EV vs. Gas Car Cost Calculator

How to use this calculator

1. Pick your units. Imperial works in miles, gallons and mpg; metric in kilometers, liters and L/100 km.
2. Enter how far you drive a year and how long you plan to keep the car. These two numbers decide almost everything.
3. Check the prices you actually pay: your electricity rate per kWh and the pump price. Regional differences here flip the verdict more often than the cars themselves do.
4. Add any incentive or tax credit on the EV. It comes straight off the premium, which is what break-even is measured against.

The premium pays back per mile, not per year

Electricity at home runs about 0.10–0.15 per kWh in the U.S., which works out roughly 60–70% cheaper per mile than gasoline. On top of that, an EV has no oil changes, no belts, no exhaust and less brake wear, so maintenance typically runs 30–50% lower. Together those two lines usually save somewhere between 1,200 and 2,300 a year for an average driver.

That savings is what has to cover the higher sticker price. So the whole thing hinges on how much you drive: at 20,000 miles a year the premium disappears fast, at 5,000 miles it may never disappear at all. Move the distance and the ownership years and watch the two curves in the chart cross — or refuse to.

What this calculator doesn't include

Insurance, financing interest and depreciation are out, because they depend on your model, your market and your record far more than on the drivetrain. If you're financing either car, the loan is its own decision: our guide to which types of debt are healthiest is a good sanity check before signing, and lifestyle creep explains why the payment you can "technically afford" is rarely the one you should take.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'total cost of ownership' include?

The purchase price (minus any incentive on the EV) plus everything you spend each year you own it: electricity or fuel, and maintenance. It deliberately leaves out insurance, financing and depreciation, which depend heavily on your model, your country and your driving record.

How is the break-even year calculated?

We take the EV's up-front premium (its price after the incentive, minus the gas car's price) and divide it by what you save every year running it: fuel minus electricity, plus the maintenance difference. That tells you how many years of savings it takes to cover the extra you paid on day one. With a typical premium it lands around three to six years.

Why doesn't the EV always pay off?

Three things kill the math: driving few miles a year, expensive electricity, and a short ownership window. The EV's advantage is per mile, so if you barely drive there aren't enough miles to recover the premium. If your electricity costs more than about triple the U.S. average, the per-mile gap narrows to almost nothing. The calculator says so plainly when that's your case.

Where do the default numbers come from?

They're 2026 U.S. reference values: 12,000 miles a year, 0.13 per kWh at home, 3.5 mi/kWh for the EV, 3.30 per gallon and 30 mpg for the gas car, and maintenance of 400 versus 900 a year — EVs typically run 30–50% cheaper to maintain because there's no oil, no belts and less brake wear. The example also preloads a 3,750 incentive, a common half-credit amount; set it to 0 if you don't qualify for one and the break-even year moves out accordingly. They're all examples: replace them with your own.

Can I work in kilometers and liters?

Yes. Switch the units toggle to metric and the calculator works in km, liters, L/100 km and kWh/100 km, loading equivalent reference values.

This tool is educational and provides estimates. It is not financial or purchasing advice. Energy prices, incentives, maintenance costs and efficiency vary widely by country, region and model, and real-world efficiency depends on weather, terrain and how you drive.