Charging Tools
EV vs Gas
Savings
Compare the energy cost of charging a Tesla with buying gasoline in Austin. Enter how you drive and the prices you pay; the result and its full formula update as you type.
Your Inputs
Zero is valid: both costs are $0.
Battery consumption as your car reports it, not EPA wall-equivalent, so loss is not counted twice.
Default $0.15 is illustrative, not a tariff or a representative Austin home rate.
Assumed share of purchased energy lost before the battery. Below 100.
The gas vehicle you are comparing against.
AAA regular averages checked October 15, 2026; not live.
Your Comparison
EV energy costs less per year
$1,109.73
$5,548.64 over five years if every input stayed fixed. Not a forecast.
- $571.43
- Tesla energy / year
- $1,681.16
- Gas / year
- $0.048
- Tesla cost / mile
- $0.140
- Gas cost / mile
How this was calculated
- 01
Tesla energy per year
miles ÷ mi/kWh ÷ (1 − loss ÷ 100) × rate
12,000 ÷ 3.5 ÷ 0.9 = 3,809.5 kWh × $0.15 = $571.43
- 02
Gas per year
miles ÷ MPG × gas price
12,000 ÷ 28 = 428.6 gal × $3.9227 = $1,681.16
- 03
Annual difference
gas cost − Tesla energy cost
$1,681.16 − $571.43 = $1,109.73
- 04
Five years, inputs fixed
annual difference × 5
$1,109.73 × 5 = $5,548.64
Energy cost only. Excludes purchase price, financing, insurance, registration, charger installation, maintenance, depreciation, taxes and fixed monthly utility fees. No price forecast is implied.
Reference prices, source checked
Read from official pages on October 15, 2026. Static, dated and never applied automatically.
$3.9227/gal
AAA Austin-San Marcos regular
Reference snapshot checked October 15, 2026
Dated reference, not a live price
Check the source for current prices and enter what you actually pay. Your inputs and shared links are not changed.
Review interval: 7 days. Prices may change sooner.
$0.12203/kWh
AE public Level 2
Reference snapshot checked October 15, 2026
Dated reference, not a live price
Check the source for current prices and enter what you actually pay. Your inputs and shared links are not changed.
Review interval: 90 days. Prices may change sooner.
Tiered
AE residential, FY 2026-27
Reference snapshot checked October 15, 2026
Dated reference, not a live price
Check the source for current prices and enter what you actually pay. Your inputs and shared links are not changed.
Review interval: 90 days. Prices may change sooner.
Worked example, every assumption
- 12,000 mi ÷ 3.5 mi/kWh = 3,428.6 kWh to the battery
- ÷ (1 − 10 ÷ 100) = 3,809.5 kWh bought × $0.15 = $571.43
- 12,000 ÷ 28 MPG = 428.6 gal × $3.9227 = $1,681.16
- Difference $1,109.73 / yr; × 5 = $5,548.64
$0.15 per kWh is illustrative. $3.9227 is AAA Austin-San Marcos regular on October 15, 2026. 3.5 mi/kWh, 28 MPG and 10% loss are example assumptions.
Sources
- Austin Energy: City of Austin Utilities Rates and Fees FY 2026-2027 (PDF)
- Austin Energy: EVerything Charging (public charging prices)
- AAA: Texas gas prices
Sources checked October 15, 2026. Fuel and electricity prices change; every input is editable, so enter the numbers you actually pay.
Common Questions
- How much can I save charging a Tesla instead of buying gas in Austin?
- It depends on your miles, electricity price and the gas car you compare against. In our worked example (12,000 miles, 3.5 mi/kWh, 10 percent charging loss, an illustrative $0.15 per kWh, a 28 MPG car and $3.9227 per gallon, the AAA Austin-San Marcos regular average on October 15, 2026), EV energy is $571.43 a year versus $1,681.16 for gas, a $1,109.73 difference. That is an example, not a typical or guaranteed result.
- What gas price and electricity rate does this use?
- The gas default is $3.9227 per gallon, AAA's Austin-San Marcos regular average checked October 15, 2026 (Texas was $3.8324). The $0.15 per kWh electricity default is illustrative, not an Austin Energy tariff: residential energy is billed in tiers plus per kWh pass-throughs. Austin Energy public Level 2 is $0.12203 per kWh, which is a public charging price, not a home rate. Neither is a live feed; enter what you pay.
- How does a home and public charging mix work?
- Choose home/public mix and enter separate prices per kWh. Home share is the percent of purchased energy bought at home, not the percent of trips, miles or charging sessions. The weighted rate is home rate × home share ÷ 100 + public rate × (1 − home share ÷ 100). One charging loss assumption applies to all purchased energy. The example mix rates of $0.15 at home and $0.40 in public are illustrative, not tariffs. Do not enter prices per minute as prices per kWh; session, idle and parking fees are excluded.
- Does this include the price of the car or maintenance?
- No. This compares fuel and charging energy only. It excludes purchase price, financing, insurance, registration and the Texas EV fee, charger installation, maintenance, depreciation, taxes and fixed monthly utility fees.
- Is the five year figure a forecast?
- No. It is the annual difference times five with every input held fixed. Prices, mileage and efficiency will change.
Thinking about going electric, or want to maximize the savings on the Tesla you already drive? Join the Tesla Owners Club of Austin and learn from owners who have run these numbers for real.