# Does Charging Your Phone in the Car Increase Fuel Consumption? The impact of phone charging on vehicle fuel consumption and the facts. - **Source:** [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com) - **Published:** 2026-07-23 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/87859b18-8b4f-4ad2-a23b-c41b92472022 ## Impact of Phone Charging on Fuel Charging a phone in a car draws a tiny amount of energy from the engine via the alternator. This energy does not cause a noticeable increase in fuel consumption. For example, an average charger consumes 5-15 watts, while the AC uses thousands of watts. ## Increase in Fuel Consumption According to Bloomberg, a phone charger consumes about 0.03 miles per gallon. In a 20 MPG car, this reduces efficiency to 19.97 MPG. This is a negligible amount in practical terms. ## Comparison with AC The fuel impact of phone charging is insignificant compared to the AC, which can increase consumption by up to 10%. For savings, reducing AC usage is far more effective than worrying about phone charging. ## Effect on the Car Battery Charging a phone while the engine is running does not drain the 12V battery, as power comes from the alternator. However, charging with the engine off draws directly from the battery, which could be an issue for older batteries over time. ## Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Hybrid owners might wonder about phone charging's impact on range. The energy consumed by a charger is too minimal to affect an EV's range noticeably. Optimizing driving habits yields much greater savings. ## Conclusion: No Need to Worry Phone charging has no significant impact on fuel consumption or battery life. Cost-conscious drivers can achieve bigger savings by limiting AC use. Charging in the car remains a practical solution. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.engadget.com/2219809/car-charging-phone-gas-explained/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._