What an EV really costs in Missouri — any EV, any hybrid, any gas car
As of August 2026: of the 85 models we price, the cheapest to own over 5 years in Missouri is the Toyota Corolla LE at $34,070 — a gas car. The cheapest electric, the Chevrolet Bolt EUV (used) ($44,035), runs about $9,965 more — we say it plainly when the gas or hybrid car wins.
Charging mostly at home, an EV usually costs about half as much per mile to run as a comparable gas car — but higher depreciation and insurance can erase that, and the federal $7,500 credit is gone (). The cheaper car depends on the exact vehicles, your mileage, and your local rates. Compare any below — every assumption shown and dated.
No referral fees. No manufacturer commissions. We tell you when gas wins.
The numbers behind every EV-vs-gas estimate
- Electricity, Missouri
- 13.7¢/kWhEIA · 2026-05
- Gasoline, Missouri
- $3.51/galAAA
- Charging loss (modeled)
- 12%EPA / SAE J1634
- Maintenance ($/mi)
- EV $0.06 vs gas $0.10AAA (est.)
- Insurance ($/yr, avg)
- EV $2,750 vs gas $2,200industry (est.)
- Federal EV purchase credit (2026)
- $0 — expired Sept 30, 2025IRS / OBBBA
Example comparison — change the vehicles belowOver 5 years, the Honda Civic LX (gas car) is the cheapest at $35,088 — about $13,904 less than the Chevrolet Equinox EV LT ($585/mo, $0.58/mi).
Total cost of ownership, cheapest first
Chevrolet Equinox EV LT
Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD
Lowest 5-year cost: Honda Civic LX (gas) at $35,088, $585 per month. Chevrolet Equinox EV LT $48,992; Tesla Model 3 Premium $53,564.
Cumulative cost over time
This shows your total spend by each year — purchase, charging/fuel, depreciation, insurance and financing combined. Where two lines cross is your payback point.
Tesla Model 3 Premium never beats Honda Civic LX within 5 yrs · Chevrolet Equinox EV LT never beats Honda Civic LX within 5 yrs
Where the money goes (full breakdown)
| Cost component | Electric · Tesla Model 3 Premium | Gas · Honda Civic LX | Electric · Chevrolet Equinox EV LT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation (estimated) | $24,644 (46%) | $9,144 (26%) | $20,997 (43%) |
| Charging / fuel | $3,031 (6%) | $5,855 (17%) | $3,516 (7%) |
| ↳ of which charging loss | 12% (~$364) | — | 12% (~$422) |
| Maintenance | $3,660 (7%) | $4,620 (13%) | $3,660 (7%) |
| Insurance | $13,750 (26%) | $11,000 (31%) | $13,750 (28%) |
| Financing interest | $7,427 (14%) | $4,213 (12%) | $6,017 (12%) |
| Registration & fees | $1,051 (2%) | $256 (1%) | $1,051 (2%) |
| Total cost of ownership | $53,564 | $35,088 | $48,992 |
The charging-loss row is the ~10–15% of electricity lost to AC charging that you pay for but never reaches the battery — most calculators silently omit it, which makes EVs look cheaper than they are. We include it.
Incentives (as of 2026-08-06)
- Federal EV purchase credit ($7,500 new / $4,000 used) — EXPIRED Sept 30, 2025. Ended under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — not available; never in our headline cost.
- Home charger credit (30C) — EXPIRED June 30, 2026. Was 30% of a home-charger install up to $1,000 (IRS Form 8911) — terminated for property placed in service after June 30, 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- New-vehicle auto-loan interest deduction — ACTIVE 2025–2028. Deduct interest on a new US-assembled vehicle loan, up to $10k/yr (income-limited).
- State & utility incentives — VARIES. Layered per location with a dated source — arriving with the state data packs.
Why trust this
- Unbiased. No referral fees, no manufacturer commissions, no utility-territory lock.
- Current. Live EIA electricity rates; every number sourced and dated.
- Honest. We model charging loss and show you when gas is the better buy.
- Full methodology & sources →
We take no manufacturer commissions, no utility-territory deals, and no referral fees that affect the calculator. Any affiliate links are clearly disclosed and never change the math. The site currently carries no advertising. We show you when gas wins.
What is different about Missouri's numbers
Home electricity here is 13.7¢/kWh, 25.8% below the 18.4¢ U.S. average (EIA, 2026-05), and regular gas averages $3.51/gal, 8.7% below the national $3.85 (AAA). Missouri also charges electric cars a $159/yr road-use fee on top of the $51.25 base registration — $795 across 5 years, folded into every EV figure on this page.
Run all 80 models that have their own cost page through the kernel at both rate sets and the average electric car's 5-year total in Missouri lands $1,342 below its U.S.-average figure, while the average gas or hybrid car lands $1,530 below its own. Net effect: Missouri widens the gap an EV has to close by about $187. Head-to-head that comes out as EVs taking 14 of 55 matchups at Missouri rates against 14 nationally — we publish that whichever way it falls.
