How rising gas prices are changing the EV ownership math in California

As gas prices go up, up, up throughout the Iran struggle, California drivers could be questioning: How a lot may I be saving if I drove an electrical automobile?

When the Chronicle looked at EV versus gas-powered fueling costs in the state in May 2025, EVs got here out forward by $99 a month: Roughly $143 month-to-month to maintain your electrical automobile charged, in comparison with $242 a month to maintain the tank full on a automobile with a combustion engine. 

Given the increased gas prices, how does the California EV-vs.-gas math shake out now?

On common, we discovered that EV drivers have considerably widened their financial savings benefit, to $166 a month.

Here’s how we made that calculation: 

A gallon of gas in California was about $4.90 in May 2025. Now, it’s practically a greenback costlier: An common of $5.83 per gallon in California as of Wednesday, with averages at or above $6 in elements of the Bay Area. Given these prices, it will now price $287 a month to maintain the common automobile fueled.

Meanwhile, the price to cost an electrical automobile has come down barely on account of two components: The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most up-to-date statewide common price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) was down 3 cents in comparison with February 2025. And electrical automobile effectivity has improved in latest years: Last yr, 2022 information from fueleconomy.gov indicated the common throughout all 2022 electrical vehicles was 2.67 miles per kWh; utilizing more moderen EPA information on all 2025 fashions, that quantity is now about 3 miles per kWh on common.

So the typical California price to gasoline an electrical automobile got here down barely from rather less than a yr in the past, to $121 per thirty days.

• From 2025: How much money do you really save by owning an electric car in California?

• Read: Gas prices are rising fast in California. These small changes can help drivers save

But in fact this benefit will differ from driver to driver. 

That’s as a result of the EV ownership affordability equation is difficult — beginning with the worth of the automobile itself. Electric-vehicle prices have traditionally been increased on common in comparison with gas-powered vehicles, however the numbers are coming nearer, notably on used choices. The common used EV was listed at $34,821 in February, down 8.8% yr over yr, in accordance with Cox Automotive. Kelley Blue Book reported that the common itemizing worth for used non-EV vehicles (together with absolutely gas-powered, hybrids and plug-in hybrids) was solely $1,334 much less.

There are different issues in the price of ownership. EVs require much less upkeep, however house owners pay increased annual registration charges and about 20% extra for insurance coverage. Many of the authorities incentives for EVs, like federal rebates and California toll lane stickers, have been phased out, although California still offers some. And if you wish to drive an EV, you want entry to a charging station, which may price up to some thousand {dollars} to put in at dwelling.

EV house owners should still endure from “range anxiety” — worrying about how far they’ll go earlier than they should discover a charger — however on the flip facet, they might lose much less sleep over the geopolitical gasoline disaster.

• Got cash questions? Here’s how to send them to our California budgeting advice columnist

• Read: Flights are getting more expensive fast. What Bay Area travelers should know

The most frequent recurring price for automobile house owners is fueling up, and EVs constantly come out forward — even in California, which has the second-highest electrical energy charges in the U.S.

The math on charging the automobile is determined by which sort of automobile you drive. When we crunched these numbers final yr, we used the common mileage throughout all EVs and all gas-powered vehicles. But this time, we wished to drill down what the numbers appear to be for individuals who drive several types of vehicles.

Here, we’ll take a better take a look at particular fueling prices for real-world autos with comparable sizes, physique sorts and worth tiers: Entry-level compact, midrange mainstream, 3-row SUV and luxurious high-end. 

The outcomes: EVs are broadly cheaper to gasoline up than a gas-powered automobile throughout all classes — although less-efficient bigger autos and better electrical energy charges can tilt the equation. Under typical California electrical energy prices, a Nissan Leaf prices about half as a lot to cost in comparison with paying for an equal quantity of gasoline in a Toyota Corolla. Efficiency is decreased in bigger autos, however electrical ones nonetheless come out forward on a mean per-mile price.

To put collectively this comparability, we needed to make some assumptions: We used the AAA California common of 1,203 miles pushed per thirty days. All autos are latest mannequin years and we used total mixed gasoline financial system numbers from fueleconomy.gov and the EPA. 

We used the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most up-to-date California common of 30 cents per kWh for residential energy prices. The price of a gallon of gas is the AAA statewide common as of March 25. 

And we are assuming drivers are charging at dwelling. Public chargers would enhance the price in comparison with the statewide common: In California, it’s an average of 42 cents per kWh to charge, in accordance with AAA, although it may be as excessive as 60 to 70 cents per kWh relying on the location and charger sort. (Jason Zimbler of CalStart told the Chronicle in 2025 that almost all EV house owners use public chargers primarily to get sufficient juice to make it to their vacation spot or the subsequent charging station.) And some workplaces provide electrical automobile charging at no cost, whereas others implement per-kWh, per-hour or flat charges, which might change the ownership math loads.

Also, there are some distinctive components that have an effect on EV financial savings calculations if you happen to’re in the Bay Area.

If you reside in the area, PG&E seemingly gives your energy, which implies month-to-month prices to cost an EV can vary widely relying on the time of day and time of yr you hook up your automobile — from 23 cents per kWh in a single day to 62 cents throughout peak occasions. 

For PG&E clients, which means the price to maintain your Leaf charged on a month-to-month foundation may vary from $84 to $226. Keeping your Rivian topped off with energy may price you anyplace from $120 to $324 each month. If you haven’t any selection however to cost your automobile at dwelling in the late afternoon or night on a PG&E plan, an electrical automobile can shortly rack up increased prices than gas. 

Similar to electrical energy, gas tends to be costlier in the Bay Area: Gas was $6 a gallon in San Francisco on March 25, so the month-to-month price to gasoline a CR-V for a month there can be $240.60. And although gas prices don’t differ as extensively as electrical charges can beneath PG&E, there may be variance relying on which station you go to. On March 26, stations in San Francisco had common gas as low-cost as $5.49 per gallon and as costly as $6.39 a gallon, in accordance with GasBuddy. The costliest premium gas in the metropolis that day was $6.99 a gallon.

It’s not possible to say proper now how excessive gas prices may go or how lengthy the struggle may final. But for drivers targeted on month-to-month fueling prices, electrical autos are at the moment a a lot better deal for most individuals, it doesn’t matter what dimension automobile you’re driving.