How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car in DC? Today

Each row uses the EPA combined efficiency of a model's main trim, measured at the wall, and DC's average price of 21.92 cents per kWh. The list runs from the most efficient to the least.

Source: U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov, read October 10, 2026, and U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Real efficiency changes with speed, weather and load, and your own plan may differ from the state average.

The table shows the price of gasoline at which a gas car costs the same per mile as the average electric model charged at home in DC. If gas near you costs more, charging at home is cheaper per mile.

Compared with the US average price, home charging in DC costs about $188 more a year over 12,000 miles. Gas prices change weekly, so use the local price you see. To test your own car, use the EV charging cost calculator.

Source: DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center, station counts by state, as of October 10, 2026. Counts include legacy chargers and exclude home charging. Homes come from EIA residential customers.

Public fast chargers usually cost more per kWh than home electricity, and prices vary by network, so budget for them separately. Our DC fast charging cost page shows what-if prices, and the Level 2 page covers charging at home or at work.

No DC utility in the 2025 EIA filings reports a residential time-of-use program that we could match to a profile. Ask your own utility whether an overnight rate or an EV plan exists, because some offer plans outside this reporting.

Read time-of-use rates explained, then test a plan against your habits with the time-of-use rate calculator.

Home charging costs follow the electric price, so states with close prices have close costs. These are the four states nearest to DC in 2025 average residential price.

Cost per mile is kWh per mile times price per kWh. We take kWh per 100 miles from EPA records for each model, which already include charging losses, and divide by 100. The price is the DC average residential price for 2025, which includes fixed charges spread over every kWh. The average of the 17 models is 33.4 kWh per 100 miles.