Kentucky EV vs gas · Gas October 12, 2026 · Electricity rates 2025
Yes, by a lot. On LG&E's average home rate, charging an EV costs the same per mile as gas at $1.01 a gallon. Gas in the Louisville area averaged $4.05 on October 12, 2026, so 1,000 miles a month costs about $37 to charge versus $150 in gas: roughly $113 a month back.
What you pay for power sets what charging costs. Here are the numbers for Louisville.
Serves Louisville and most of Jefferson County
Average home rate 12.4 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.01 a gallon: about $37 for 1,000 miles versus $150 in gas.
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 Louisville, gas would have to fall below $1.01 a gallon.
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Kentucky charges EV owners an extra $126/yr (2025 rate; 2026 not yet published) at registration ($126/yr (2025 rate) for plug-in hybrids). Even after that, charging on LG&E leaves about $1,228 a year in your favor at 12,000 miles.
Kentucky has no EV purchase rebate. LG&E and KU pay $25 plus $5 a month for managed charging. EV and plug-in fee: $126/yr in 2025; fast chargers add a tax.
Kentucky 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
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Yes. Charging at home on LG&E (12.4 cents per kWh, 2025) costs about $37 per 1,000 miles. The same miles in a 27 mpg car cost about $150 at the $4.05 Louisville gas average on October 12, 2026. Kentucky's $126/yr (2025 rate; 2026 not yet published) EV fee still leaves about $1,228 a year in your favor.
About $1.01 a gallon. That is what a 27 mpg car would need to pay to match the cost per mile of charging at home on LG&E.
At home, about $37 per 1,000 miles on LG&E (12.4 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.
Kentucky has no state EV purchase rebate right now, but utilities here add their own: LG&E / KU: Optimized EV Charging ($25 + $5/mo). 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.