The Model 3 takes 28 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent on DC and about 8 hours to fill on an 11 kW home wallbox. At the US average rate it costs roughly $16.15 to fill and $4.86 per 100 miles — one of the two cheapest cars in our database to run, and roughly a third of what a 27 mpg petrol car costs over the same distance.
How long it takes to charge
| Where | Power | Time | What that is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, Level 1 | 1.4 kW | ≈ 61 hours est | Empty to full on a 120 V household outlet at 12 A — suited to daily top-ups; a full charge can take days |
| Home, Level 2 | 7.7 kW | 11.4 hours | Empty to full, overnight |
| Home, Level 2 | 11.0 kW | 8.0 hours | Empty to full, overnight capped by the 11.0 kW onboard charger |
| Public DC, at its peak | 250 kW | 28 min | 10 to 80 per cent — the figure to compare cars on |
| Public DC station | 50 kW | ≈ 66 min est | 10 to 80 per cent, held back by the station |
| Public DC station | 150 kW | ≈ 28 min | 10 to 80 per cent — the car reaches its own limit here, not the station |
| Public DC station | 350 kW | ≈ 28 min | 10 to 80 per cent — the car reaches its own limit here, not the station |
What it costs to charge
| Charging at | Rate | Full charge | Per 100 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | $0.184/kWh | $16.15 | $4.86 |
| Public DC fast charging | $0.48/kWh | $37.92 | $12.67 |
| A petrol car, for comparison | $4.07/gal | — | $15.07 |
Assumptions, all editable in the running-cost calculator: $0.184/kWh at home (EIA US residential average) and $0.48/kWh on public DC, against petrol at $4.07 a gallon and 27 mpg. Charging is about 90 per cent efficient, so putting 79.0 kWh into this battery costs 87.8 kWh at the meter — 8.8 kWh that never reaches the pack. The rated consumption figures are measured at the wall already and need no such correction.
Over 13,500 miles a year — the US average — that is $655.78 of electricity charging at home, against $2,035.00 of petrol in the comparison car: a difference of $1,379.22 a year.
Cheap to run, ordinary to charge
These two facts sit oddly together and both are true. The Model 3 is the second most efficient car in our database on the EPA test, behind only the Ioniq 6, which is why its cost per mile is so low. It is also a 400-volt car that needs 28 minutes for a window the Korean 800-volt saloons do in seventeen.
Which matters more depends entirely on you. If most of your charging happens at home, efficiency wins every day and charging speed is a number you meet a few times a year. If you drive long distances often, the eleven-minute gap against a Hyundai Ioniq 6 compounds across every stop.
One thing partly offsets it: the Model 3 goes further between stops than almost anything here — 346 miles on the EPA cycle — so it needs fewer of them.
150 kW is enough
As with the Model Y, the table shows the Model 3 hitting its full 10-80 speed on a 150 kW station. A 350 kW post buys nothing, because past 150 the constraint is the car’s charging curve rather than the charger.
A 50 kW station, on the other hand, roughly doubles the wait. If you have a choice on a journey, the meaningful upgrade is 50 to 150, not 150 to 350.
What the cost figures assume
Home electricity at the US residential average and public DC at a typical network rate. The gap between them is the largest single lever on your running cost: charging exclusively in public roughly doubles the annual figure shown above.
The running-cost calculator takes your own tariff, mileage and home-charging share, and shows the crossover against a petrol car of your choosing.
Miles of range per hour, at every charger
The tables above answer “how long does a full charge take”. The question most drivers actually have at a plug is different: how much range goes in per hour, and how long until the next 100 miles are on the clock. This table answers that for every kind of charger, from a household 120-volt outlet to a 350 kW station, using the same figures as the rest of the page — the EPA’s 26.4 kWh per 100 miles, which is measured at the wall, and the measured 28-minute 10-80 per cent time. Rated range is used throughout; in winter, or at motorway speed, every row shrinks by the same proportion.
| Charger | Power at the car | Miles per hour | Add 100 mi | Empty to full | What sets the rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household outlet, Level 1 (120 V, 12 A) | 1.4 kW | 5 mi/h | 18 h 20 min | 60 h 57 min | the EPA figure, measured at the wall |
| Home wallbox, Level 2 | 7.7 kW | 29 mi/h | 3 h 26 min | 11 h 24 min | the EPA figure, measured at the wall |
| Home wallbox, Level 2 | 11.0 kW | 42 mi/h | 2 h 24 min | 7 h 59 min | capped by the 11.0 kW onboard charger |
| Public DC station | 50 kW | 219 mi/h | 27 min | — | held back by the station (estimate) |
| Public DC station | 150 kW | 519 mi/h | 12 min | — | the car’s own 28-minute 10-80 curve is the limit |
| Public DC station | 350 kW | 519 mi/h | 12 min | — | the car’s own 28-minute 10-80 curve is the limit |
A Level 1 outlet adds about 5 miles an hour — 55 miles in a ten-hour overnight stop, enough for a commute and not for much else. A 7.7 kW wallbox raises that to 29 miles an hour, so 100 miles takes 3 h 26 min and the car is full from empty in 11 h 24 min. On DC the useful figure is 519 miles an hour at a 150 kW post, and a 350 kW station does not raise it because the car’s own curve is the limit from 150 kW up — 100 miles in 12 min. The 50 kW row is the one to remember on a road trip: the station, not the car, sets the pace, and 100 miles takes 27 min.
The per-hour figures do not change with your electricity price, but the cost of every hour does: the residential rate runs from 13.11 cents a kWh in Nevada to 52.72 in Hawaii (EIA, June 2026). We publish the arithmetic for this car in every state — Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California — and a 50-state table ranked cheapest first.
Where these numbers will mislead you
Cold weather. Both the charge time and the cost per mile get worse in winter — the first because a cold pack accepts less power, the second because cabin heat comes out of the battery. Neither official figures nor ours are winter figures.
Wheel size. EPA consumption is rated per configuration, and larger wheels cost range and efficiency. The figure here is for the specification credited on the car’s page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to charge a Tesla Model 3?
About 28 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent on a DC charger of 150 kW or more, and roughly eight hours from empty on an 11 kW home wallbox. On a 7.7 kW supply it is closer to eleven and a half hours.
How much does it cost to charge a Model 3?
About $16.15 for a full charge at home at the US average rate, or roughly $4.86 per 100 miles. Over 13,500 miles a year that is around $656 of electricity against roughly $2,035 of petrol.
Is the Model 3 cheaper to run than a Model Y?
Slightly, yes — about $4.86 per 100 miles against $5.06, because the saloon body is more aerodynamic. Over a year that is roughly $27. The bigger difference between them is range, not running cost.
How many kWh does it take to fully charge a Tesla Model 3?
The pack holds 79 kWh usable, but you pay for what comes out of the wall, and AC charging is roughly 90 per cent efficient — so a full charge draws about 88 kWh. That is the figure your electricity bill sees, and it is why the full-charge cost above is higher than capacity multiplied by tariff would suggest.
The same arithmetic across every car on this site: how many kWh a full charge really takes, 7.7 kW against 11.5 kW at home, and what charging costs per month.
Sources
Figures are credited individually on the Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD page. Tariff and petrol assumptions are on the methodology page.