EV charging cost & time calculator

To estimate EV charging cost, take the energy you add (battery kWh times the share you fill), divide by charging efficiency to get the energy drawn from the wall, and multiply by your electricity rate. Charging time is that wall energy divided by the charger's power: 1.44 kW for a 120V, 12A outlet, 7.68 to 11.52 kW for a 32A to 48A Level 2 charger on 240V.

Updated

Charging level

240V charger on a 50A circuit, e.g. a NEMA 14-50 plug-in unit.

Cost for this charge

$7.36

36.0 kWh added

Time to charge

4 hr 16 min

at 9.6 kW, 88% efficiency

A full 0–100% charge

$12.27

68 kWh from the wall

Cost and time both use energy drawn from the wall, which is the energy added divided by the efficiency above. The charging level changes speed, not cost — a bigger charger fills the same kWh faster for the same money. Level 2 times assume your car's onboard charger accepts the charger's full rate; if it accepts less, the car's limit sets the time. The biggest real savings lever is charging on an off-peak time-of-use rate.

Next step

The charger you install decides your charging speed and whether you can schedule off-peak sessions. See our scored Level 2 home chargers and the home charger buying guide, or read what it costs to charge an EV at home.

Common questions

How do you calculate the cost to charge an EV?
Divide the kilowatt-hours you add to the battery by the charging efficiency to get the energy drawn from the wall, then multiply by your electricity rate in dollars per kWh. Charging is not perfectly efficient, so the wall delivers more energy than the battery stores. For example, adding 40 kWh at 16 cents per kWh, with the calculator's default 88% efficiency assumption, costs about $7.27.
How long does it take to charge an EV at home?
Divide the energy drawn from the wall by the charger's power. Adding 40 kWh at the default 88% efficiency assumption takes about 31 hours 34 minutes on a 120V, 12A outlet (1.44 kW), about 5 hours 55 minutes on a 240V, 32A charger (7.68 kW), 4 hours 44 minutes at 40A (9.6 kW) and 3 hours 57 minutes at 48A (11.52 kW), provided the car's onboard charger can accept that rate.
Does a faster charger cost more to charge?
No. A Level 2 charger fills the battery faster than a Level 1 outlet, but the energy — and therefore the cost — is the same. You are paying for kilowatt-hours, not for speed. The only thing a bigger charger changes is how long you wait.
Is it cheaper to charge at home or at a public station?
Home is almost always far cheaper. Residential electricity typically costs a fraction of what public DC fast chargers charge per kWh, and you avoid session and idle fees. Public fast charging is for road trips; home charging is where the savings live.
What is the cheapest time to charge an EV?
If your utility offers time-of-use rates, charge overnight during the off-peak window. Off-peak rates are often a fraction of peak rates, and most home chargers and vehicles can be scheduled to start automatically. Shifting your charging to off-peak is usually the single biggest way to cut cost.
Why is the wall energy higher than the battery energy?
Some energy is lost as heat in the charger, the cable, and the battery during charging, and the car runs cooling and electronics while it charges. The size of that overhead varies by car, charger and conditions, so the calculator treats efficiency as an adjustable assumption (88% by default) and bases both cost and time on the energy drawn from the wall.