Should I Charge My Car?
See if charging your plug-in hybrid is cheaper than filling up on gas.
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Pick your car to start.
Select your car
Don’t see your exact year? Pick the closest one. A PHEV’s MPG and efficiency barely change within a generation, so the answer comes out about the same. Not listed, or want exact numbers? Pick “My own car” to enter your own.
Car data: US EPA & DOE (fueleconomy.gov).
Adjust numbers
Your car’s usable capacity, the part you actually charge, not the full pack size a maker advertises. It’s an EPA estimate, so it’s approximate and can vary by year. It affects the charge time and total cost.
Auto-filled from your car. Only change these if you track your own real-world numbers. Battery affects the charge time, not the verdict.
Energy price isn’t flat?
Enter each price and the time it starts (it runs until the next one). We use your device’s current time to pick the rate now and flag a cheaper window.
Set the price from the start (0 min), then add tiers that kick in after a set amount of charging time, in minutes or hours.
Charger fees (service, time, tax)
Add these only if the charger’s screen lists them.
An hourly fee for staying plugged in, on top of the energy cost. Example: free for the first 4 hr, then $5/hr.
A percentage added to the whole bill. Add one row per line on the charger’s screen (e.g. state 6.25%, city 1%); we total them.
Charge time & cost
Set your charger speed and how full you want the battery, then see how long it takes, the range you add, and the all-in price per kWh.
Charger speed
Your car’s max AC charge rate, an EPA estimate, so it’s approximate. It affects the charge-time estimate. Edit it if you know your exact rate.
PHEVs charge on AC only, so speed is capped by the car’s onboard charger. Charge power affects the time estimate only.
For this charge