Michigan EV vs gas · Gas October 12, 2026 · Electricity rates 2025
Yes, by a lot. On DTE Energy's average home rate, charging an EV costs the same per mile as gas at $1.64 a gallon. Gas in Metro Detroit averaged $4.60 on October 12, 2026, so 1,000 miles a month costs about $61 to charge versus $171 in gas: roughly $110 a month back.
Your electric utility sets what charging costs, so here are the numbers for each one serving Detroit.
Serves Detroit and most of Southeast Michigan
Average home rate 20.3 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.64 a gallon: about $61 for 1,000 miles versus $171 in gas.
Serves some outer suburbs
Average home rate 20.7 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.67 a gallon: about $62 for 1,000 miles versus $171 in gas.
A few suburbs have a city-owned utility instead, at its own rates.
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 Detroit, gas would have to fall below $1.64 a gallon.
Why an EV opts you out of gas spikes · Is an EV cheaper than gas right now? Every state
Michigan charges EV owners an extra $267/yr at registration (about $113/yr for plug-in hybrids). Even after that, charging on DTE Energy leaves about $1,050 a year in your favor at 12,000 miles.
No state EV rebate in Michigan, and the EV fee hit $267/yr in 2026 and rises with the gas tax. Consumers pays $500 for a charger; DTE covers it if you qualify.
Michigan 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 DTE Energy (20.3 cents per kWh, 2025) costs about $61 per 1,000 miles. The same miles in a 27 mpg car cost about $171 at the $4.60 Detroit gas average on October 12, 2026. Michigan's $267/yr EV fee still leaves about $1,050 a year in your favor.
About $1.64 to $1.67 a gallon, depending on your utility: $1.64 on DTE Energy and $1.67 on Consumers Energy. That is what a 27 mpg car would need to pay to match the cost per mile of charging at home.
At home, about $61 per 1,000 miles on DTE Energy (20.3 cents per kWh) or $62 per 1,000 miles on Consumers Energy (20.7 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.
Michigan has no state EV purchase rebate right now, but utilities here add their own: DTE Energy: Home charger + install rebate, income-qualified (cost of charger + install); Consumers Energy: "PowerMIDrive" ($500). 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.