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Electric cars

EV or plug-in hybrid? Pick the one that fits how you drive.

A plug-in hybrid is only as electric as you plug it in. Tell us where you park, how far you drive and how often you take long trips, and we'll give you a straight answer with your state's prices.
Find my fitEV charging cost

Data updated · How we decide

An electric car runs only on its battery: cheapest when you charge at home, but long trips mean fast-charging stops. A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has a smaller battery, 16 to 54 miles of EPA electric range on today's models, and a gas engine for everything past that. The right one depends less on the car than on your parking spot and your calendar.

Five questions, one answer

Where could you plug in?
Tow a trailer or camper?
Compare specific cars (optional)
Plug-in hybrid
Electric car

Our pick for how you drive

An electric car

  • Your 30-mile day fits easily in the 2027 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD's 319-mile range, charged at home overnight.
  • It costs about $888 a year to run, against $899 for the plug-in hybrid and $2,132 for an average gas car.
Electric car, fuel per year
$888
2027 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD, 31.1 kWh/100 mi. 13% of miles on fast chargers.
Plug-in hybrid, fuel per year
$899
2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD: 87% of miles on electricity ($717 power + $182 gas at 38 mpg).
Average gas car, fuel per year
$2,132
12,550 miles at 25.5 mpg and $4.33/gal

Electricity at 18.2¢ per kWh (US average); road trips on public fast chargers at $0.54 per kWh.

The EPA label for the 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD assumes 69% of its miles are electric; real owners often plug in less (see below).

How we decide

We check five rules in order. The first one that fits your answers decides:

  1. You can rarely or never plug in → a regular hybrid, or wait.A plug-in hybrid you can't charge runs on gasoline, and an EV would live on public fast chargers at about $0.54 per kWh.
  2. You tow a trailer or camper → a plug-in hybrid.Towing takes far more energy than normal driving, so an EV's range drops sharply. Check any model's tow rating.
  3. Your usual day is more than 1.25 times the PHEV's electric range → an EV. The plug-in hybrid would burn gas every day. At 70 miles a day the 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD (42 electric miles) runs only 60% of its everyday miles on electricity.
  4. You take 12 or more road trips a year longer than the EV goes on a charge → a plug-in hybrid. We count a trip as needing a charging stop when one leg is longer than 80% of the EV's EPA range, so you arrive with some charge to spare.
  5. Otherwise → an electric car.For 30 miles a day charged at home and four 200-mile trips a year, our answer is "an electric car".

The costs.Each day a plug-in hybrid covers the smaller of your daily miles and its EPA electric range, on the days you plug in: every day for home charging, five days in seven for work charging, never for "rarely". The rest of the day and all road-trip miles run on gas at the model's EPA gas-only mpg. An EV's everyday miles are charged at your state's average home price (we use the same price for work charging, though many workplaces charge less or nothing); its road-trip miles, and all its miles if you can't plug in, are at the public fast-charging average. The gas car is the EPA's 25.5 mpg real-world average for new non-plug-in vehicles. All EPA ratings are measured at the wall, so they include charging losses. Prices are your state's average residential electricity price for January–July 2026 and latest weekly regular gasoline price (EIA).

Cold winters.Where a state's normal December–February average temperature (NOAA, 1991–2020) is at or below 32°F, we count 78% of normal electric range for those 3 months, and 70% where it is at or below 20°F, from Recurrent's real-world data on 30,000+ EVs; each winter electric mile also takes that much more energy. That covers 24 states. We apply the same figures to a PHEV's battery; some PHEVs also start the engine for cabin heat in the cold, so their real winter electric share can be lower.

Labels are optimistic about plug-in hybrids. The EPA label assumes the 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD drives 69% of its miles on electricity. ICCT's study of US data found real drivers go 26%–56% less on electricity and use 42%–67% more gasoline than labels assume, largely because they plug in less often. Our numbers assume you plug in as often as you told us; be honest with yourself about that answer.

