How much does it cost to charge a Tesla Model 3 in California?

California's 12-month average rate, 32.3¢/kWh, is 79% above the U.S. average of 18.0¢/kWh, so the Tesla Model 3 costs $3.48 more per 100 miles here than at the national rate.

Rates in California are rising: the latest 12-month average is 3.7% higher than in the 12 months before.

In the last 24 months both the cheapest and the most expensive month fell in spring, so the swing reflects price changes rather than a seasonal pattern: April 2025 at 27.8¢/kWh and April 2026 at 35.3¢/kWh, which moves the Tesla Model 3's monthly charging cost between $69 and $87. The latest published month, August 2026, came in at 29.8¢/kWh, 8% below the 12-month average.

Of the 5 states covered so far, California is the most expensive place to charge the Tesla Model 3; in Washington it costs $3.45 per 100 miles.

Among the 10 EVs on OutletBill, the Tesla Model 3 is the 1st cheapest to charge per mile in California; the next cheapest, the Tesla Model Y, costs $8.89 per 100 miles.

At 24.3 kWh per 100 miles, the 2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard RWD is among the most efficient EVs EPA has rated for 2026: it uses less energy than 99% of the 321 2026 EV versions tested.

Across all 5 trims of the 2026 Model 3, cost per 100 miles in California ranges from $7.86 for the Standard RWD to $9.78 for the Performance AWD, a difference of $234 a year at 1,016 miles a month.

EPA estimates 12 hours to charge the Model 3 Standard RWD from empty on a 240-volt Level 2 home charger, longer than a typical night, though a full charge is rarely needed. At 1,016 miles a month (about 33 miles a day), a day's driving takes roughly 1.5 hours on a Level 2 charger.

Electricity would have to cost more than 64.9¢/kWh, 2.0 times California's rate, before the Tesla Model 3 cost more per mile than the 2026 Honda Accord. Put the other way, gas would have to fall below $2.51 a gallon.

Gas costs use EIA's California retail average for regular gasoline ($5.05 a gallon over the same 12 months, 40% above the U.S. average of $3.61) and the 2026 Honda Accord's EPA rating of 32 mpg combined.