EVWired

05 · Vehicle costs

Compare EV and petrol running costs

Compare purchase prices plus energy and service over the same ownership period. Use comparable local vehicles and one currency to understand which assumptions drive the difference.

Your inputs

Get your result

Use your own figures or load the worked example below. All calculations stay in this browser.

km / yearBoth cars cover the same annual distance.
yearsWhole years of ownership; prices and use remain constant.
EV purchase price in the selected currency.
Petrol car purchase price in that same currency.
kWh / 100 kmEV consumption in kWh per 100 km.
per kWhUse a representative blended charging rate.
L / 100 kmPetrol use in litres per 100 km, not miles per gallon.
per litrePrice per litre in the selected currency.
per yearEV service cost per year; excludes insurance.
per yearPetrol car service cost per year; excludes insurance.
Changes amount labels only; no currency conversion.
Enter comparable local vehicle and energy prices.

This simplified comparison excludes resale value, financing, insurance differences, taxes, and incentives.

How to use this tool

  1. Set annual distance, ownership years and both purchase prices.
  2. Enter each vehicle's consumption, its energy or fuel price, and annual service cost.
  3. Calculate both totals. Try a second electricity or petrol price to see how sensitive the difference is.

Worked example

Two cars owned for five years

Annual distance
15000 km / year
Ownership period
5 years
EV purchase price
40000
Petrol car purchase price
35000
EV consumption
18 kWh / 100 km
Electricity price
0.2 per kWh
Petrol consumption
7.5 L / 100 km
Petrol price
1.6 per litre
EV service per year
700 per year
Petrol car service per year
1200 per year
Currency display
US dollar ($)

Expected result EV total $46,200 · petrol total $50,000 · EV lower by $3,800

EV annual energy and service are $540 + $700 = $1,240. Petrol fuel and service are $1,800 + $1,200 = $3,000. Add five years of each to the respective purchase price.

Transparent estimates

How to read this result

The lower total applies only to the entered assumptions. Resale value, finance, insurance, taxes and incentives are excluded, so this is not a full lifetime ownership comparison.

How it is calculated

  • EV total = purchase price + years × (annual distance × EV consumption ÷ 100 × electricity price + annual EV service).
  • Petrol total uses the same structure with litres per 100 km and the entered fuel price.

Assumptions

  • Annual distance, prices, and service costs stay constant throughout the selected period.

What this estimate cannot tell you

  • This is a nominal-cost comparison. It does not model resale value, financing, insurance, taxes, incentives, or price changes.
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