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

What is different about Tennessee's numbers

Home electricity here is 14.5¢/kWh, 21.5% below the 18.4¢ U.S. average (EIA, 2026-05), and regular gas averages $3.38/gal, 12.1% below the national $3.85 (AAA). Tennessee also charges electric cars a $200/yr road-use fee on top of the $29 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 Tennessee lands $1,017 below its U.S.-average figure, while the average gas or hybrid car lands $1,946 below its own. Net effect: Tennessee widens the gap an EV has to close by about $928. Head-to-head that comes out as EVs taking 13 of 55 matchups at Tennessee 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, Tennessee is 17th cheapest for an electric car and 3rd for a gas or hybrid one. Its residential rate has moved 12.3¢ → 14.9¢/kWh across the 24 months to 2026-04 (+21.1%); on a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD that shift alone is about $576 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 $14,521 more over 5 years than the gas or hybrid car it is matched against at Tennessee rates — against $13,751 more nationally. Tennessee widens it by about $770. The EV that comes closest here is the Rivian R1S Dual-Motor (Standard Pack) against the Cadillac Escalade, $14,264 ahead; the furthest behind is the Kia EV9 Light Long Range RWD (electric) against the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid LE FWD, $26,054 adrift.

Running cost, Tennessee prices: a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD draws about $4.11 of electricity per 100 miles at home (charging loss included), against $11.27 of gas for a 30 mpg car. A gas car would need 82 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.

Tennessee 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 Tennessee

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

1. Chevrolet Bolt EUV (used)$44,324
2. Nissan Leaf SV+$44,859
3. Toyota bZ XLE (electric)$47,059
4. Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE$48,114
5. 2026 Fiat 500e$48,799
6. Chevrolet Equinox EV LT$49,289
7. Hyundai Kona Electric SEL (Long Range)$49,959
8. 2026 Volvo EX30 Single motor extended range$51,263

Tennessee cost by model

Tennessee is one of the six cheapest states in the country for 36 of the 80 models we price — Honda Civic LX (gas) at $34,755, Toyota Corolla LE (gas) at $33,731, Toyota RAV4 LE (gas) at $39,303 and 33 more. Sorted by 5-year cost to own at Tennessee rates; the order is not the national order.

This is the Tennessee-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 Tennessee

Of the 55 head-to-head matchups we track, 1 comes out differently at Tennessee rates than at the U.S. average — it is the only comparison where "it depends where you live" is literally true:

• Nationally the Audi Q6 e-tron (base RWD, electric) is $355 cheaper over 5 years, but at Tennessee rates the BMW X5 xDrive40i wins instead, by $640. Audi Q6 e-tron (base RWD, electric) vs BMW X5 xDrive40i →

Car insurance in Tennessee

Drivers in Tennessee spent an average of $1,050 a year on auto insurance — 18% 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 Tennessee's

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

• Arkansas →
• Louisiana →
• Iowa →
• Kentucky →
• North Carolina →
• Kansas →
• Missouri →
• Oklahoma →
• Nevada →
• Hawaii →

All 51 state hubs →