Use the calculator to model your annual cost. Defaults reflect U.S. averages: 12,000 miles per year, a Model Y Long Range's roughly 4 miles per kWh, $0.36/kWh blended Supercharger rate, and assume 80% of your charging is done at home with the rest on Superchargers (if you're a road-tripper, raise the Supercharger share).
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Use the Tesla Referral → Benefits applied automatically at checkoutHow the math works
The calculator turns each input into kWh and dollars in three steps:
- Annual energy needed: miles ÷ efficiency = kWh per year. A 12,000-mile-per-year driver in a 4 mi/kWh Model Y uses 3,000 kWh annually.
- Split into home vs Supercharger: the share you set decides how those kWh are split. A 20% Supercharger share means 600 kWh on Superchargers and 2,400 kWh at home.
- Multiply by the relevant rate: Supercharger kWh × Supercharger rate, plus home kWh × home rate.
The "referral credit value" is computed by converting credit miles into kWh at your efficiency, then multiplying by the Supercharger rate — that is the dollar value the credit displaces.
Why Supercharger rates vary
Supercharger pricing is set per stall and changes throughout the day:
- Time of day: Many high-traffic stations have peak/off-peak pricing. Off-peak (typically late night and mid-morning) can be 20–40% cheaper.
- Demand and electricity prices: Stations in Texas and the Southeast tend to be cheaper than the Northeast and California, mirroring local electricity costs.
- Idle and congestion fees: If a station is busy and you stay plugged in past your charge, idle fees apply. These are not part of base $/kWh but show up on your bill if you don't move the car.
- Tier-based stations: A small number of older sites still bill by the minute (kWh billing isn't legal in every state). Per-minute billing has two tiers based on charge speed.
The default $0.36/kWh in the calculator is a reasonable U.S. blended average for 2026. Your actual rate will vary by region. Check the Tesla mobile app's "Plan a Trip" feature or any Supercharger location's info page to see current rates near you.
Home charging is almost always cheaper
The biggest cost-of-ownership lever for a Tesla is whether you can charge at home. A 220V Level 2 charger (Tesla Wall Connector or any J1772/NACS unit) installed in a garage is a one-time investment that pays back over the life of the car many times over.
If your home electric rate is $0.16/kWh and the Supercharger rate is $0.36/kWh, your per-mile energy cost is more than 2x higher on Superchargers. The referral Supercharging credit is most valuable for drivers who depend on Superchargers — long commuters, road-trippers, and owners without a dedicated home charging spot. For garage-charging suburban commuters, the credit is nice but the at-home electricity is doing most of the work.
Comparing to a gas car
The calculator's "$0.15/mi for a 30 mpg gas car at $4.50/gal" reference point is rough but useful: $4.50 / 30 = $0.15 per mile in fuel only. A typical Tesla driving mostly at home electricity often comes in well under half that. Even on 100% Supercharger charging, a Model 3 at 4 mi/kWh and $0.36/kWh costs about $0.09/mi — still cheaper than gas, with no oil changes, no transmission service, and far fewer brake jobs because of regenerative braking.