Quick answer
If you can do most of your charging in super off-peak hours (weekdays midnight-6am or 10am-2pm, weekends midnight-2pm), EV-TOU-5 usually wins. Per SDG&E, as of Oct 2026 (rates effective Aug 1, 2026), its summer super off-peak price is 13.1¢/kWh, versus 37.4¢ on TOU-DR1 and 25.1¢ on EV-TOU-2 (non-CCA, total rates).
The catch: EV-TOU-5 covers your whole house, and its 4-9pm price is the highest of the three (80.2¢/kWh in summer). If you drive little, charge at random times, or run AC and the dryer 4-9pm, TOU-DR1 can still come out ahead, partly because it keeps a baseline credit that EV-TOU-5 doesn't have.
The ~$24/month Base Services Charge is on all three plans, so it doesn't decide anything. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.
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Which SDG&E plan fits you? (quick estimate)
Your numbers stay in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded or saved. Use rough numbers from your bill and your car; the estimate updates as you type.
Estimated monthly energy cost
EV-TOU-5 looks cheapest: about $29 a month less than EV-TOU-2 and $48 less than TOU-DR1.
Your EV adds about 229 kWh a month. This estimate prices 113 kWh on-peak, 282 off-peak and 284 super off-peak.
Try this: Cutting your 4-9pm share from 25% to 15% (laundry and dishes after 9pm, pre-cool before 4pm) would save about $19 a month on EV-TOU-5.
Estimate only, not a bill. Uses SDG&E's non-CCA total rates effective Aug 1, 2026 (the same numbers as the table below). Assumes 30% of your home use outside 4-9pm falls in super off-peak hours and the rest in off-peak. Leaves out the Base Services Charge (about $24/month, the same on all three plans) and TOU-DR1's baseline credit (10.7¢ off each kWh up to 130% of your baseline), so TOU-DR1 can come in lower than shown. SDG&E's extended-hours notice didn't name EV-TOU-2, so on that plan count only overnight charging as super off-peak. With San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance, your rates differ. Check it against your bill, or run your real usage through SDG&E's Pricing Plan Chooser. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.
Latest · auto-checked Oct 6
- SDG&E Prepares Power Outages Ahead of High Winds · Briefs Finance, Oct 2
- NWS: Extreme Heat Warning until Thu Oct 8, 8PM · forecast
- NWS: Beach Hazards Statement until Fri Oct 9, 11PM · forecast
- NWS: Coastal Flood Advisory until Fri Oct 9, 11AM · forecast
- Solar today: SDG&E pays about 5.5¢/kWh for noon exports vs 19.2¢ at 6pm · North County power today
Pulled automatically from public feeds (news, NWS, SDG&E, NREL, Google Trends). Something we missed? Text PJ.
This week: heat warning and power-shutoff watch
Updated Oct 3
Rates on this page: SDG&E total rates effective August 1, 2026. SDG&E's rates page showed no later change as of Oct 3. Check sdge.com for today's numbers.
Power risk this week: The NWS Extreme Heat Warning runs through 8PM Thursday Oct 8, and SDG&E has a power-shutoff (PSPS) watch for some inland communities. On-peak is 4-9pm every day, so charge the EV and pre-cool before 4pm. See SDG&E power shutoff + heat wave: what to do in North County.
The three plans, side by side
Total price per kWh for customers who buy power from SDG&E (non-CCA), per SDG&E's total rate tables effective Aug 1, 2026. Summer is June 1 - Oct 31; winter is the rest of the year.
| Plan | On-peak 4-9pm summer / winter | Off-peak summer / winter | Super off-peak summer / winter | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV-TOU-5 | 80.2¢ / 52.4¢ | 49.6¢ / 46.6¢ | 13.1¢ / 12.3¢ | EV owners who can charge overnight; also the plan Solar Billing Plan (NEM 3) customers are on |
| EV-TOU-2 | 78.9¢ / 51.1¢ | 48.3¢ / 45.3¢ | 25.1¢ / 24.4¢ | EV owners; house and car on one smart meter |
| TOU-DR1 | 69.1¢ / 61.5¢ | 46.4¢ / 53.1¢ | 37.4¢ / 43.7¢ | SDG&E's standard plan. Minus a 10.7¢/kWh credit on usage up to 130% of your baseline |
Source: SDG&E Schedule EV-TOU-5, EV-TOU-2 and TOU-DR1 total rate tables, effective 8/1/2026. Rounded to 0.1¢. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers. If you're with a Community Choice Aggregator (San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance), SDG&E only bills delivery and your CCA prices generation, so your numbers differ; SDG&E publishes joint rate comparisons for both.
When is super off-peak on SDG&E?
- Weekdays: midnight-6am and 10am-2pm. SDG&E says the 10am-2pm window used to be March and April only and is now year-round on plans including TOU-DR1 and EV-TOU-5.
- Weekends and holidays: midnight-2pm.
- On-peak every day: 4pm-9pm, all year.
- Off-peak: everything else (weekdays 6-10am, 2-4pm and 9pm-midnight).
On EV-TOU-2, confirm the midday hours on SDG&E's plan page before you count on them; SDG&E's extended-hours announcement lists EV-TOU-5 and TOU-DR1 but did not name EV-TOU-2.
