Gas hit a record September average. Here is what charging an EV costs instead

What AAA reported

September 2026 was the most expensive September on record at the pump. AAA says the national average for regular gasoline across the month was $4.33 a gallon, about 50 cents above the previous September record of $3.83 set in 2023.

Prices have eased a little since. AAA put the national average at $4.41 on October 1 and $4.37 on October 5, as crude oil slipped into the $90-a-barrel range. That is still roughly $1.23 a gallon more than a year earlier, when the average was about $3.13.

Where you live matters a lot. On October 1 California averaged $6.40 a gallon, while Indiana was the cheapest state at $3.81.

What charging costs right now

AAA also tracks the average price at public EV chargers. Its October 1 report put the national average at 42 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), unchanged from the week before. Hawaii was highest at 54 cents and Kansas lowest at 31 cents.

A kilowatt-hour is the unit your electric bill uses. An EV’s efficiency is shown as kWh per 100 miles, the electric version of miles per gallon. Lower is better.

Charging at home is often cheaper than public charging, because you pay your normal household rate. Check your utility bill for your price per kWh.

Run the numbers for your own car

You only need two figures for each car: what it uses and what the energy costs.

1. Gas car: 100 divided by your miles per gallon, times the price per gallon. Example: a car that gets 25 mpg uses 4 gallons per 100 miles. At $4.37 a gallon, that is about $17.48.
2. EV: kWh per 100 miles times the price per kWh. Example: an EV rated at 30 kWh per 100 miles, charged entirely at the 42-cent public average, costs about $12.60 per 100 miles.
3. Swap in your numbers. Official mpg and kWh-per-100-mile ratings for most models are listed free at fueleconomy.gov. If you charge at home for less than 42 cents, your EV figure drops further.

The examples are illustrations, not averages for every car. A thirsty truck or a very efficient hybrid will change the answer a lot.

Cost per mile is not the whole picture

Energy is only one part of running a car. Purchase price, insurance, tires and repairs all count too. EVs skip oil changes and have fewer engine parts to wear out, but they still need tires, brakes, cabin filters and a healthy 12-volt battery, which powers the computers and locks and can leave an EV just as stranded as a gas car if it dies.

Cold weather is the other thing to plan for as fall turns to winter. Low temperatures reduce EV range and also drop tire pressure in every car, so checking pressures monthly helps both your range and your mpg.