Colorado EV vs gas · Gas October 12, 2026 · Electricity rates 2025
Yes, by a lot. On Xcel Energy's average home rate, charging an EV costs the same per mile as gas at $1.29 a gallon. Gas in the Denver metro averaged $4.17 on October 12, 2026, so 1,000 miles a month costs about $48 to charge versus $154 in gas: roughly $107 a month back.
What you pay for power sets what charging costs. Here are the numbers for Denver.
Serves Denver and most of the metro area
Average home rate 15.9 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.29 a gallon: about $48 for 1,000 miles versus $154 in gas.
Some suburbs are served by a co-op, like United Power or IREA, instead.
Gas prices jumped in 2026 when the war with Iran disrupted oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Home electricity is priced by utilities under state regulators and moves far more slowly, so the gap tends to widen when gas spikes. For a 27 mpg car to cost less per mile than charging at home in Denver, gas would have to fall below $1.29 a gallon.
Why an EV opts you out of gas spikes · Is an EV cheaper than gas right now? Every state
Colorado charges EV owners an extra ~$89/yr at registration. Even after that, charging on Xcel Energy leaves about $1,192 a year in your favor at 12,000 miles.
Colorado credit: $750 in 2026 (+$2,500 under $35k), $2,000 in 2027 for EVs up to $50k. Income-qualified? VXC pays $9,000 new, $6,000 used with a trade-in.
Colorado EV incentives · EV fees by state
We assume 1,000 miles a month, a typical new EV that uses 30 kWh per 100 miles, a 27 mpg gas car, and home charging at each utility's average residential rate, which includes its fixed monthly charges. An overnight or EV rate is often cheaper than that average, and public fast charging costs much more. Treat this as the honest average, not your bill.
Sources: EIA Form 861, 2025 (each utility’s residential revenue divided by residential sales), AAA metro gas price averages (regular unleaded), October 12, 2026
Use the savings calculator or see which EVs fit how you drive.
Yes. Charging at home on Xcel Energy (15.9 cents per kWh, 2025) costs about $48 per 1,000 miles. The same miles in a 27 mpg car cost about $154 at the $4.17 Denver gas average on October 12, 2026. Colorado's ~$89/yr EV fee still leaves about $1,192 a year in your favor.
About $1.29 a gallon. That is what a 27 mpg car would need to pay to match the cost per mile of charging at home on Xcel Energy.
At home, about $48 per 1,000 miles on Xcel Energy (15.9 cents per kWh), for a typical EV that uses 30 kWh per 100 miles. Public fast charging costs much more per kWh than home charging, so these numbers assume you charge at home most of the time.
Colorado has state EV money open right now (see the Colorado guide), and utilities here add their own: Xcel Energy, up to $500 ($2,300 income-qualified). Check the utility's page before you buy; programs fill up and change.
Thinking of buying? Run any dealer quote through the free Deal-Checker before you sign.