EV vs Gas: Cost Per Mile by State
What a mile actually costs — electric (charging at home) vs gas — in every state. Gas side: AAA regular averages (7/24/26) ÷ 26 MPG. EV side: EIA residential electricity rates (May 2026) ÷ 3.5mi/kWh. Home charging only — public fast charging costs 2–4× more and has no clean public data, so we don’t guess at it.
Nationally: gas ≈ 15.8¢/mi vs EV ≈ 5.3¢/mi — driving electric costs about 33% as much per mile.
| # | State | Gas ¢/mi | EV ¢/mi | EV saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 19.6¢ | 4.3¢ | 15.3¢/mi |
| 2 | Nevada | 18.2¢ | 3.9¢ | 14.3¢/mi |
| 3 | Oregon | 17.8¢ | 4.6¢ | 13.1¢/mi |
| 4 | Idaho | 16.3¢ | 3.5¢ | 12.7¢/mi |
| 5 | Arizona | 16.7¢ | 4.4¢ | 12.4¢/mi |
| 6 | Utah | 16.0¢ | 3.7¢ | 12.3¢/mi |
| 7 | Montana | 16.5¢ | 4.2¢ | 12.3¢/mi |
| 8 | California | 21.5¢ | 9.5¢ | 12.0¢/mi |
| 9 | Wyoming | 15.9¢ | 4.2¢ | 11.7¢/mi |
| 10 | Nebraska | 15.4¢ | 3.9¢ | 11.5¢/mi |
| 11 | New Mexico | 15.5¢ | 4.0¢ | 11.5¢/mi |
| 12 | Colorado | 15.9¢ | 4.6¢ | 11.3¢/mi |
| 13 | North Dakota | 15.0¢ | 3.9¢ | 11.2¢/mi |
| 14 | South Dakota | 15.5¢ | 4.5¢ | 11.0¢/mi |
| 15 | Florida | 15.3¢ | 4.3¢ | 11.0¢/mi |
| 16 | Missouri | 14.8¢ | 3.9¢ | 10.9¢/mi |
| 17 | Minnesota | 15.6¢ | 4.8¢ | 10.7¢/mi |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 14.6¢ | 3.8¢ | 10.7¢/mi |
| 19 | Iowa | 14.6¢ | 4.0¢ | 10.6¢/mi |
| 20 | Arkansas | 14.6¢ | 4.1¢ | 10.5¢/mi |
| 21 | Delaware | 16.0¢ | 5.5¢ | 10.4¢/mi |
| 22 | Georgia | 14.9¢ | 4.5¢ | 10.4¢/mi |
| 23 | North Carolina | 14.7¢ | 4.3¢ | 10.4¢/mi |
| 24 | Virginia | 15.4¢ | 5.0¢ | 10.3¢/mi |
| 25 | Kentucky | 14.5¢ | 4.3¢ | 10.2¢/mi |
| 26 | Tennessee | 14.3¢ | 4.1¢ | 10.2¢/mi |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 16.3¢ | 6.2¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 28 | Kansas | 14.5¢ | 4.3¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 29 | West Virginia | 14.9¢ | 4.8¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 30 | Alaska | 18.2¢ | 8.1¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 31 | Louisiana | 14.2¢ | 4.0¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 32 | Michigan | 16.4¢ | 6.3¢ | 10.1¢/mi |
| 33 | South Carolina | 14.6¢ | 4.6¢ | 10.0¢/mi |
| 34 | Maryland | 16.1¢ | 6.2¢ | 9.9¢/mi |
| 35 | Alabama | 14.5¢ | 4.8¢ | 9.7¢/mi |
| 36 | Illinois | 16.4¢ | 6.8¢ | 9.6¢/mi |
| 37 | Texas | 14.3¢ | 4.7¢ | 9.6¢/mi |
| 38 | Ohio | 15.1¢ | 5.6¢ | 9.5¢/mi |
| 39 | Mississippi | 14.1¢ | 4.6¢ | 9.5¢/mi |
| 40 | New Jersey | 16.1¢ | 6.6¢ | 9.4¢/mi |
| 41 | Wisconsin | 14.9¢ | 5.6¢ | 9.3¢/mi |
| 42 | Vermont | 16.2¢ | 7.1¢ | 9.1¢/mi |
| 43 | District of Columbia | 16.2¢ | 7.3¢ | 9.0¢/mi |
| 44 | Indiana | 13.6¢ | 5.2¢ | 8.4¢/mi |
| 45 | Connecticut | 16.1¢ | 7.8¢ | 8.3¢/mi |
| 46 | New Hampshire | 15.6¢ | 7.8¢ | 7.8¢/mi |
| 47 | New York | 16.2¢ | 8.6¢ | 7.7¢/mi |
| 48 | Massachusetts | 15.8¢ | 8.2¢ | 7.6¢/mi |
| 49 | Maine | 15.7¢ | 8.2¢ | 7.5¢/mi |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 15.8¢ | 8.4¢ | 7.4¢/mi |
| 51 | Hawaii | 20.9¢ | 14.9¢ | 6.0¢/mi |
How to read this
How is cost per mile calculated?
Gas: your state's AAA regular average divided by 26 MPG (a typical real-world fleet figure). EV: your state's average residential electricity rate (EIA, monthly) divided by 3.5 miles per kWh (a typical EV). Change either assumption proportionally for your own vehicle — the state-to-state comparison holds regardless.
Does this include public fast charging?
No — home charging only. Public DC fast charging typically costs 2–4× residential rates and has no clean public data source, so we don't estimate it. If you can't charge at home, your real EV cost per mile will be higher than shown here.
Why do the cheap-gas states change?
Gas prices and electricity rates have different geographies. The Northwest has expensive gas but cheap hydro power; parts of New England pay little more for gas than the South but far more for electricity. Comparing per mile reveals that reshuffle.