EV Road Trip Cost Calculator
Estimate what an electric-car road trip costs to charge, adjust for cold-weather range loss, and compare it to a gas car.
How it works
effective mi/kWh = efficiency × (1 − cold loss%) · kWh = distance ÷ effective mi/kWh · EV cost = kWh × charge $/kWh · gas cost = distance ÷ MPG × gas price
An EV’s trip cost is the energy it uses times what you pay per kilowatt-hour, and cold weather is the big variable on a road trip: heating the cabin and a chilled battery cut real efficiency, so the effective miles-per-kWh drops and the same distance takes more energy. Public DC fast chargers cost several times a home rate, which is why a road-trip cost can rival gas even though home charging is cheap. The gas comparison converts the same distance into gallons at your car’s MPG and pump price, so the two sit side by side on the same trip.
Worked example
A 300-mile trip at 3.5 mi/kWh with no cold loss uses 300 ÷ 3.5 = 85.7 kWh; at $0.40 per kWh that is about $34.29 to charge. A 30 MPG gas car covers the same 300 miles on 10 gallons, costing $35.00 at $3.50 a gallon — so the EV saves about $0.71, roughly $0.114 per mile against gas at $0.117.
Frequently asked questions
How much does cold weather cut EV range?
Real-world testing commonly shows 10–30% less range in freezing temperatures, driven mostly by cabin heating and a cold battery that accepts and delivers energy less efficiently. Preconditioning the battery while plugged in and using seat heaters over cabin heat recover some of it, but plan a winter road trip around the reduced figure.
Why is fast charging so much more than home charging?
Home electricity often runs $0.12–$0.20 per kWh, while highway DC fast chargers commonly charge $0.40–$0.60 per kWh to cover the hardware, demand fees and convenience. On a long trip that leans on fast chargers, the per-mile cost can approach a gas car’s — the EV’s big savings come from cheap overnight home charging.
Does this include charging losses?
It uses your stated efficiency directly, so it reflects energy delivered to the wheels. In practice a few percent is lost as heat during charging, so your actual kWh billed runs slightly above this. For a conservative budget, nudge the charging cost up a little or shave the efficiency down.
Related calculators
Educational estimate only — energy rates, weather and real-world efficiency vary, so treat the figures as a planning guide, not a quote.