What an EV really costs in South Dakota — any EV, any hybrid, any gas car

What is different about South Dakota's numbers

Home electricity here is 15.7¢/kWh, 14.7% below the 18.4¢ U.S. average (EIA, 2026-05), and regular gas averages $3.72/gal, 3.3% below the national $3.85 (AAA). South Dakota also charges electric cars a $50/yr road-use fee on top of the $75 base registration — $250 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 South Dakota lands $1,168 below its U.S.-average figure, while the average gas or hybrid car lands $927 below its own. Net effect: South Dakota narrows the gap an EV has to close by about $242. Head-to-head that comes out as EVs taking 14 of 55 matchups at South Dakota 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, South Dakota is 15th cheapest for an electric car and 23rd for a gas or hybrid one. Its residential rate has moved 13.4¢ → 14.5¢/kWh across the 24 months to 2026-04 (+8.2%); on a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD that shift alone is about $244 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 $13,458 more over 5 years than the gas or hybrid car it is matched against at South Dakota rates — against $13,751 more nationally. South Dakota closes it by about $293. The EV that comes closest here is the Rivian R1S Dual-Motor (Standard Pack) against the Cadillac Escalade, $16,028 ahead; the furthest behind is the Kia EV9 Light Long Range RWD (electric) against the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid LE FWD, $25,160 adrift.

Running cost, South Dakota prices: a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD draws about $4.47 of electricity per 100 miles at home (charging loss included), against $12.40 of gas for a 30 mpg car. A gas car would need 83 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.

South Dakota 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 South Dakota

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

1. Chevrolet Bolt EUV (used)$44,117
2. Nissan Leaf SV+$44,674
3. Toyota bZ XLE (electric)$46,827
4. Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE$47,907
5. 2026 Fiat 500e$48,605
6. Chevrolet Equinox EV LT$49,093
7. Hyundai Kona Electric SEL (Long Range)$49,763
8. 2026 Volvo EX30 Single motor extended range$51,069

South Dakota cost by model

No model we price hits either its cheapest or its most expensive state here — South Dakota sits mid-pack for every one of the 80. Sorted by 5-year cost to own at South Dakota rates; the order is not the national order.

This is the South Dakota-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 South Dakota

None of them. All 55 head-to-head matchups come out the same way at South Dakota rates as at the U.S. average — local prices move the totals here by $1,168 on an average EV, but never enough to change a winner. See every matchup →

Car insurance in South Dakota

Drivers in South Dakota spent an average of $936 a year on auto insurance — 26.9% 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.

States whose numbers look like South Dakota's

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

• Colorado →
• Florida →
• Georgia →
• West Virginia →
• Kansas →
• North Carolina →
• South Carolina →
• Minnesota →
• Nevada →
• Hawaii →

All 51 state hubs →