How much does an electric car cost per month in Illinois?

About $61.18 a month, assuming 3,800 kWh a year at 19.32¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an electric car use?

Roughly 3,800 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

Illinois has the 18th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $690 a year.

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Cost to run an electric car in Illinois (August 2026 rates)

At 19.32¢ per kilowatt-hour — Illinois's average residential price in August 2026 — running an electric car costs $734 a year. That is 6% more than the national average of $690. Illinois's residential rate is up 7.2% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $685 to $734 a year.

Per day: $2.01
Per month: $61.18
Per year: $734

Assumption: 3,800 kWh a year. 12,000 miles a year at roughly 3.5 miles per kWh, plus about 10% charging losses, on home Level 2 charging. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How Illinois compares

Illinois pays 19.32¢/kWh, the 18th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $44.08 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same electric car costs $483 a year in Nevada and $1,793 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $1,309 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
Virginia	17.64¢	$55.86	$670
Delaware	18.70¢	$59.22	$711
Illinois	19.32¢	$61.18	$734
Ohio	19.38¢	$61.37	$736
Wisconsin	19.41¢	$61.46	$738

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an electric car.

What else costs about the same in Illinois

Electric water heater$676 a year in IL Hot tub$483 a year in IL Central air conditioner$454 a year in IL

Cutting the number down

Charging on an off-peak or EV rate plan is usually the single largest lever, and it costs nothing but a schedule setting.
Charging losses are real: the meter sees noticeably more than the battery receives, especially in cold weather.
Cost per mile, not cost per charge, is the number that compares cleanly against a tank of gasoline.

Questions

How much does an electric car cost per month in Illinois?: About $61.18 a month, assuming 3,800 kWh a year at 19.32¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an electric car use?: Roughly 3,800 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: Illinois has the 18th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $690 a year.