 kWh per 100 miles is 300 kWh a month, or 3,600 kWh a year. A solar panel system in California produces roughly 1,400 to 1,700 kWh per installed kW per year, depending on your city and roof. You can run your exact address in NREL’s PVWatts calculator. So 3,600 kWh needs about 2.1 to 2.6 kW of panels.
The catch is NEM 3.0. Under California’s current net billing tariff, solar you export to the grid at midday earns credits at avoided-cost rates set by the CPUC. Those are far below what you pay for power at night. If your panels make power at noon and your car charges at midnight, much of that solar value is lost. Three setups fix this:
- Charge during the day when you can. If the car is home at midday (remote work, a second car), schedule charging for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and it runs straight off your panels. SCE’s winter super off-peak window lines up with this.
- Add a home battery. The battery stores midday solar and feeds the house in the evening peak, so your overnight EV charging stays on the cheap off-peak rate. See our home battery backup options.
- Size the system for your real load. An EV adds about 10 kWh a day to a typical home. Our guide to how many kWh per day is normal shows where that puts you.
Frequently asked questions
Filling a 60 kWh battery from empty costs about $20 at California’s 33.6 cent average price, about $13.50 on PG&E EV2-A off-peak, and about $7.40 to $7.90 on SDG&E EV-TOU-5 super off-peak. Most drivers top up rather than charge from empty, so a typical overnight session costs a few dollars.
Yes, when you charge at home. At $5.89 a gallon, gas costs about $196 per 1,000 miles in a 30 mpg car. Home charging costs about $37 to $101 for the same miles. Relying on public DC fast charging at around 64 cents per kWh brings the cost close to gas.
On PG&E’s EV2-A plan, off-peak power is 22.6 cents per kWh. A Tesla Model 3 or Model Y using about 28 to 30 kWh per 100 miles, charging losses included, costs about $6.30 to $6.80 per 100 miles. That is roughly $65 a month for 1,000 miles.
Yes. A standard 120 V outlet (Level 1) adds about 5 miles of range per hour, so a 10-hour overnight charge adds about 50 miles. That works if you drive under about 40 miles a day. For more, or to fit charging into a short off-peak window, a 240 V Level 2 charger is the better choice.
A Level 2 charger adds about 25 miles of range per hour, so most drivers recover a day’s driving in 1 to 3 hours. A full charge from near empty takes about 6 to 10 hours depending on the battery and charger size. Overnight off-peak windows on every California utility are long enough for that.
Yes. About 2 to 2.5 kW of extra solar produces enough energy in a year for 1,000 miles a month. Under NEM 3.0 you get the most value by charging at midday or by adding a battery, because exported solar earns much less than the power you buy at night.
Ready to cut what you pay to drive?
If you are adding an EV, the right rate plan, a Level 2 charger and the right amount of solar can bring your driving cost close to zero. We install all three as one project. See our EV charger installation service, or get a quote in 2 minutes and we will size the system around your car and your utility.