Independent guide. Rate figures sourced from each utility's published residential tariff schedule and state PUC filings.Verified May 2026

EV TOU rate plans 2026: off-peak math across the major utilities

Most US utilities now offer an EV-specific residential time-of-use rate. The off-peak windows are typically priced 30 to 60 percent below the utility's standard residential rate, which is enough to make home charging cost 3 to 4 cents per mile (versus 14 cents per mile for gasoline at $4.25 per gallon). This page walks through the eight largest such plans and the structural patterns that determine which one you want.

Eight major EV TOU plans, head to head

Utility	Plan	Off-peak	Peak	Peak window
PG&E (CA)	EV2-A	~31c	~62c	4-9pm daily
SCE (CA)	TOU-D-PRIME-EV	~30c	~58c	5-8pm Mon-Fri
SDG&E (CA)	EV-TOU-5	~26c (super off-peak)	~84c	4-9pm daily
ConEd (NY)	Plug-In NYC	~12c	~30c (summer)	8am-10pm weekdays summer
NV Energy (NV)	EV Reservation Rate	~5c (overnight super-off-peak)	~37c (summer peak)	1-7pm summer weekdays
Xcel Energy (CO/MN)	EV Subscription / EV-TOU	~7-9c	~25c	3-7pm summer
Duke Energy (NC)	Time of Use EV (TOU-E)	~9c	~30c	6-9pm summer; 6-9am winter
Georgia Power (GA)	Plug-In EV Rate	~6c (super off-peak 11pm-7am)	~28c (summer 2-7pm)	2-7pm weekdays summer

Rates are illustrative blended per-kWh figures from each utility's published residential tariff, current to May 2026. Your actual rate includes delivery and surcharge components specific to your service address. Always confirm with your utility before switching plans.

The three patterns every EV TOU plan follows

Pattern one: a sharp price differential between peak and off-peak, designed to push EV charging entirely into the off-peak window. The typical spread is 3:1 to 5:1, much sharper than a standard residential TOU plan (which usually runs 1.5:1 to 2:1). The reason is straightforward. An EV adds roughly 250 to 350 kWh per month of charging load, all of which is schedulable. If the utility can persuade EV households to shift that load to overnight (or to midday for solar-rich grids like California), it avoids the cost of building peaker generation to meet the new peak demand. The deep off-peak rate is the carrot.

Pattern two: a structurally cheaper off-peak rate than the utility's standard TOU plan offers. PG&E E-TOU-C off-peak is about 41 cents; EV2-A off-peak is about 31 cents. ConEd's standard residential rate runs around 27 cents in summer; Plug-In NYC off-peak is around 12 cents. The EV-specific plans are subsidised by the utility's broader rate base because the regulator agreed the load shift was worth the encouragement. That subsidy may not last forever, but it is real for now and the math should be re-run any time the plan revises (typically annual).

Pattern three: a punishing peak rate intended to deter pre-9pm charging. SDG&E's EV-TOU-5 peak runs about 84 cents per kWh, by far the highest peak rate in the US. The intent is to make accidentally charging during peak a memorable mistake. The practical effect for a household: never charge between 4pm and 9pm even if the car is plugged in. Use the vehicle app or charger schedule to delay the actual charging start until off-peak. Every modern EV and Level 2 charger supports this; if yours does not, replace it (a Tesla Wall Connector is roughly $475 and pays back in months of accidentally-avoided peak charging).

PG&E EV2-A in depth

PG&E's EV2-A applies to whole-house usage. Off-peak (midnight to 3pm weekdays, all weekend except the peak window) runs about 31 cents per kWh; partial-peak (3-4pm and 9pm-midnight weekdays) about 51 cents; peak (4pm-9pm every day) about 62 cents. To enrol, the household signs an attestation that they own or lease an EV; PG&E periodically audits via DMV registration matching. The plan is open to single-family homes and multi-family units that have a residential meter.