The Base Services Charge, in one paragraph
Since October 2025, SDG&E bills show a Base Services Charge. Per SDG&E it is about $24/month for most customers (about $12 for FERA, about $6 for CARE), and SDG&E says per-kWh delivery prices dropped about 10% to offset it. The 8/1/2026 tariff tables list it at $0.79343 per day on EV-TOU-5, EV-TOU-2 and TOU-DR1 alike. So it can make a low-usage bill look worse, but it doesn't change which plan is cheaper for you. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.
A quick way to see the gap
Example only: say your EV takes 300 kWh a month and you charge it all in summer super off-peak hours.
- EV-TOU-5: 300 × 13.1¢ ≈ $39
- EV-TOU-2: 300 × 25.1¢ ≈ $75
- TOU-DR1: 300 × 37.4¢ ≈ $112 (EV kWh usually land above your baseline, so the credit rarely helps here)
Now the other side. On EV-TOU-5, every kWh the house uses 4-9pm in summer costs 80.2¢ versus 69.1¢ on TOU-DR1 (58.4¢ inside your baseline). If your house burns 150 kWh in those hours in a summer month, that's roughly $17-$33 more on EV-TOU-5. In this example EV-TOU-5 still wins by a lot. With a short commute and a big 4-9pm habit, it can flip.
Math uses SDG&E's 8/1/2026 non-CCA summer rates. Your kWh, season, baseline and CCA all change the answer.
Decide in two minutes
| If you... | Then... |
|---|---|
| Charge at home overnight (or 10am-2pm) and drive a normal commute or more | Start with EV-TOU-5. Set the car's charge schedule to start after midnight. |
| Have solar on the Solar Billing Plan (NEM 3) | You're already on EV-TOU-5, per SDG&E. The job is shifting usage, not picking a plan. |
| Drive little, charge mostly at work or public chargers | Stay on TOU-DR1 and keep the baseline credit. |
| Can't move AC, cooking, laundry or pool pump out of 4-9pm | Run SDG&E's plan comparison first. The higher 4-9pm price on EV-TOU-5 can eat the charging savings. |
| Want EV savings but EV-TOU-5 feels too peaky | Look at EV-TOU-2: a cheaper charging rate than TOU-DR1, slightly lower 4-9pm price than EV-TOU-5. |
| Have a separate meter just for the charger | Ask about the original EV-TOU plan, which SDG&E designed for a separately metered charger. |
How to actually check it (15 minutes)
- Log in to My Energy Center on sdge.com and open the pricing plan comparison. SDG&E runs your last 12 months of real usage through each plan.
- If you just got the EV, your history doesn't include it yet. Add your expected charging kWh by hand: miles per month divided by your car's miles per kWh.
- Check eligibility: per SDG&E, EV-TOU-5 and EV-TOU-2 need an EV registered with the California DMV.
- Know the lock-in: SDG&E says you can change pricing plans once every 12 months for most plans. Pick deliberately.
- Then set the car's or charger's schedule. The plan only pays off if charging really happens in super off-peak.
Federal credits won't change the math anymore: per the IRS, the new clean vehicle credit (30D) is not available for vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025, and the home charger credit (30C) covers property placed in service through June 30, 2026. Thinking about a home battery too? Read is a home battery worth it in San Diego under NEM 3. Charger or panel work goes to a licensed electrician; SideGuy helps you decide, it doesn't install.
Want a second opinion?
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Send PJ your last SDG&E bill (or a screenshot of the plan comparison) and how you charge. You get a plain answer on which plan to try, how to set the charge schedule, and what to ask SDG&E. Decision and setup help only; installs go to licensed pros.
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Questions
What time is super off-peak on SDG&E in 2026?
Per SDG&E, weekdays midnight to 6am and 10am to 2pm, and weekends and holidays midnight to 2pm. On-peak is 4pm to 9pm every day. SDG&E says the 10am to 2pm window, once March and April only, now runs year-round on plans including TOU-DR1 and EV-TOU-5.
Is EV-TOU-5 worth it with the Base Services Charge?
The Base Services Charge (about $24 a month for most customers, per SDG&E) is on EV-TOU-5, EV-TOU-2 and TOU-DR1 alike, so it doesn't decide between them. EV-TOU-5 is worth it when most charging happens in super off-peak hours, where it is 13.1 cents per kWh in summer versus 37.4 cents on TOU-DR1 (SDG&E non-CCA rates effective Aug 1, 2026). Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.
Why did my SDG&E bill go up after I got an EV?
Usually because charging happens outside super off-peak, or the extra kWh push you past your baseline on TOU-DR1, where every kWh above it costs more. Check when the car actually charges, set a schedule that starts after midnight, and compare plans in My Energy Center.
Can I switch back if EV-TOU-5 doesn't work for me?
Per SDG&E, most plans let you change once every 12 months. Run the plan comparison with your expected charging added before you switch, so you are not stuck on the wrong plan for a year.
Sources checked for this page
Checked 2026-10-01. Rules and rates change; the official source wins over anything written here.
- SDG&E Pricing Plan Chooser: EV plans (rates effective Aug 1, 2026)
- SDG&E Schedule EV-TOU-5 total rates table, effective 8/1/2026
- SDG&E Schedule EV-TOU & EV-TOU-2 total rates tables, effective 8/1/2026
- SDG&E Schedule TOU-DR1 total rates table, effective 8/1/2026
- SDG&E: Extended super off-peak hours
- SDG&E: Electric billing / Base Services Charge
- SDG&E: Common rate terms (summer season)
- SDG&E: Total electric rates
- IRS: Credits for new clean vehicles (30D)
- IRS: Alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit (30C)
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.