Electric car cost per mile vs electric SUVs, electric pickup trucks & more. See cost per mile study results based on all EVs released in the US, below.
Some key data insights:
- The average EV cost per mile is $0.047;
- Costing just $0.03 per mile, the cheapest EV to drive is the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus;
- Overall, EVs cost between $0.03 and $0.157 per mile;
- Interestingly, electric station wagons have the lowest average cost per mile compared to other EV types.
Continue reading to see which electric SUV, electric pickup truck and electric station wagon have the lowest cost per mile.
Data notes: Official government data for all EVs released in the US have been used in this study; The data captures four-wheeled road vehicles only (for example, electric motorbikes, ebikes, electric quad bikes, and electric scooters are not included); The assumed electricity price is based on the typical US residential rate of just over 13 cents per kWh. Readers can enter their unit rate in this electric car cost per mile calculator for custom estimates.
EV cost per mile
EV cost per mile ranges from $0.03 to $0.157, with $0.047 being the average and $0.04 being the most common.
This is based on all EVs available in the US (i.e. over 380 models), and assumes a price per kWh of just over $0.13 (common in the US).
The cost per mile for an EV varies by model, EV type, driving style, weather conditions, the price you pay per kWh of electricity, along with many other factors.
Continue reading to see the top 165 EVs with the cheapest cost per mile, and see how the cost per mile varies by EV type (e.g. electric SUV vs electric pickup truck).
The EV with the lowest cost per mile (i.e. $0.03) is the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. The 2020 Model 3 Standard Range also takes this coveted title.
On the other end of the table, with the highest cost per mile, is the 1998 Chevrolet S10 Electric coming in at over 15 cents per mile.
Over 40 EVs cost $0.047 per mile, which is the average. One example model is the 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Extended.
There are over 86 EVs that achieve the most common cost per mile of $0.04. The 2022 Polestar 2 and the 2022 Lucid Air Dream are examples of EVs that achieve this.
The table below summarizes the EV cost per mile results, and goes one step further by listing the cost per 25 miles, and cost per 15,000 miles (typical US annual mileage).
| EV cost per mile category | Cost per mile | Cost per 25 miles | Cost per 15,000 miles |
| Average | $0.047 | $1.18 | $709.47 |
| Most common | $0.04 | $1 | $600 |
| Lowest | $0.03 | $0.75 | $450 |
| Highest | $0.157 | $3.92 | $2,350 |
These EV cost per mile results are based on official government data for all EVs available in the US, and assume 45% highway & 55% city driving under typical conditions.
How to work out your EV’s cost per mile
To work out the cost per mile for any electric car you need to know the following:
- How much electricity the EV uses per mile; and
- How much you pay per kWh of electricity.
Then, simply multiply both together.
Let’s use the 2022 Tesla Model Y as an example along with the typical price per kWh in the US (i.e. $0.1315). This EV uses 0.260277 kWh of electricity per mile, so we simply multiply this by $0.1315.
The result being a cost per mile of $0.034.
Not interested in doing the math? Use this EV Cost Per Mile Calculator, or simply use the search bar below to find the specs, which includes the cost per mile results, for any EV.
Now that we know how to work out the cost per mile for any EV, and have seen an overall snapshot of the costs for all EVs, let’s drill down further and look at the costs by EV type.
Starting with electric cars, followed by SUVs, pickup trucks and then others.
Cost per mile electric cars
The cost per mile for electric cars ranges from $0.03 to $0.117, with $0.044 being the average and $0.04 being the median.
This is based on all electric car models in all electric car classes.
Continue reading to see the cost per mile by electric car subclass.
The electric car with the lowest cost per mile is the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus costing just 3 cents per mile. This is the lowest cost per mile for all EV types.
The electric car with the highest cost per mile is the 1999 GMC EV1 coming in at $0.117 per mile.
The electric car that achieves the closest to average cost per mile (i.e. $0.044) is the 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40 Gran Coupe, which costs $0.043 per mile.
An example of an electric car with the median cost per mile (i.e. $0.04) is the 2022 Nissan Leaf.
The table below summarizes the results of the cost per mile for electric cars (note: this is a subclass of all EVs, but captures all electric car subclasses).
| Electric car cost per mile category | Cost per mile |
| Average | $0.044 |
| Median | $0.04 |
| Lowest | $0.03 |
| Highest | $0.117 |
Compared to all EV types, the electric car subclass has a slightly lower average cost per mile.
But let’s go one step further and split out all electric cars into their own subclasses to see which type of electric car has the lowest cost per mile.
