EV vs Petrol Cost Calculator

Compare an electric car with a petrol car over 1 to 10 years: fuel and electricity (home and public charging mixed), purchase price, yearly maintenance and resale value. See the cost per year, the total, the cost per km or mile and the break-even year. Planning estimate, constant prices.

Driving

Distance per year (km)

Years you keep the car

Petrol car

Purchase price

Fuel use (L per 100 km)

Fuel price per litre

Example value, not a market price. Use yours.

Maintenance per year

Service, tyres, and tax or insurance if you want them counted.

Resale value at the end

Optional: 0 if you will not sell.

Electric car

Purchase price

Use from the wall (kWh per 100 km)

Charging losses included.

Charged at home (%)

The rest is public charging.

Home price per kWh

Example value, not a market price. Use yours.

Public price per kWh

Example value, not a market price. Use yours.

Maintenance per year

Resale value at the end

Optional: 0 if you will not sell.

EV saves

41,636.00

Over 8 years, including purchase and resale

EV total: 362,864.00
Petrol total: 404,500.00
EV running cost per year: 10,358.00
Petrol running cost per year: 23,062.50
EV cost per year, all in: 45,358.00
Petrol cost per year, all in: 50,562.50
EV cost per km: 3.02
Petrol cost per km: 3.37
Break-even: Year 8

Working: EV: 420000 + 8 × (10,358.00) − 140000 = 362,864.00 · Petrol: 330000 + 8 × (23,062.50) − 110000 = 404,500.00

Planning estimate with constant prices: no price changes, interest, subsidies, home charger or battery replacement. Break-even counts cash only; resale is counted in the last year.

Currency

Year by year

Total cash spent so far on each car (purchase plus running costs, resale only in the last year).

Cumulative cost of the petrol car and the EV after each year
Year	Petrol	EV	Cheaper
1	353,062.50	430,358.00	Petrol
2	376,125.00	440,716.00	Petrol
3	399,187.50	451,074.00	Petrol
4	422,250.00	461,432.00	Petrol
5	445,312.50	471,790.00	Petrol
6	468,375.00	482,148.00	Petrol
7	491,437.50	492,506.00	Petrol
8	404,500.00	362,864.00	EV

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Frequently asked questions

How is the break-even year worked out?

Each year the tool adds up the cash each car has cost so far: the purchase price plus the yearly running cost (fuel or electricity plus maintenance). Resale value counts only in the last year, when you sell. The break-even year is the first year the EV's running total is no higher than the petrol car's. The exact figure, such as 7.1 years, is the extra purchase price divided by the yearly saving.

Which consumption figure should I use for the EV?

Use the figure from the wall, with charging losses included: usually 10 to 20 % more than the car's own display shows. The example values are typical, not a specific model, so replace them with your car's real-world numbers. For the petrol car use the real-world litres per 100 km or miles per US gallon, not the brochure figure.

What should I put under maintenance?

Whatever you expect to pay each year that differs between the cars: servicing, tyres, and if you like vehicle tax and insurance. EVs usually have lower servicing costs. You type it yourself, because it varies widely by country and model.

What does the home and public charging split do?

It blends the two prices into one price per kWh: for example 80 % home at 1.80 and 20 % public at 5.50 is 2.54 per kWh. People who can charge at home or work usually pay far less than those relying on fast chargers, so this is often the biggest lever in the result.

What is left out?

Price changes over the years (fuel, electricity and used-car values are held constant), interest on the money tied up in the car, subsidies and tax breaks, a home charger and its installation, and battery replacement. Add known costs to the purchase price or yearly maintenance to include them. It is a planning estimate, not financial advice.