Best Time-of-Use Rate Plans for EV Owners in 2026

Rate-example clarification: September 22, 2026. Tariff examples below are not verified current offers; check the named utility before switching. The current stored residential benchmark is shown separately.

The stored U.S. residential average is 18.34¢/kWh for June 2026. Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, released 2026-08-26, checked 2026-09-22. These are preliminary monthly averages, not utility offers or a forecast. This snapshot does not update automatically.

If you drive an electric vehicle and haven't switched to a time-of-use (TOU) electricity rate, you're almost certainly leaving money on the table — often $600–$1,500 per year.

TOU rates charge different prices for electricity depending on the time of day. The logic is straightforward: electricity costs the grid less to produce at 2 AM than at 6 PM when everyone gets home from work and turns on their air conditioning. Utilities pass those real-time cost differences on to customers willing to shift their usage to cheaper hours.

For EV owners, this is a perfect match. Your car sits idle while you sleep. Plugging it in at midnight and setting a charge schedule through your EV's app — something every major EV supports today — means your transportation fuel costs a fraction of what daytime drivers pay.

Here's exactly how it works, which plans are worth switching to, and how to calculate your savings.

How Time-of-Use Pricing Works

A TOU rate plan divides the day into pricing periods, typically:

• Peak hours: High demand periods, usually weekday afternoons and evenings (4 PM–9 PM is most common). In California, summer peak prices on PG&E's and SCE's EV plans are about $0.54–0.61/kWh.
• Off-peak hours: Nights and early mornings, often 9 PM–6 AM. Prices are much lower than peak but vary widely: California's off-peak EV prices are still above $0.20/kWh, while many utilities elsewhere charge far less.
• Super off-peak (some utilities): A window with the plan's lowest price, often overnight or, in solar-heavy grids, midday.
• Mid-peak (some utilities): Shoulder periods between peak and off-peak with moderate rates.

The critical insight for EV owners: you don't have to reduce your total electricity use — you just have to shift when you use it. All modern EVs have built-in charge scheduling. Set your car to begin charging at 11 PM and stop by 6 AM, and you automatically capture off-peak rates every night.

Why the Math Works in EV Owners' Favor

Let's look at a concrete example using the Tesla Model 3 Long Range (consumption: approximately 26 kWh per 100 miles) and a driver who travels 1,200 miles per month:

Monthly energy needed: 1,200 miles ÷ 100 × 26 kWh = 312 kWh/month

On a flat residential rate (e.g., an assumed 14.5¢/kWh): 312 kWh × $0.145 = $45.24/month

On a TOU plan, charging exclusively off-peak (e.g., 9¢/kWh off-peak rate): 312 kWh × $0.09 = $28.08/month

Monthly savings: $17.16 | Annual savings: $205.92

That example uses chosen rates, not a published national average. A second illustrative comparison uses a 28¢/kWh flat rate and a 9¢/kWh off-peak rate. These figures are not a current California average or a verified PG&E offer:

Flat rate scenario: 312 kWh × $0.28 = $87.36/month → $1,048/year TOU off-peak scenario: 312 kWh × $0.09 = $28.08/month → $337/year Annual savings from TOU switch (California): $711/year just on EV charging

Best TOU Plans by State and Utility

California

California has the most developed TOU rate landscape in the country — and also the most consequential, given that the state has the highest residential electricity rates in the continental U.S.

Prices below were read from each utility's published rate page in October 2026 and include energy charges only. California rates change several times a year, so confirm current prices before switching plans.

PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) — EV2-A Plan

• Summer off-peak: about $0.23/kWh (midnight – 3 PM)
• Summer partial-peak: about $0.43/kWh (3 – 4 PM and 9 PM – midnight)
• Summer peak: about $0.54/kWh (4 – 9 PM)
• Winter peak: about $0.41/kWh; winter partial-peak about $0.39/kWh
• Best for: households that can charge an EV (or run a battery) between midnight and 3 PM

SCE (Southern California Edison) — TOU-D-PRIME Plan

• Summer weekday off-peak: about $0.26/kWh (9 PM – 4 PM); summer weekday on-peak: about $0.61/kWh (4 – 9 PM)
• Winter super off-peak: about $0.24/kWh (8 AM – 4 PM); winter off-peak about $0.30/kWh; winter mid-peak about $0.45/kWh (4 – 9 PM)
• Requires an EV, home battery, or heat pump, and carries a daily base charge (about $0.79/day)
• Best for: LA-area homeowners who can keep charging out of the 4 – 9 PM window

SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric) — EV-TOU-5 Plan

• Offers a super off-peak period with a much lower price than the 4 – 9 PM on-peak period, plus a fixed monthly charge
• We could not access SDG&E's official price sheet when updating this article, so check SDG&E's EV plans page for current prices and hours

The California examples show how large the gap between peak and off-peak prices can be: on PG&E's EV2-A, summer peak electricity costs more than twice the off-peak price. For overnight chargers that spread is the whole point, but note that even California's off-peak prices are well above the U.S. average residential rate.

