Gas took a bigger bite out of drivers' budgets in AAA's 2026 driving-cost study, but the cheapest alternative is not always an electric vehicle.
In a new analysis, Shayan_EV (@shayan_ev) argued that cheap home charging helps a lot but does not decide the comparison.
AAA also calculated that a new vehicle costs $12,863 per year on average to own and operate, with depreciation accounting for $4,422 of that total.
• For U.S. drivers, home charging costs 5-6 cents a mile.
• In many ownership comparisons, the battery is the reason EV costs diverge.