For a typical 12,000-mile-per-year Tesla Model 3 RWD (about 3,000 kWh of charging per year), charging entirely off-peak on EV2-A costs about $930 in EV-fuel terms. The same charging on the legacy E-1 tiered plan (where the EV pushes the household firmly into Tier 2 at about 51 cents per kWh) costs roughly $1,530. The EV2-A savings on the EV alone are $600 per year. Households also benefit from cheaper off-peak rates for normal overnight load (water heater cycles, refrigerator, internet equipment), adding another $50 to $150 per year. Total typical EV2-A savings vs E-1 for an EV household: $650 to $750 per year.

SCE TOU-D-PRIME-EV in depth

Southern California Edison's TOU-D-PRIME-EV (often shortened to PRIME) is the EV-specific equivalent of EV2-A in SCE territory (which covers most of Los Angeles County outside LADWP, plus Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura). Off-peak runs about 30 cents, peak (5-8pm weekdays only) about 58 cents. Unlike EV2-A, weekends and holidays are entirely off-peak on TOU-D-PRIME-EV, which produces a substantial weekend-charging benefit for households that can wait until Saturday morning to top up.

TOU-D-PRIME-EV also includes a lower fixed monthly basic charge (about $0.03 per day, versus higher charges on some legacy plans), which adds a small but real annual saving on top of the energy rate differential. SCE auto-recommends TOU-D-PRIME-EV in its rate-analysis tool for any household showing EV-pattern usage (overnight kWh spikes consistent with charging); take the recommendation seriously.

ConEd Plug-In NYC in depth

ConEd's SmartCharge / Plug-In NYC program combines a deep off-peak rate (about 12 cents per kWh for charging between midnight and 8am) with managed-charging incentives. The summer peak (8am-10pm weekdays June through September) hits about 30 cents per kWh, which is a smaller spread than the California plans but still meaningful. The program also pays per-kWh bill credits for participating in event-based demand response: typical households earn $100 to $300 per year on top of the off-peak savings.

The program is open to ConEd residential customers with a Level 2 home charger that supports remote control (most popular models do). The household enrolls the charger via the ConEd portal and grants permission for ConEd's load-management system to throttle or pause charging briefly during grid-stress events. Pause events typically last 15 to 30 minutes; the next-morning charge level is fine for almost all households' commute needs.

NV Energy EV Reservation: the deepest off-peak in the US

Nevada's NV Energy offers an optional EV Reservation Rate with an overnight super-off-peak window (10pm to 5am) priced at roughly 5 cents per kWh. That is the lowest scheduled residential rate from any major US utility. The summer peak (1-7pm weekdays June through September) hits about 37 cents, which is high but avoidable. For a household charging exclusively in the super-off-peak window, EV fuel cost drops to about $150 per year for 12,000 miles of driving. That is cheaper than running the AC in summer.

Charging schedule tactics that capture the savings

Five practical tactics that capture nearly all of the available TOU savings: (1) use the vehicle app to set a daily charging-start time that aligns with the deepest off-peak window. For PG&E EV2-A and SDG&E EV-TOU-5, start charging at midnight; for ConEd Plug-In NYC, start charging at midnight; for NV Energy EV Reservation, start at 10pm. (2) Set the daily target charge to the level you actually need for the next day (usually 70 to 80 percent), not 100 percent, to leave overhead for unexpected longer drives without forcing peak top-ups. (3) On weekends, exploit any plan with weekend-off-peak status (TOU-D-PRIME-EV, ConEd weekends) by charging during the day if convenient. (4) On road trips, plan to arrive home with low battery so the first overnight charge captures the off-peak savings. (5) For pre-conditioning the cabin before driving, schedule it during off-peak hours when possible (the vehicle app on most modern EVs supports this).

When the EV rate is the wrong answer

Three scenarios where the standard residential rate beats the EV rate. First, very low EV usage (a plug-in hybrid driven only on short commutes, adding under 100 kWh of charging per month). The savings on the EV charging portion are not enough to overcome the peak-rate exposure on the rest of the household load. Second, a household that genuinely cannot avoid peak-window AC (very hot south-facing home with weak insulation, occupants home all afternoon, no smart thermostat) where the peak-rate punishment outweighs the off-peak benefit. Third, a household already on rooftop solar with a battery, where self-consumption during the peak window neutralises the peak-rate exposure already; the EV plan still helps for the charging portion, but the analysis is closer than for a non-solar household.

