Electric driving
EV vs petrol cost comparison
Compare both vehicles over the same distance, ownership period and currency. Cheap energy alone does not establish a lower total cost.
Put both energy costs on a per-km basis
Petrol at 15 km/L and 1.50/litre costs 0.10/km. An EV using 18 battery kWh/100km, with 90% charging efficiency and a 0.20/kWh tariff, costs 0.04/km. At 15,000 km/year, that energy-only difference is 900 per year.
Include the entry cost
If the EV costs 8,000 more and its charger installation adds 1,000, the initial premium is 9,000. At 900 annual energy savings, simple energy-only payback is 10 years. Different insurance or maintenance costs change that result; resale and financing can change the ownership outcome further.
Test the charging mix
The home tariff is not a good proxy for someone who relies on public charging. Enter a public-energy share and its price, then compare a home-heavy and public-heavy case. Range and charging convenience are separate purchase considerations that the cost calculator does not score.
Method and references
Examples use nominal geometry and fixed-price scenarios, with no vehicle-specific specifications implied. See our calculation methodology and editorial policy.
Unit reference: NIST Guide to the SI: conversion factors. Financial examples are arithmetic illustrations, not market-price forecasts.