Fuel costs only: purchase price, insurance and maintenance are not included. Some PHEVs call for premium gasoline; we price regular and flag those models. Federal clean vehicle credits ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025 (IRS); see 2026 incentives for what is left.

Frequently asked questions

Is a plug-in hybrid or an electric car better?

It depends on where you can plug in and how far you drive. If you can charge at home and your usual day is within an EV's range, an electric car is usually cheapest to run: for 30 miles a day plus four 200-mile trips at US average prices, a 2027 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD costs about $888 a year in electricity, a 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD about $899, and an average 25.5 mpg gas car about $2,132. A plug-in hybrid makes more sense if you tow or take frequent long trips, and neither pays off well if you cannot plug in regularly.

Is a plug-in hybrid worth it if I can't charge at home?

Usually not. A plug-in hybrid that is never plugged in runs on gasoline, so you carry a battery you rarely use: in our model the 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV AWD then runs 100% of its miles on gas. Charging only at work on weekdays still gives about 62% electric miles for a 30-mile day. With no charging at all, a regular hybrid is the simpler choice.

How far can a plug-in hybrid go on electricity?

EPA electric ranges for model years 2025-2027, newest year of each model plug-in hybrids with at least 15 miles of range run from 16 to 54 miles, with a middle value of 32 miles (fueleconomy.gov). Cold weather cuts that: real-world EV data shows about 78% of normal range at 32°F and 70% at 20°F (Recurrent).

Do plug-in hybrids really drive as many electric miles as the label says?

Often not. An ICCT study of US data, including 1,465 PHEVs measured automatically in California, found drivers use 42%–67% more gasoline and drive 26%–56% less on electricity than EPA labels assume, mostly because people plug in less than the label expects. A PHEV only saves what you plug it in for.

How much does fast charging cost on a road trip?

Public DC fast charging averaged $0.54 per kWh across the US in the third quarter of 2026, excluding free chargers (Paren). That is several times the US average home price of 18.2¢ per kWh (January–July 2026, EIA), so an EV's road-trip miles cost more than its everyday miles.

Is there a federal tax credit for an EV or a plug-in hybrid?

No. The IRS says the new clean vehicle credit (30D), the used clean vehicle credit (25E) and the commercial clean vehicle credit (45W) are not allowed for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025. Some states and utilities still offer rebates.

Estimates only. Your actual costs depend on your utility's rate plan, how and when you charge or use power, and local prices. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.

Sources

  1. U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov vehicle data (plug-in hybrids: electric range, kWh/100 mi on battery, mpg on gasoline) — model years 2025-2027, newest year of each model; retrieved October 30, 2026
  2. U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov vehicle data (combined kWh/100 mi, includes charging losses) — electric cars, model years 2026-2027
  3. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B — July 2026 YTD (year to date); latest month July 2026
  4. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices (regular, all formulations) — week of 2026-10-12
  5. U.S. EPA, 2025 Automotive Trends Report (model year 2024 data) — Average new-vehicle real-world fuel economy was 27.2 mpg, and 1.7 mpg lower without battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles; we use 25.5 mpg for a typical new gasoline vehicle.
  6. Paren, State of the Industry Report: US EV Fast Charging, Q3 2026 (Oct 13, 2026) — National average DC fast-charging price of $0.540 per kWh for Q3 2026, excluding free chargers. Tesla Supercharger members paid less ($0.396). Read October 30, 2026.
  7. Recurrent, winter EV range study of 30,000+ cars (Nov 19, 2025) — 78% of range at 32°F, 70% at 20°F. Read October 30, 2026.
  8. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance: statewide December-February average temperature — 1991-2020 normal (mean of 30 winters). DC uses Maryland's statewide figure; NOAA publishes no statewide series for Hawaii.
  9. ICCT, Real-world usage of plug-in hybrid vehicles in the United States (fact sheet, Dec 2022) — Read October 30, 2026.
  10. IRS fact sheet FS-2025-05: clean vehicle credit end dates — 21 August 2025

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Photo: Zaptec on Unsplash (Unsplash License).