Electric car cost per mile by vehicle class
The table below lists the cost per mile for each electric car class, arranged from lowest to highest average.
| Electric car classes | Average cost per mile | Median cost per mile | Lowest cost per mile | Highest cost per mile |
| Mini-compact electric cars | $0.039 | $0.04 | $0.037 | $0.043 |
| Subcompact electric cars | $0.041 | $0.04 | $0.037 | $0.06 |
| Midsize electric cars | $0.042 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.06 |
| Large electric cars | $0.045 | $0.043 | $0.033 | $0.063 |
| Two seaters electric cars | $0.048 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.117 |
| Compact electric cars | $0.05 | $0.04 | $0.037 | $0.093 |
| All electric car classes | $0.044 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.117 |
As you can see, mini-compact electric cars have the lowest average cost per mile, followed by subcompact electric cars.
Mid-sized electric cars have the third lowest cost per mile.
These electric car vehicle classes have a cost per mile that’s lower than the overall average for all electric cars.
In other words, their cost per mile is lower than the $0.044 average.
Large, two seater and compact electric car classes have a cost per mile that’s above the average for electric cars.
Interestingly, the median cost per mile for all electric car vehicle classes is the same, excluding the large electric car class.
The electric car with the lowest cost per mile (i.e. the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus) falls into the mid-size category, while the highest is a two seater model.
Now that we know which subclasses of electric cars have the lowest cost per mile, let’s jump back up one level to see how the electric car vehicle type compares with other EV types. Let’s take a look at SUVs first.
Electric SUV cost per mile
Electric SUVs cost between $0.033 and $0.113 per mile, with the average cost per mile being $0.051 and the median being $0.05.
Over 100 all electric SUVs are available in the US today. The cost per mile for each of these have been captured in this study.
The size of the SUV impacts the cost per mile.
Small electric SUVs have an average cost per mile of $0.047, while their larger counterparts cost $0.054 per mile, on average.
The table below summarizes the cost per mile for SUVs, and shows the relevant model or an example where more than one exists.
| Electric SUV cost per mile category | Cost per mile | SUV |
| Average | $0.051 | 2022 Volvo XC40 (example with nearest cost p/mi) |
| Median | $0.05 | 2022 BMW iX xDrive50 (example) |
| Lowest | $0.033 | 2022 Tesla Model Y |
| Highest | $0.113 | 2002 Ford Explorer USPS Electric |
As you can see, the electric SUV with the cheapest cost per mile is the 2022 Tesla Model Y, which costs just $0.033 per mile.
Next, let’s take a look at the cost per mile for pickup trucks.
Cost per mile for electric pickup trucks
Electric pickup trucks cost $0.081 per mile, on average. Overall, the cost per mile for an electric pickup truck ranges from $0.063 to $0.157, with $0.077 being the median.
The most expensive of all EVs per mile is an electric pickup truck – the 1998 Chevrolet S10 Electric.
The lowest cost per mile achieved by an electric pickup truck is $0.063, which is delivered by the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and the 2022 Rivian R1T.
There are relatively few electric pickup trucks available on the market today.
Just 7 were released before 2002, then there was a 20 year gap before we saw another electric pickup truck being released.
Several pickup trucks were released in 2022, taking the total available options in the US to just over 10.
The table below summarizes results for the cost per mile of electric pickup trucks.
| Electric pickup truck cost per mile category | Cost per mile |
| Average | $0.081 |
| Median | $0.077 |
| Lowest | $0.063 |
| Highest | $0.157 |
Next, for our final EV type before summarizing all, let’s take a look at station wagons.
Electric station wagon cost per mile
The cost per mile for an electric station wagon ranges from $0.037 to $0.053, with $0.041 being the average and $0.04 being the median.
This is based on all electric station wagons available on the US market (i.e. 30+ models).
The table below summarizes results of the study, listing the cost per mile for electric station wagons along with relevant models as examples.
| Electric station wagon cost per mile category | Cost per mile | Station wagon |
| Average | $0.041 | 2022 Kia Niro Electric (example with nearest cost p/mi) |
| Median | $0.04 | Kia EV6 Long Range (example) |
| Lowest | $0.037 | Chevrolet Bolt EUV (example) |
| Highest | $0.053 | Ford Mustang Mach-E Performance (example) |
There are multiple examples of electric station wagons that fall into the categories above. For example, there are a dozen models that achieve the lowest cost per mile.
The electric station wagons that have the cheapest cost per mile ($0.037) are:
- 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV;
- Chevrolet Bolt EUV;
- 2022 Kia EV6 Long Range and Standard Range;
- 2020 Kia Soul Electric; and
- 2014 and 2013 Honda Fit EV.
