Charging an electric car in Montana
Driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 1,000 miles a month takes 275 kWh from the wall (EPA 27.5 kWh/100 mi), about $38 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $4.45 a gallon (Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) average, October 2026) costs about $174.
On a time-of-use plan, charging in the cheapest hours beats the flat average. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical Montana home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
| Utility | Best plan for an EV | Best start | 1,000 mi, best start | From 6 pm |
|---|
| NorthWestern Energy | REDS-1 | Any | $43 | $43 |
Other models: cost to charge by model. Your car, miles and plan: EV charging cost calculator.
Average electric bill in Montana
Over the last 12 months the average price was 13.94¢ per kWh and the average home used 826 kWh a month, so a typical Montana household spent about $115 a month on electricity, or $1,382 a year. Use is close to the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in January at 1,100 kWh.
The state average hides the real spread. Utilities in the same state charge different prices, and on a time-of-use plan the same kWh costs more in the peak hours than off-peak; each utility page shows by how much. Open NorthWestern Energy’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with Montana preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $0.87 per therm over the 12 months to August 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 666 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in Montana produces about 1,336 kWh per installed kW a year (NREL PVWatts at the state’s population center). What that is worth depends on your utility’s export rule, shown on each utility’s page.
Montana electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in Montana?
Homes in Montana paid an average of 15.57¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #33 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 13.94¢. These are EIA averages of what households actually paid, fixed charges included; your utility and plan set your own price.
What is the average electric bill in Montana?
About $115 a month ($1,382 a year): the average Montana home used 826 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 13.94¢/kWh. Use peaks in January, at 1,100 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in Montana?
Montana's average residential price was 15.57¢/kWh in August 2026, 9.0% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +2.5% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Montana?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $38 at the state's average home price, against about $174 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do Montana utilities offer time-of-use plans?
None of the NorthWestern Energy plans modeled here is time-of-use: the price per kWh does not depend on the hour.