Driving an EV in these US states saves you the most money
Published in News & Features
Nearly $1,500 a year. That’s roughly the fuel savings at the moment between a current gas car and the typical electric vehicle charged at a U.S. home.
Across the country, that number is fully tilted in favor of driving electric, but it varies by state. In some places, both gas and electricity are pricey (see: California). But in a huge swath of the American West – nine U.S. states, including Arizona, Utah and Washington – consumers pay more than average for gas and less than average for electricity, according to a Bloomberg analysis of fuel prices and household power rates.
These are the sweet spots for EV adoption – only made sweeter since the Iran War spiked prices at the pump. Though they have come down somewhat in recent weeks, they remain well above pre-war levels.
“Given how high gas prices are, you’re doing a lot of savings everywhere, but these places are pretty good,” said Corey Cantor, research director at the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group. “It’s definitely a huge selling point.”
Consider Washington, which has the third-highest gas prices in the country and some of the cheapest electricity, thanks largely to hydroelectric power and public utilities. Assuming a typical American driving distance, swapping a gas car for an EV, in this case, would save $2,346 a year. Oregon isn’t far behind at $2,057.
To be sure, fuel is only one of the costs to consider in a vehicle. EVs, on average, still cost more than gas cars – though that spread has been shrinking steadily – and they depreciate more quickly. On the flip side, they require far less in the way of maintenance. Fuel, however, is the most persistent cost and when buying a car, shoppers often underestimate it, focusing overly much on the sticker price.
“You see gas signs everywhere, but you don’t necessarily see dollars per kilowatt signs, unless you’re using an app,” Cantor explained. “You kind of have to crunch the numbers yourself.”
That said, many U.S. consumers appear to be doing the math just fine on their own. EV market share is highest in places where gas is dear and power is cheap. California tops the list with 16% of new cars purchased this year through April powered entirely by batteries. But fuel savings is accelerating EVs in places that don’t have incentives or deep-blue voting patterns. Nevada, is third on the list with 11% EV share and Arizona is eighth when it comes to EV interest, in part because its power prices are far lower than those of the average American household.
“Those are the types of places that give you optimism for long-term EV transition,” Cantor said, “because it’s really just market forces at work.”
Corey Crawford, a sound engineer in Portland, swapped his old Honda CR-V for a used Nissan Ariya, a fully electric model, in the fall. His wife wanted to trade her sporty BMW coupe for another gas car, but when gas prices spiked in April, she settled on an EV as well, the new Toyota C-HR.
With a home charger, the couple’s monthly fuel bill has gone from about $200 to $25.
“It’s been great,” Crawford said. “You drive to Costco and you see people lined up at the fuel pumps and it’s just like: ‘I’m so glad I never have to do that again.’”
EV sales in the U.S. are expected to decline 19% this year, according to a new report from BloombergNEF. Still, global sales are predicted to surge by 11% and BNEF said the recent turmoil in oil markets has boosted consumer interest in kicking the gas habit, particularly in the market for used vehicles.
Nearly one-third of drivers considering an EV cited fuel savings as their rationale, according to a May survey from JD Power. The same survey found EV interest surged in May, with 26% of car shoppers reporting they were “very likely” to go electric, an increase of 3 percentage points from the prior year.
To be sure, electricity prices have risen as well recently, as AI data centers hoover up an unprecedented amount of power. But the increase – an 8.6% hike in the average retail rate in the past 12 months – pales in comparison to the spike in gasoline prices, primarily because fossil fuels are a small and declining share of America’s power generation. Most of a U.S. power bill goes to transmission and customer service; only about one quarter to one-third is tied to fuel costs. And as renewable energy gushed in recent years, oil and natural gas now comprise less than half of that fuel. The wave of green energy is particularly strong in Western states inundated with sun and wind.
At the other end of the EV equation, there are four states where drivers pay less than average for gas and more than average for electricity: Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. However, on average, an EV in those places still saves $1,217 a year in fuel costs.
The EV advantage tends to be slightest in New England where power prices run hot and gas prices are still cool, at least relative to much of the country. An EV in Rhode Island, for example, saves less than $1,000 in fuel at the moment.
©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.






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