2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD: home charging cost in California

At California's residential electricity rate of 33.17¢/kWh, a 2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD (rated 26.4 kWh per 100 miles by the EPA) costs $8.75 to drive 100 miles on home charging, against $16.02 for the same distance in a car averaging 25.5 mpg on gasoline at $4.085/gallon. Charging at home is much cheaper than gas here: 45.4% less than gas per mile, here specifically.

2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD: yearly cost in California

Driving 15,000 miles a year — fueleconomy.gov's own default assumption — a 2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD charged at home in California costs about $1,312/year in electricity, against about $2,403/year for the gas-car comparison. That's a savings of about $1,091 a year.

Cost of a full charge

A 2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD needs roughly 91.3 kWh to reach its EPA-rated 346-mile range, which runs about $30.27 at 33.17¢/kWh in California.

How this compares nationally

This combination ranks 16,076 of 20,400 state/model pairs for cost savings against gas (1 is cheapest). The Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD alone ranks 12 of 400 models for efficiency; California alone ranks 50 of 51 states for electricity price.

Next step: home charger installation

The numbers above assume Level 2 home charging is already in place — the electrical work behind that is a real, separate cost that varies by panel, wiring, and local labor rates, not something this page's per-mile math includes.

Ask a licensed California electrician to quote the install before this math becomes a real decision.

Where these figures come from

See the methodology guide for exactly which EIA and EPA figures feed 2026 Tesla Model 3 Premium AWD's cost in California. California has some of the highest residential electricity rates in the country — see the guide to why the cost varies so much by state for the full picture.