For drivers trying to decide between a sleek Tesla and a workhorse Chevy Silverado, the real question usually lands on the monthly bill. Not the sticker price, but what it actually costs to keep either one moving on electricity or gas. Put simply, it is a showdown between kilowatt hours and gallons, and the gap can be bigger than many truck owners expect.
Looking at typical American driving habits, the comparison comes into focus fast. Once the math is done on energy use, fuel economy, and average miles, charging a Tesla for a month often looks more like a streaming subscription, while filling a Silverado can feel closer to a second car payment.
What a Month of Tesla Charging Really Costs
The starting point is how much energy a Tesla actually uses. A common benchmark is that an electric car gets roughly three to four miles per kilowatt hour, a range that Voelcker describes as a conservative rule of thumb. That means a driver covering the typical U.S. distance of about 1,123 miles per will burn through roughly 300 to 375 kilowatt hours in a month, depending on how efficiently that Tesla is driven and which model is in the driveway.
On the cost side, the numbers are surprisingly modest. One detailed breakdown finds that Charging a Tesla at home costs between 4 and 13 cents per mile, with a full battery ranging from about $12 to $43 depending on the model and local power rates. Another analysis pegs the average home session at roughly $20, noting that Charging a Tesla at home typically lands well below the cost of filling a gas tank. For a driver who plugs in a few times a week, that usually translates into a monthly electricity bill in the ballpark of $40 to $60 for a mainstream Tesla sedan or crossover.
Specific models help sharpen the picture. The Tesla Model 3 rear-wheel drive, described as The Tesla Model 3 RWD with an EPA estimated range of 272 miles and a modest battery, is one of the most efficient options on the road. A separate look at Tesla Model 3 Monthly Charging Costs notes that The Tesla Model 3 uses about 25 kilowatt hours to travel 100 miles, which keeps monthly charging needs relatively low for the average commuter, according to Tesla Model data. For a slightly larger crossover, one breakdown of The Tesla Model Y Long Range finds that its monthly charging costs approximately $42 for typical driving, a figure that lines up with the broader range of $10.98 to $18.00 to fully charge a typical Tesla at home, as outlined in Key takeaways.
Those costs can drop even further with a bit of strategy. Guides that walk through how to calculate the cost of charging a Tesla point out that the basic formula is simple: multiply the battery size by the local electricity rate, a method laid out in a Tesla focused explainer. Another overview of Tesla Charging Costs 2026 notes that with smart charging habits and, in some cases, home solar, drivers can push their effective rate toward $0.040 per kilowatt hour, according to Nov guidance. That is how many Tesla owners end up treating home charging like a low, predictable utility line item rather than a volatile fuel expense.
How a Chevy Silverado’s Gas Bill Stacks Up
On the other side of the ledger sits the Chevy Silverado, a full size pickup that is built for towing, hauling, and long highway runs, not sipping fuel. Even in its most efficient ICE configuration, the 2025 Silverado is described as getting about 26 MPG. Using the same 1,123 mile monthly driving figure, that efficiency translates into roughly 43 gallons of gas every month. The real swing factor is the price per gallon, which drivers can track in real time through tools like the AAA gas price dashboard that breaks out regional averages.
Once the gallons are known, the math is straightforward. One simple guide to calculating road trip gas costs suggests that drivers Divide the total distance by their car’s mpg, then multiply the result by the current pump price, using an example of 1,280 miles and about 51 g of fuel. Another overview of gas calculators walks through the same process, advising drivers to gather regional prices, something Now and similar tools can help with, then Finally multiply the gallons needed by the gas price. For a Chevy Silverado owner, that means every jump at the pump ripples straight into the monthly budget.
When analysts put the two vehicles side by side, the gap is stark. One comparison that looks directly at a Tesla vs. Chevy Silverado notes that Given the way Teslas convert energy, Teslas have better fuel economy than all versions of the Chevy Silverado, and that the more miles a driver covers, the more a Tesla usually wins on operating cost, according to a breakdown of Chevy Silverado comparisons. Another look at how much it costs to charge a Tesla for a month versus running a truck flatly states that EV brand obliterates Chevy Silverado in mpg and concludes that But all Teslas absolutely crush the pickup on efficiency, leaving really only one winner in a straight cost per mile contest, as highlighted in a Sep comparison.
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