He asked Reddit if an EV makes sense when you can’t charge at home—here’s the reality

Going electric sounds like the obvious move, until the one thing that makes it easy isn’t available to you.

A post making the rounds on r/electricvehicles put a question on the table that a lot of people glossed over: Can you realistically own an EV when you live in an apartment and have zero access to home charging? The original poster was genuinely curious, not dismissing EVs, but wanted honest answers from people who’d actually tried to make it work without a garage or a private outlet to plug into overnight.

The thread drew hundreds of responses, and the advice ranged from genuinely useful to completely missing the point. Because here’s the thing a surprising number of commenters seemed to forget: an apartment often means no Level 1, no Level 2, no outlet of any kind. Not even the humble 120V wall plug that most EV owners quietly rely on when they downplay how easy home charging is.

The top replies came confidently. One commenter said that if you don’t drive that often, a regular plug would “pretty easily keep your car topped up.” Another said they drive 30 miles a day on a standard outlet without any issues. Solid advice for someone who has a standard outlet, but for OP, that’s precisely what’s not on the table.

A few users did pick up on the actual situation. An electrician in the thread pointed out that Level 2 charging either means repurposing an existing 240V outlet or paying for new electrical work, and suggested trying Level 1 first before committing to anything. One commenter summed up what many were dancing around: the real answer always depends on where else you can charge and how much you drive. Someone who charges at work for free sits in a completely different position from someone relying entirely on paid public stations every day.

A few voices suggested going hybrid instead, which drew some pushback. For an apartment owner with no home charging access, though, it’s a more serious option than most of the thread gave it credit for.

What the numbers actually say

Two figures set the scene here. Regular gas is currently around $4.17 per gallon nationwide, according to AAA. Public EV charging averages $0.417 per kWh across commercial stations. At those rates, driving an EV on public charging costs roughly the same per mile as a reasonably efficient gas car, meaning the savings disappear. For someone with a truck or a larger SUV, public charging still wins, but for a compact or midsize gas car, the fuel is almost the same.

What does matter here is maintenance. A U.S. Department of Energy study from Argonne National Laboratory found that EVs cost around 40% less per mile to maintain than gas vehicles. No oil changes, no timing belts, no transmission service, and regenerative braking that barely touches the brake pads. That’s a real number that most fuel-cost comparisons don’t account for, and it tilts the long-term picture back toward electric even when charging costs more per mile than it should.

Worth knowing too: not all public charging costs the same. A DC fast charger and a Level 2 both fall under that $0.417 average, but one charges a car in 20 minutes, and the other takes the better part of an afternoon. For a driver without home charging, that time difference shapes the entire daily experience. Apps like PlugShare map nearby options with pricing and charger type, worth checking before making any decisions.

So is it worth it — and one honest recommendation

For this situation, everything hinges on one question: Is there affordable charging somewhere you already go? Work, a gym, a grocery store with Level 2 plugs? If yes, an EV is very much viable. The maintenance savings are real, the charging friction is manageable, and the fuel cost advantage returns the moment you’re not paying peak public rates every single day.

If public fast charging is the only option, here’s a straight answer: get a hybrid. A modern hybrid charges itself through regenerative braking and the engine, meaning no need to plug in. For someone in an apartment, that’s not a small thing. At $4.17 per gallon, a hybrid running 45 mpg costs less per mile than the public charging average, with none of the logistical overhead. That might change as apartment buildings add charging infrastructure over the next few years. Until it does, a hybrid is the smarter starting point, and a solid one will still be worth driving when the situation eventually changes.