For every other scenario the EV rate wins, often by several hundred dollars per year. Run the comparison in your utility's bill-analysis tool with the last 12 months of interval data; the tool will model the bill on every plan and show you the dollar difference. That is the most reliable way to make the decision; estimating from first principles is harder than it looks because peak-window usage varies more than people realise across the year.

Sources and further reading

FAQ

Do I really need an EV-specific rate plan if my utility offers regular TOU?

Usually yes, if the EV-specific plan is available. The EV-specific plans (PG&E EV2-A, SCE TOU-D-PRIME-EV, SDG&E EV-TOU-5, ConEd Plug-In NYC) typically have a deeper off-peak rate than the standard residential TOU plan, because the utility wants to encourage overnight charging. The savings on the EV charging alone usually outweigh any premium the EV plan charges during peak hours. Run the comparison in your utility's bill-analysis tool using 12 months of interval data.

What if I forget to plug in until 9pm?

Use a smart charger or in-app scheduling on the vehicle to delay the actual charging start until midnight (or whenever the deepest off-peak window starts on your plan). Plugging in at 9pm is fine; the vehicle just needs to know not to start drawing power until the off-peak window begins. Every modern EV from Tesla, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia and Rivian supports delayed charging in the vehicle's own app; chargers like the Tesla Wall Connector, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, and Emporia EV Charger add schedule control if you do not want to use the vehicle app.

What is the cost per mile to charge an EV at home in 2026?

At the US national average rate of 18.05 cents per kWh and a typical 30 kWh per 100 miles EV (Tesla Model 3 RWD, Hyundai Ioniq 5, similar), the cost is about 5.4 cents per mile. On an EV TOU off-peak rate of 12 to 16 cents per kWh, the cost drops to 3.6 to 4.8 cents per mile. Compare to gasoline at $4.25 per gallon and 30 mpg: 14.2 cents per mile. EV charging at home is roughly 3 to 4 times cheaper per mile than equivalent gasoline driving.

Does the EV rate apply to my whole house or just the charger?

On every major US utility's EV TOU plan, the rate applies to whole-house usage, not a separate sub-meter on the charger. The historical sub-meter approach (separate meter, separate rate) was phased out at most utilities as more EVs joined the grid; it was expensive to administer and produced billing headaches. Today, you sign up for the EV rate as the whole-house tariff, and you save money to the extent that overnight charging plus normal household load lands during the off-peak window.

Can I switch back if the EV rate ends up costing more?

Yes. Every utility allows opt-back to the prior rate plan, usually with a 12-month minimum stay on the new plan first (to prevent rate-arbitrage gaming). After the minimum stay, switching is free and processed within one billing cycle. If your bill is higher on the EV rate after 6 months, the most likely cause is peak-window AC or cooking; try shifting those loads (smart thermostat pre-cool, dishwasher on delayed start) before giving up on the rate.

What about public charging cost on a TOU plan?

TOU rates only apply to electricity drawn at your home meter. Public Level 2 charging (about 25 to 35 cents per kWh) and DC fast charging (40 to 60 cents per kWh on most networks) are unrelated to your home utility rate; they are set by the charging network (Tesla Supercharger, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint). For total cost-per-mile budgeting, use the home rate for the share charged at home (typically 80 to 95 percent for households with home charging) and the public network rate for the road-trip share.

What is a managed-charging program and should I join?

Several utilities offer managed-charging programs (PG&E ChargeForward, SCE GridSmart, ConEd SmartCharge) that pay you a per-kWh credit (typically 2 to 10 cents per kWh) for letting the utility briefly pause or slow your charging during grid-stress events. You stay topped up, you just give the utility 30 minutes of flexibility during late summer evenings. Typical earnings are $100 to $300 per year on top of the TOU savings, with negligible inconvenience for most households.

Disclaimer. EV TOU rate figures are blended per-period averages from each utility's published residential tariff schedule, current to May 2026. Exact rates include delivery, supply, and surcharge components specific to your service address. Always confirm with your utility's bill-analysis tool before switching plans. Independent resource, not affiliated with any utility.