What an EV really costs in Rhode Island — any EV, any hybrid, any gas car

What is different about Rhode Island's numbers

Home electricity here is 29.5¢/kWh, 59.8% above the 18.4¢ U.S. average (EIA, 2026-05), and regular gas averages $3.80/gal, level with the national $3.85 (AAA). Rhode Island also charges electric cars a $200/yr road-use fee on top of the $30 base registration — $1,000 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 Rhode Island lands $3,376 above its U.S.-average figure, while the average gas or hybrid car lands $878 below its own. Net effect: Rhode Island widens the gap an EV has to close by about $4,254. Head-to-head that comes out as EVs taking 12 of 55 matchups at Rhode Island 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, Rhode Island is 49th cheapest for an electric car and 25th for a gas or hybrid one. Its residential rate has barely moved across the 24 months to 2026-04 (28.3¢ → 28.3¢/kWh), so an EV here costs about what it did two years ago.

Across the 37 matchups where an electric car faces a gas or hybrid one, the median EV costs $18,058 more over 5 years than the gas or hybrid car it is matched against at Rhode Island rates — against $13,751 more nationally. Rhode Island widens it by about $4,307. The EV that comes closest here is the Rivian R1S Dual-Motor (Standard Pack) against the Cadillac Escalade, $10,766 ahead; the furthest behind is the Kia EV9 Light Long Range RWD (electric) against the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid LE FWD, $30,397 adrift.

Running cost, Rhode Island prices: a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD draws about $8.37 of electricity per 100 miles at home (charging loss included), against $12.68 of gas for a 30 mpg car. A gas car would need 45 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.

Rhode Island EV incentive: DRIVE EV (Driving Rhode Island to Vehicle Electrification) Rebate — up to $3,000, income and price caps may apply. Shown for reference; it is not inside any figure on this page. Even credited in full it would turn 1 of the 37 matchups here into EV wins. Source: RI Office of Energy Resources, drive.ri.gov

Cheapest EVs to own in Rhode Island

Ranked by true 5-year cost of ownership at Rhode Island rates (12,000 mi/yr, all-in):

1. Chevrolet Bolt EUV (used)$48,050
2. Nissan Leaf SV+$48,850
3. Toyota bZ XLE (electric)$50,491
4. Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE$51,840
5. 2026 Fiat 500e$52,684
6. Chevrolet Equinox EV LT$53,147
7. Hyundai Kona Electric SEL (Long Range)$53,817
8. 2026 Volvo EX30 Single motor extended range$55,147

Rhode Island cost by model

Rhode Island is one of the six most expensive for 44 of the 80 models we price — Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD at $57,159, Tesla Model Y RWD at $60,313, Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD at $62,200 and 41 more. Sorted by 5-year cost to own at Rhode Island rates; the order is not the national order.

This is the Rhode Island-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 Rhode Island

Of the 55 head-to-head matchups we track, 2 come out differently at Rhode Island rates than at the U.S. average — these are the only comparisons where "it depends where you live" is literally true:

• Nationally the Tesla Model S Long Range (electric) is $2,585 cheaper over 5 years, but at Rhode Island rates the Porsche Cayenne wins instead, by $1,286. Tesla Model S Long Range (electric) vs Porsche Cayenne →
• Nationally the Audi Q6 e-tron (base RWD, electric) is $355 cheaper over 5 years, but at Rhode Island rates the BMW X5 xDrive40i wins instead, by $3,873. Audi Q6 e-tron (base RWD, electric) vs BMW X5 xDrive40i →

Car insurance in Rhode Island

Drivers in Rhode Island spent an average of $1,539 a year on auto insurance — 20.1% above 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.

States whose numbers look like Rhode Island's

Closest matches on home electricity and pump price — the states where the same car lands nearest to its Rhode Island total — plus the cheapest and most expensive states in the country to run an EV:

• Massachusetts →
• Maine →
• New York →
• New Hampshire →
• Connecticut →
• District of Columbia →
• Vermont →
• Alaska →
• Nevada →
• Hawaii →

All 51 state hubs →