Other States

We have verified current prices only for the California plans above. Utilities and retail providers elsewhere also offer TOU and EV plans; check the current price sheet before switching:

• Texas (competitive market): TOU, free-nights, and EV plans come from retail electric providers rather than the wires utility, and terms change often. Compare plans and their electricity facts labels on Power to Choose. Wholesale pass-through plans can be very cheap overnight but expose you to price spikes.
• Colorado: Xcel Energy residential customers are on time-of-use pricing; compare the peak window with when you plan to charge.
• Georgia: Georgia Power offers time-of-use and EV-focused plans with a low overnight price; check the current rate sheet on georgiapower.com.
• North Carolina: Duke Energy offers time-of-use options for residential customers; compare peak windows by season.
• Washington and Oregon: Average rates are moderate (about 15–16¢/kWh in EIA's June 2026 data), so TOU savings are smaller in dollars; check Puget Sound Energy, PGE, or Pacific Power for current EV and TOU options.

How to Calculate Your Optimal Charging Schedule

Step 1: Identify Your Utility's TOU Periods

Look up your utility's TOU rate structure on their website or call their customer service line. You're looking for: (a) when are peak hours, (b) what's the peak rate, and (c) what's the off-peak rate.

Step 2: Check If Your Rate Works for Your Schedule

If peak hours run 4 PM–9 PM (as most do), and you typically arrive home at 6 PM and plug in, you need to either delay the start time (easy with a charge schedule) or ensure your EV doesn't start charging until after 9 PM.

Step 3: Consider Your Whole-Home Usage

EV charging is often the biggest single load shift you can make, but look at your overall usage too. Running your dishwasher, laundry, and other major appliances after 9 PM can further reduce your peak demand exposure on more advanced rate plans.

Step 4: Calculate Your Savings

PG&E rows use summer EV2-A prices from PG&E's rate page (October 2026): about $0.54/kWh at the 4–9 PM peak and $0.23/kWh off-peak. Winter peak prices are lower, so year-round savings will be smaller. The last row uses illustrative rates, not a specific utility's tariff.

The Whole-Home Consideration: When TOU Plans Can Hurt

Not every household benefits from switching to TOU. If your household has large daytime energy loads — a pool pump, electric water heater running midday, someone working from home with heavy AC use — TOU plans can backfire by exposing more of your usage to peak rates than the EV savings offset.

A rough rule: If more than 25–30% of your electricity use happens during peak hours and you can't shift it, compare your total bill carefully before switching. The Rate Optimizer calculator below can model both scenarios using your actual usage profile.

The households that benefit most from TOU are those with predictable overnight EV charging needs and flexible daytime loads. For the typical working family that charges an EV overnight, runs appliances in evenings, and can easily shift to post-9 PM — the switch is almost always worth it.

Getting Started With a TOU Switch

Most utilities allow you to switch to a TOU plan online within a few minutes. The switch typically takes effect at the start of the next billing cycle. Most utilities also allow a 12-month trial period where you can switch back to a flat rate if TOU doesn't save you money — though in practice, EV-owning households with overnight charging habits almost universally come out ahead.

Steps to switch:

1. Log into your utility's online account portal
2. Navigate to "Rate Plans" or "Pricing Options"
3. Compare available TOU plans — some utilities offer multiple structures
4. Enroll (usually effective next billing cycle)
5. Set a charging schedule on your EV app (most important step)
6. Review your first two bills to confirm savings

The Rate Optimizer and EV Charging Cost calculators below can help you model your specific situation before switching — and verify your savings after the first month.

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Data sources: PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, Xcel Energy, Georgia Power, Duke Energy published tariff schedules, February 2026; EIA Electric Power Monthly February 2026; NREL Vehicle Charging and Grid Integration research