Texas EV vs gas · Gas October 12, 2026 · Electricity rates 2025
Yes, by a lot. On Austin Energy's average home rate, charging an EV costs the same per mile as gas at $1.06 a gallon. Gas in the Austin-San Marcos area averaged $3.73 on October 12, 2026, so 1,000 miles a month costs about $39 to charge versus $138 in gas: roughly $99 a month back.
What you pay for power sets what charging costs. Here are the numbers for Austin.
Serves the city of Austin and some nearby areas
Average home rate 13.1 cents per kWh (2025). Charging costs the same per mile as gas at $1.06 a gallon: about $39 for 1,000 miles versus $138 in gas.
Austin is not part of the Texas retail market: Austin Energy is the city-owned utility. Some suburbs are served by a co-op, like Pedernales Electric, 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 Austin, gas would have to fall below $1.06 a gallon.
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Texas charges EV owners an extra $200/yr at registration. Even after that, charging on Austin Energy leaves about $986 a year in your favor at 12,000 miles.
Texas's $2,500 EV grant hit its 2,000-car cap in Dec 2025 and is closed. Austin Energy still pays half a home charger (up to $500). The EV fee is $200/yr.
Texas 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 Austin Energy (13.1 cents per kWh, 2025) costs about $39 per 1,000 miles. The same miles in a 27 mpg car cost about $138 at the $3.73 Austin gas average on October 12, 2026. Texas's $200/yr EV fee still leaves about $986 a year in your favor.
About $1.06 a gallon. That is what a 27 mpg car would need to pay to match the cost per mile of charging at home on Austin Energy.
At home, about $39 per 1,000 miles on Austin Energy (13.1 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.
Texas has no state EV purchase rebate right now, but utilities here add their own: Austin Energy: 50% of a new Level 2 charger (up to $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.