Free calculator
EV vs gas cost calculator
With the US starting values (13,476 miles a year, a gas car at 25.5 mpg and $4.32 per gal, an EV at 3.47 mi/kWh charged at home for $0.183 per kWh), electricity costs $712 a year against $2,282 of gas: $1,570 a year in favour of the electric car. Type your own miles, prices and the other costs of each car to see the yearly and 5-year difference, and when a dearer EV pays back.
Result
- The EV is cheaper per year by
- $1,570
- Over 5 years
- $7,851 in favour of the EV
- Gas car, per year
- $7,221
- Electric car, per year
- $5,651
- Fuel per mile vs electricity per mile
- $0.169 vs $0.053
Fuel or energy = the year's distance x consumption x price; the EV's price is blended between home and public charging by the share you set. Everything else is what you type for each car. The purchase price only enters through the EV's extra price and its break-even; resale value is not modelled.
| Gas car | Electric car | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel or energy | $2,282 | $712 |
| Everything else | $4,939 | $4,939 |
| Total per year | $7,221 | $5,651 |
| Per mile | $0.536 | $0.419 |
How it works
Fuel per year = miles per year / fuel economy x price per gal. Electricity per year = miles per year x energy per mile x price per kWh, where the price is blended between home and public charging by the share you charge away from home. Each car’s total per year adds everything else you type for it: insurance, maintenance, tyres and tax. The difference per year x the years you keep the car is the total; the EV’s extra purchase price / the yearly saving is the break-even in years, and x miles per year, in miles.
The starting values keep “everything else” equal for both cars, because the honest comparison is on energy first: EV maintenance, insurance and depreciation differ by model and market, and you know your quotes better than any average. Purchase price and resale are not modelled beyond the extra price and its break-even.
Sources of the US starting values: fuel economy, EPA Automotive Trends Report (MY2024): real-world new-vehicle average 27.2 mpg, 1.7 mpg lower without BEVs and PHEVs = 25.5 mpg for a gas car — https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report (2026-09-18); gas price, EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update: regular gasoline, U.S. average $4.319/gal, week of 2026-09-14 (released 2026-09-15) — https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/ (2026-09-18); EV efficiency, EPA Automotive Trends Report (MY2024): Tesla fleet 117.1 MPGe = 117.1 / 33.7 kWh per gallon-equivalent = 3.47 mi/kWh (17.9 kWh/100 km), used as the typical EV — https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report (2026-09-18); home electricity, EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: U.S. residential average 18.34 cents/kWh, June 2026 — https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a (2026-09-18); public charging, Paren, Q1 2026 U.S. DC fast charging report: $0.53/kWh average excluding free chargers ($0.49 including them) — https://evchargingstations.com/chargingnews/parens-q1-2026-report/ (2026-09-18); yearly distance, FHWA, Office of Highway Policy Information, Average Annual Miles per Driver by Age Group: 13,476 miles per driver per year — https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm (2026-09-18). UK and metric values have their own, shown under each field. No live prices: what you type is what counts.
Frequently asked questions
- Is charging an EV at home cheaper than gas?
- Per mile, with the US starting values: $0.053 of electricity at home against $0.169 of gas, so the electric car is cheaper to run on energy. Your answer depends on your electricity tariff, your fuel price and both cars' efficiency; a high share of public fast charging narrows or reverses the gap.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV at home per 100 miles?
- Energy per 100 miles x your price per kWh. With the US starting values, 28.8 kWh per 100 miles at $0.183 per kWh is $5.29. Charging losses of roughly 10% are not included; add them to the energy figure if your car reports consumption from the battery rather than from the wall.
- Does public charging change the answer?
- Yes. Public fast charging often costs several times the home rate; the calculator blends the two by the share you set (starting value for public charging: Paren, Q1 2026 U.S. DC fast charging report: $0.53/kWh average excluding free chargers ($0.49 including them) — https://evchargingstations.com/chargingnews/parens-q1-2026-report/, 2026-09-18). Someone who charges 50% on the road can end up paying as much per mile as a frugal gas car.
- What about maintenance, insurance and depreciation?
- They are in the 'everything else per year' field of each car, starting equal for both. Electric cars have fewer service items but can carry higher insurance and, in some markets, faster depreciation; type the quotes you have rather than assuming either way. Purchase price and resale are only modelled through the EV's extra price and its break-even.
- How long until the EV pays back its higher price?
- Break-even years = extra purchase price / saving per year; break-even miles = that x miles per year. Type the difference in price between the two cars you are comparing; when the EV saves nothing per year the line says so instead of showing a figure. Leave the extra price at 0 to hide the break-even line.
- Is an EV cheaper over 5 years?
- On energy alone with the US starting values, $7,851 over 5 years in favour of the electric car. Whether that covers a higher purchase price and any difference in insurance or depreciation is exactly what the extra-price and 'everything else' fields are for.