Tesla charging cost calculator
Use this Tesla charging cost calculator to estimate what it costs to charge a Model 3, Y, S, or X based on your battery and electricity price. It works for both home charging and Supercharger sessions when you enter the right rate.
Tesla batteries range from about 50 kWh (Standard Range) to 100 kWh (Long Range S/X). At a typical home rate of $0.15/kWh, a full charge runs $7–$15, while Supercharger sessions usually cost $0.25–$0.50/kWh, or roughly $15–$40 to fill up. Most owners do the majority of charging at home and only Supercharge on trips, which keeps the average cost per mile very low. Your actual cost depends on local rates, Supercharger pricing in your area, and how often you fast-charge.
What your result means
A full charge of your Model 3 Long Range (82 kWh) costs $13.12 at $0.16/kWh and adds roughly 328 miles — about $0.04 per mile. Over 8 charges a month that is $104.96, or $1,259.52 a year.
At $0.16/kWh, the EIA US residential average.
At $0.35/kWh, a typical US Supercharger rate.
2,624 miles in a 30 mpg car at $3.10/gal.
How to lower your Tesla charging cost
- Keep road-trip Supercharging to the trips that need it$124.64/mo
Supercharging typically runs $0.35/kWh against $0.16/kWh at home — roughly 2.2x. For your 8 charges a month the gap is $1,495.68 a year.
- Schedule charging for your off-peak windowup to $32.80/mo
Tesla's in-car Scheduled Charging starts sessions at a set time. Overnight EV rates near $0.11/kWh are common on time-of-use plans; against your $0.16/kWh that is the saving shown here for the same energy.
- Set the daily charge limit to 80%$10.50 per charge
Tesla recommends 80% for daily use on Long Range packs and 100% for LFP Standard Range cars weekly. For your Model 3 Long Range an 80% fill costs $10.50 instead of $13.12 and still gives about 262 miles.
- Charge at Superchargers during off-peak hours10–30% per kWh
Supercharger pricing is demand-based and shown per site in the car and the app before you commit. Late-evening and early-morning windows are usually the cheapest tiers at the same stall.
- Recover efficiency before blaming the price$10.50/mo for 10% better mi/kWh
Your Model 3 Long Range is modelled at 4 mi/kWh. Winter tyres, roof boxes, 20-inch wheels and sustained 80 mph driving each cost several percent; efficiency scales the whole bill one-for-one.
Worked examples
Example A — Model 3 Long Range, home overnight rate
- Model
- Model 3 Long Range (82 kWh)
- Location
- Home, time-of-use overnight
- Price
- $0.12/kWh
- Charges per month
- 4 full-battery equivalents
82 × 0.12 = $9.84 per full charge → 9.84 × 4 = $39.36/mo → × 12 = $472.32/yr → 0.12 ÷ 4.0 mi/kWh = $0.030 per mile
Roughly 1,300 miles of driving for the price of one tank of gas. Overnight home charging is where the Tesla running-cost story actually comes from.
Example B — Cybertruck owner Supercharging weekly
- Model
- Cybertruck (123 kWh)
- Location
- Tesla Supercharger
- Price
- $0.38/kWh (peak pricing)
- Charges per month
- 4
123 × 0.38 = $46.74 per full charge → 46.74 × 4 = $186.96/mo → same charges at $0.16 home = $78.72/mo → difference $108.24/mo
A big pack at 2.2 mi/kWh magnifies every cent per kWh. At $0.173 per mile this Cybertruck costs more to fuel than a 30 mpg sedan — the pack size, not the technology, is doing the damage.
Tesla battery sizes at a glance
Model 3 ranges from 57.5 kWh (SR) to 82 kWh (LR/Performance). Model Y sits at 75–82 kWh. Model S and X both use 100 kWh packs. Cybertruck packs 123 kWh. Bigger batteries cost more to fill but cover more miles per charge.
Home charging vs Supercharging cost
Home charging at $0.16/kWh is the baseline. Supercharging averages $0.35/kWh — about 2x more. For daily driving, home charging easily wins. For trips, Superchargers buy you time, not money.
Road trip charging examples
A 500-mile trip in a Model Y Long Range takes about two Supercharger stops totaling roughly $25–$35. The same trip in a 30 MPG gas car runs around $58 — Tesla still wins, but by less than at home.
Charging during winter
Cold packs charge slower and accept less energy. Tesla's preconditioning warms the battery during navigation to a Supercharger, restoring near-peak speeds. Without it, expect 20–30% slower sessions in freezing weather.
Tesla charging speeds explained
Home Wall Connector: ~44 mi/hr. Supercharger V2: up to 150 kW. Supercharger V3: up to 250 kW (~175 mi in 15 min). V4 stalls now reach 350 kW for new vehicles. Real speeds depend on battery state and temperature.
Cost to fully charge a Tesla
| Model | Battery | Home @ $0.16 | Supercharger @ $0.35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 SR | 57.5 kWh | $9.20 | $20.13 |
| Model 3 LR | 82 kWh | $13.12 | $28.70 |
| Model Y LR | 75 kWh | $12.00 | $26.25 |
| Model S | 100 kWh | $16.00 | $35.00 |
| Cybertruck | 123 kWh | $19.68 | $43.05 |
Tesla Superchargers dynamically adjust prices by location and time of day — a single Model Y session can vary by $10+ between morning and evening at the same stall.
Lifestyle tips for Tesla owners
- Charge to 80% daily, 100% only before long trips.
- Use scheduled charging to hit off-peak utility rates.
- Plan road trips through the in-car nav — it auto-routes around busy Superchargers.
- Skip Superchargers if a Level 2 destination charger is at your hotel or restaurant.