Ohio EV vs gas · Gas October 12, 2026 · Electricity rates 2025
Yes, by a lot. On AEP Ohio's average home rate, charging an EV costs the same per mile as gas at $1.54 a gallon. Gas in the Columbus metro averaged $3.89 on October 12, 2026, so 1,000 miles a month costs about $57 to charge versus $144 in gas: roughly $87 a month back.
What you pay for power sets what charging costs. Here are the numbers for Columbus.
Serves Columbus and much of central Ohio
Average home rate 19.0 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.54 a gallon: about $57 for 1,000 miles versus $144 in gas.
Many homes buy the power itself through a community aggregation program or a supplier, so their rate differs; this is AEP Ohio's standard rate. Parts of the city are served by the city's own Division of Power.
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 Columbus, gas would have to fall below $1.54 a gallon.
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Ohio charges EV owners an extra $200/yr at registration ($150/yr for plug-in hybrids). Even after that, charging on AEP Ohio leaves about $847 a year in your favor at 12,000 miles.
No Ohio EV rebate and a $200/yr EV fee. AEP Ohio's EV rates only cut the delivery part of off-peak power, and Duke's charger credit is not offered in Ohio.
Ohio 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 AEP Ohio (19.0 cents per kWh, 2025) costs about $57 per 1,000 miles. The same miles in a 27 mpg car cost about $144 at the $3.89 Columbus gas average on October 12, 2026. Ohio's $200/yr EV fee still leaves about $847 a year in your favor.
About $1.54 a gallon. That is what a 27 mpg car would need to pay to match the cost per mile of charging at home on AEP Ohio.
At home, about $57 per 1,000 miles on AEP Ohio (19.0 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.
Ohio has no state EV purchase rebate right now, but utilities here add their own: AEP Ohio: Plug-In EV time-of-use tariff (TOU rate). 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.