kWh per 100 Miles Explained: The EV Metric That Maps to Cost

What kWh per 100 Miles Means

kWh per 100 miles answers a simple question: how much electricity does this vehicle use to go 100 miles? It’s a direct “energy per distance” measure. That makes it useful for cost comparisons because your electricity bill is also measured in kilowatt-hours.

If you like cost metrics, you can turn this into dollars using the same concept as fuel cost per 100 miles for gasoline cars.

What We Know (Sourced)

EPA’s electric vehicle label documentation explains that kilowatt-hours per 100 miles is an energy unit for electricity and that the value tells you how many kilowatt-hours the vehicle would use to travel 100 miles. EPA also notes that, like gallons per 100 miles, this value relates directly to the amount of energy used and thus to cost. Source: U.S. EPA — Text version of the electric vehicle label.

EPA’s testing documentation explains how plug-in electric vehicle efficiency metrics are developed and reported (including MPGe and notes about charging losses). Source: U.S. EPA — Fuel Economy and EV Range Testing.

EPA’s gasoline label documentation also explains why MPGe is used for vehicles that do not use liquid fuels: it allows a reasonable comparison between vehicles using different fuels. Source: U.S. EPA — Text version of the gasoline label.

The Cost Math (Examples)

You can also convert to cost per mile:

How to Use It When Comparing EVs

• Compare kWh/100 miles first when your goal is to minimize charging cost.
• Compare range separately. A vehicle can be efficient but still have a short range (small battery), or be less efficient but have a large battery.
• Use MPGe when you need one “MPG-like” number, especially for cross-fuel comparisons. See: What is MPGe?

If you want to understand how EV label metrics are built from standardized tests (and why real-world results differ), read: EPA testing explained.

What’s Next

Once you understand kWh/100 miles, the next step is to connect it to your charging reality:

• If you mostly charge at home, use your residential rate.
• If you often use public fast charging, treat those prices separately.
• Track real energy use over a few weeks to validate your estimate.

For a broader hub-style overview, see: EV efficiency metrics.

Why It Matters

kWh per 100 miles is valuable because it is a direct energy-use metric. EPA’s electric vehicle label documentation explicitly links kWh/100 miles to energy used and therefore cost. Source: EPA electric label text.

Frequently Asked Questions