Honda Pilot vs. Tesla Model Y: The True Cost of Switching to Electric in King County

People in Redmond, Washington see Teslas everywhere. It’s the unofficial official car of the Eastside. But if you are sitting on the fence, looking at your trusty gas SUV and wondering if the switch is actually a financial win or just a tech upgrade, you need some math. The below calculations are based on my Tesla Y, but would mostly apply to any EV.

I recently made the jump from a 2017 Honda Pilot to a 2026 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD. I did the spreadsheets so you don’t have to. Here is the breakdown of what it actually costs to run an EV in our corner of Washington—factoring in optional workplace charging perks and the home charging strategy.

1. The Baseline: My Old Gas Guzzler

Let’s start with the control group. My daily driver has been a 2017 Honda Pilot, averaging about 20-21 MPG. I drive roughly 1,200 miles a month (mostly school runs, errands around Redmond, and the occasional trip to Seattle).

• Gas Price (Redmond, WA): ~$3.80/gallon
• Monthly Gas Bill: ~57 gallons × $3.80 = $216.60

2. The Tesla Efficiency 

With the 2026 Model Y, I am seeing good efficiency around 3.9 miles per kWh.

Total Electricity Needed: 1,200 miles ÷ 3.9 = ~308 kWh

Sometimes I charge at my office few days a week for free. Assuming those two days cover roughly 28% of my driving needs, I get about 88 kWh for free and only pay for the remaining 220 kWh at home.

3. Choose Your Savings Adventure

When it comes to paying for that home electricity, you have two paths.

Path A: The "Set It and Forget It" (Standard Tiered Rates)

This is the default for most PSE customers. You plug in whenever you get home(I believe in ABC-'Always Be Charging!'), and you pay the standard blended rate.

• Home Electricity Rate (PSE Blended): ~$0.17/kWh
• Monthly Electric Bill: 220 kWh × $0.17 = $37.40
• Monthly Savings vs. Gas: $179.20

Path B: The "Night Owl" (Time-of-Use Plan)

If you switch to PSE’s Time-of-Use (TOU) plan and schedule your Tesla to charge strictly during the off-peak window (11 PM to 7 AM), your rate drops significantly.

• Estimated Off-Peak Rate: ~$0.09/kWh (approx.)
• Monthly Electric Bill: 220 kWh × $0.09 = $19.80
• Monthly Savings vs. Gas: $196.80

By simply telling the Tesla app to wait until 11 PM to start charging, you cut your bill nearly in half again.

Annual Savings vs. Gas: ~$2,361

Shown below is my car charging on a measly, but effective NEMA 5-20 outlet. Even though my outlet is a slow Level 1 speed, but over night, I got from 46% to 68% in around $3.70. This gave me around 72 miles of range. Filling up corresponding amount of gas would have costed around $14.

4. Maximizing the Win: Redmond-Specific Rebates

To squeeze even more value out of the car, you can take advantage of local incentives:

PSE Flex EV Program: If you enroll your car to help balance the grid (charging during off-peak times), PSE gives you $50 upfront and pays you for energy saved during peak events.

PSE "Up & Go" Rebate: As of writing, if you decide to install a Level 2 charger (though I’m surviving fine on a standard outlet!), PSE offers a rebate of up to $300 for the charger itself.

5. The Break-Even Calculation

For the analytical minds, here is my "Sleep Well at Night" number. As long as my electricity cost stays below a certain point, I am beating the gas car.

• Gas Cost per Mile (Honda): $3.80 ÷ 21 MPG = $0.18 per mile
• Tesla Efficiency: 3.9 miles/kWh
• To match the cost of gas, electricity would have to cost: $0.18 × 3.9 = $0.70 per kWh. This means that if I am charging outside on a public charger, I aim to find chargers with less than around $0.55 per kWh cost to be winning over gas.

The Verdict: Even on the standard plan ($0.17/kWh), electricity would have to quadruple to cost as much as gas. On the TOU plan ($0.09/kWh), it would have to go up seven times. When you combine high-efficiency driving, free office electrons, and off-peak home rates, the operational savings are undeniable.

Final Thoughts

Living in Redmond with a Tesla or any EV makes financial sense. By combining workplace charging with the Time-of-Use nightly schedule, we can fuel the car for less than the price of two pizzas a month. The Honda Pilot served me well, but I’m definitely not missing the gas station.

Below is an approximation of all my charge sessions over last around 3 months, across charging at home, at work, some supercharger sessions over long trips etc. I paid around $267 in charging cost. Comparable gas cost would have been around $1065 USD.

Thanks for reading, and if you are thinking about it, try a test drive of a Tesla[my referral link]! 

Saurabh.