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Dec 23, 2023

Tesla Charging Costs: What You Need to Know

Electric vehicles have been gaining popularity in the car market for some time

Electric vehicles have been gaining popularity in the car market for some time now and Tesla still remains at the top of the list of manufacturers. Tesla owners don't have to pay for gas, but they do have to pay to charge their cars.

While the exact cost of charging a Tesla depends on several factors, drivers can expect to pay between $8 and $43 to fully charge a depleted Tesla battery. Keep reading to learn more about the factors that can impact this cost.

The cost to charge your Tesla at a charging station can range from free to $43. Several factors can change this cost, the most important being the size of your Tesla battery pack and your location. After all, different-sized batteries take different amounts of time to charge and the cost of electricity varies by location.

The amount of money you’ll pay to charge your vehicle at a charging station largely depends on the charging station you use as well. Prices at Electrify America stations range from $0.31 to $0.43 per kilowatt hour. However, some charging stations, like Volta stations, are ad- and retailer-supported, and they are completely free to use.

Considering most Tesla vehicles have a 50 kWh battery, the cost to charge the vehicle at a charging station ranges from absolutely free to $21.50. However, if you have a 100kWh battery, it may cost up to $43 to charge your vehicle at a charging station.

In the United States, the cost of electric utility services varies greatly depending on your location. For example, consumers in Idaho pay just over $0.11 per kWh while consumers in California pay over $0.25 per kWh. However, the national average cost of electricity per kWh is $0.16. Considering this average cost:

On the other hand, if your home has solar power, your cost will be substantially less.

Tesla Superchargers are the next big thing in electric vehicle charging and although Tesla doesn't share its pricing, several reviews suggest it costs an average of $25 to fill up at Tesla Supercharge stations. Tesla currently operates more than 40,000 Level 3 Superchargers around the world. They’re capable of extra-fast charging speed, giving Tesla drivers between 162 and 200 miles of range in about 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, Tesla doesn't share the fee it charges at its Supercharger stations, likely because that fee changes by location. Nonetheless, Tesla charges by the minute, and the rate per minute depends on which of the four charging speed tiers it offers.

The effect charging your Tesla will have on your electric bill largely depends on two factors:

Simply put, the more your energy company charges you for electricity, the more it will cost you to charge a Tesla at home. Moreover, the more you drive, the more you’ll need to charge.

The average American drives about 1,200 miles per month. Teslas have between 50 and 100 kWh batteries with the average Tesla range being around 267 miles. With the average cost per kWh in the United States being $0.16, the average increase to your electric bill if you charge your Tesla at home 100% of the time would be somewhere between $35.92 and $71.84.

Keep in mind that these are broad averages. Drawing on the examples presented, if you live in California, you’ll likely see a much higher increase to your electricity bill than someone who lives in Idaho would.

Considering that the average size of a gas tank is between 13 and 16 gallons and the national average cost of gas according to AAA is $3.45 per gallon as of Feb. 9, 2023, it costs between $44.85 and $55.20 to fill up a car with gasoline. As such, it's significantly cheaper to charge most Teslas. You may want to consider going green and saving a few bucks on transportation in the process.

Jessica Moore contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of Feb. 9, 2023.

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