Now that we’ve looked at the cost per mile for several types of EVs, let’s put them all together to see how they compare with each other.
EV cost per mile comparison of EV types
The table below compares the cost per mile of electric cars, electric SUVs, electric pickup trucks, electric station wagons and all EV types combined.
| EV cost per mile category | All EVs | Electric cars | Electric SUVs | Electric pickup trucks | Electric station wagons |
| Average | $0.047 | $0.044 | $0.051 | $0.081 | $0.041 |
| Median | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.05 | $0.077 | $0.04 |
| Lowest | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.033 | $0.063 | $0.037 |
| Highest | $0.157 | $0.117 | $0.113 | $0.157 | $0.053 |
On average, electric station wagons have the lowest cost per mile followed by the electric car vehicle class.
Electric SUVs take third place and electric pickup trucks bring up the rear. These EV classes have an average cost per mile that’s above the overall average for EVs.
Similarly, their median cost per mile is above the overall median for EVs.
Interestingly, however, the SUV EV class has the second lowest cost per mile just behind electric cars. Electric station wagons take the third lowest spot, followed by electric pickup trucks.
Now that we’ve briefly compared each EV type, let’s take a look at how each manufacturer compares.
EV cost per mile by manufacturer
The EV manufacturer / brand with the lowest average cost per mile ($0.0361) is Lucid, followed in second place by Hyundai ($0.0364).
Scion takes third place, however, they have just one model in the US market.
Fiat and Kia take fourth and fifth spot, respectively.
On average, it costs $0.0427 per mile to drive a Tesla, which puts them in twelveth position.
This relatively low position is primarily due to the large number of models they have released throughout the years – naturally the older models are bringing down their average.
Tesla does, however, boast the EV with the lowest cost per mile.
Dodge and Plymouth are tied in the unenviable position at the bottom of the table.
The table below lists the average EV cost per mile by manufacturer along with the lowest cost per mile that any of their models achieve. The table is arranged from lowest to highest average cost per mile.
| Rank | EV manufacturer / make / brand | Average cost per mile | Lowest cost per mile |
| 1 | Lucid | $0.0361 | $0.033 |
| 2 | Hyundai | $0.0364 | $0.033 |
| 3 | Scion | $0.037 | $0.037 |
| 4 | Fiat | $0.0386 | $0.037 |
| 5 | Kia | $0.0392 | $0.037 |
| 6 | Kandi | $0.04 | $0.04 |
| – | Mitsubishi | $0.04 | $0.04 |
| 8 | MINI | $0.041 | $0.04 |
| 9 | Volkswagen | $0.0418 | $0.037 |
| 10 | smart | $0.0419 | $0.04 |
| 11 | Nissan | $0.0422 | $0.037 |
| 12 | Tesla | $0.0427 | $0.03 |
| 13 | BMW | $0.0433 | $0.037 |
| 14 | Polestar | $0.046 | $0.04 |
| 15 | Genesis | $0.047 | $0.047 |
| – | Mazda | $0.047 | $0.047 |
| 17 | Chevrolet | $0.05 | $0.037 |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz | $0.051 | $0.047 |
| 19 | Volvo | $0.052 | $0.05 |
| 20 | Honda | $0.054 | $0.037 |
| 21 | Jaguar | $0.0567 | $0.057 |
| 22 | Ford | $0.0568 | $0.04 |
| 23 | Audi | $0.0571 | $0.047 |
| 24 | Toyota | $0.058 | $0.057 |
| 25 | Porsche | $0.059 | $0.053 |
| 26 | CODA Automotive | $0.06 | $0.06 |
| 27 | Rivian | $0.063 | $0.063 |
| 28 | BYD | $0.064 | $0.06 |
| 29 | Azure Dynamics | $0.07 | $0.07 |
| 30 | GMC | $0.085 | $0.053 |
| 31 | Dodge | $0.123 | $0.123 |
| – | Plymouth | $0.123 | $0.123 |
Now that we know which manufacturers achieve the lowest average cost per mile, let’s rank specific models.
Top 165 cheapest EVs to drive – cost per mile ranked
The 2021 and 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus are the cheapest EVs to drive, costing just 3 cents per mile.
Several Hyundai, Lucid and Tesla models are tied in third spot with a cost per mile of $0.033.
There’s just a 1 cent per mile difference between the top 165 cheapest EVs to run.
The table below ranks the cheapest EVs to run per mile from lowest cost to highest.
Click through to get more details on the running costs, and general specs, of any of the EVs listed above.
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