One Tesla driver shared his calculations after comparing the cost of charging his electric vehicle to the equivalent cost of gas for an internal combustion engine car.
On YouTube, content creator and electric car reviewer Ben Gjebre (@Gjeebs) broke down what he spent on charging his Tesla Model Y over 50,000 miles and roughly two-and-a-half years.
In his review, Ben noted that he accessed his charging history through the Tesla app and exported it into an Excel spreadsheet to crunch the numbers.
While he admitted he didn't use a Tesla Supercharger station every time, he calculated the average cost at a Supercharger from those specific visits.
The total energy consumed was 6,954 kilowatt-hours. While charging rates varied, the average was 34.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. In total, Ben calculated that he spent $2,385.34.
For reference, Ben stated that it accounted for about half of what a gas car would have cost to fuel, based on the average fuel price and the number of miles driven.
Factors such as the gas car's efficiency could also skew the total amount spent on gas, although the savings from EV charging were still sizable.
While it is widely accepted that the cost per mile for an EV is about half that of a gas car, it is likely that an error occurred in Ben's calculations if his data showed so few kilowatt-hours over 50,000 miles. The Tesla Model Y has a rating of about 120 miles per gallon equivalent, meaning, with a generous estimate of 4.5 miles per kWh, that's about 31,500 miles of driving.
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However, he is not wrong about the massive savings compared to an ICE vehicle.
For example, the fuel-efficient 2025 Toyota Corolla averages about 35 miles per gallon. With U.S. gas prices at about $4, that means gas for the Corolla after 50,000 miles costs about $5,714. After 30,000 miles, that's $3,428.
Arguably, one of the most important factors in low charging costs is charging at home, which Ben denoted as the "key," given that drivers can get special rates from utility companies specifically for their EVs. Drivers can also get a significant discount by charging their EVs when energy demand is low, such as late at night.
Ben recalled paying about 14 cents per kilowatt-hour on average, but when charging at night, he paid only 8 or 9 cents per kilowatt-hour. With the top at-home charging cost average applied to his 50,000 miles, Ben will have only spent $973 — about 40% of the cost of charging from public Superchargers across the country.
The cost breakdown goes to show that not only is EV charging considerably cheaper than fueling a gas car, but that charging at home can also take your savings to the next level.
If you're interested in saving money by charging your EV at home, Qmerit is a great way to get started. Homeowners can get free estimates for charger installations by just answering a few questions about their electrical panel and garage setup.
Pairing at-home charging with home solar can further enhance your savings by reducing reliance on an energy provider, ultimately lowering charging costs.
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Commenters on the video shared their own experiences with saving money through EV charging.
"Last 12 months of my Model 3 5,695 kWh used," one user shared. "For comparison 95% of my charging is at home and at the $.14 Gjeebs mentioned which is what I pay: Yearly charging = $815."
"My M3 12 month total of about 22k miles was 4894 kwh and $825, savings of about $1500 over gas," another said. "About 3 or 4 cents a mile charging at home."
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