Ranked against the other 50 state rate sets by what the whole priced fleet costs to run, Missouri is 12th cheapest for an electric car and 13th for a gas or hybrid one. Its residential rate has moved 12.5¢ → 14.0¢/kWh across the 24 months to 2026-04 (+12%); on a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD that shift alone is about $333 more electricity over 5 years than the same car would have cost at the 2024-05 rate.
Across the 37 matchups where an electric car faces a gas or hybrid one, the median EV costs $13,819 more over 5 years than the gas or hybrid car it is matched against at Missouri rates — against $13,751 more nationally. Missouri widens it by about $68. The EV that comes closest here is the Rivian R1S Dual-Motor (Standard Pack) against the Cadillac Escalade, $15,319 ahead; the furthest behind is the Kia EV9 Light Long Range RWD (electric) against the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid LE FWD, $25,361 adrift.
Running cost, Missouri prices: a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD draws about $3.89 of electricity per 100 miles at home (charging loss included), against $11.71 of gas for a 30 mpg car. A gas car would need 90 mpg to match the EV's fuel bill here. That is the running-cost line only — depreciation and insurance are what usually decide the 5-year total, and they are why most of the matchups below still go to the gas or hybrid car.
Missouri EV incentive: none we can verify. Federal support ended too — the $7,500 new / $4,000 used credits expired Sept 30, 2025 — so nothing is discounted anywhere on this page.
Cheapest EVs to own in Missouri
Ranked by true 5-year cost of ownership at Missouri rates (12,000 mi/yr, all-in):
Missouri cost by model
No model we price hits either its cheapest or its most expensive state here — Missouri sits mid-pack for every one of the 80. Sorted by 5-year cost to own at Missouri rates; the order is not the national order.
| Type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Corolla LE (gas) | Gas | $23,000 | $34,070 | $568 | $1,018 cheaper than the Honda Civic LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota Prius LE (hybrid) | Hybrid | $28,350 | $34,181 | $570 | $907 cheaper than the Honda Civic LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Honda Civic LX (gas) | Gas | $25,400 | $35,088 | $585 | $1,018 more than the Toyota Corolla LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid LE | Hybrid | $29,000 | $37,001 | $617 | $1,913 more than the Honda Civic LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Hyundai Kona SE (gas) | Gas | $25,600 | $37,853 | $631 | $1,827 cheaper than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LE | Hybrid | $31,900 | $37,938 | $632 | $1,742 cheaper than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Honda Accord LX (gas) | Gas | $28,000 | $38,285 | $638 | $3,197 more than the Honda Civic LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) | Gas | $30,000 | $39,680 | $661 | $318 cheaper than the Honda CR-V LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Honda CR-V LX (gas) | Gas | $31,000 | $39,998 | $667 | $318 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport | Hybrid | $35,630 | $41,026 | $684 | $1,346 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota Tacoma SR | Gas | $32,145 | $42,248 | $704 | $9,564 cheaper than the Ford F-150 XLT (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid SE | Plug-in hybrid | $43,865 | $43,101 | $718 | $3,421 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Chevrolet Bolt EUV (used) | Electric | $27,800 | $44,035 | $734 | $9,854 more than the Toyota Prius LE (hybrid) at Missouri rates |
| Nissan Leaf SV+ | Electric | $28,140 | $44,555 | $743 | $10,374 more than the Toyota Prius LE (hybrid) at Missouri rates |
| Toyota bZ XLE (electric) | Electric | $34,900 | $46,784 | $780 | $7,104 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE | Electric | $35,000 | $47,825 | $797 | $8,145 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| 2026 Fiat 500e | Electric | $35,700 | $48,501 | $808 | $13,413 more than the Honda Civic LX (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV LT | Electric | $34,995 | $48,992 | $817 | $9,312 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| Hyundai Kona Electric SEL (Long Range) | Electric | $36,875 | $49,662 | $828 | $9,982 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
| 2026 Volvo EX30 Single motor extended range | Electric | $38,950 | $50,965 | $849 | $11,285 more than the Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at Missouri rates |
This is the Missouri-relevant slice of the fleet. The full 80-model table at U.S.-average rates is on every model — price vs 5-year cost.
Matchups that change hands in Missouri
None of them. All 55 head-to-head matchups come out the same way at Missouri rates as at the U.S. average — local prices move the totals here by $1,342 on an average EV, but never enough to change a winner. See every matchup →
Car insurance in Missouri
Drivers in Missouri spent an average of $1,155 a year on auto insurance — 9.8% below the $1,281 national average (NAIC, 2023, the latest published figure; a state average across all drivers, not a quote for any one car or driver, and premiums have moved since). Electric cars typically add about 42% on top of a comparable gas car, 18% for 2024-and-newer models (Insurify, June 2026, modeled at a standard driver profile).
Our 5-year totals use a labeled per-model estimate for each car, not this average — see how EV insurance moves the 5-year cost.
FAQ
Is an electric car cheaper to own than a gas car in Missouri?
Which EV is cheapest to own in Missouri?
What do electricity and gas cost in Missouri right now?
What does the 5-year total include?
How much does it cost to charge an EV in Missouri?
How much is car insurance in Missouri?
States whose numbers look like Missouri's
Closest matches on home electricity and pump price — the states where the same car lands nearest to its Missouri total — plus the cheapest and most expensive states in the country to run an EV: