EV vs Petrol Calculator
Electric usually wins on fuel, and the gap grows with mileage. The real question is whether a higher purchase price earns itself back before you sell - and if you cannot charge at home, whether it wins at all.
Electric saves you a year
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- Petrol, fuel and servicing a year
- $0
- Electric, charging and servicing a year
- $0
- Petrol per mile
- $0
- Electric per mile
- $0
- Higher price earns itself back in
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What each one costs to run
The taller bar costs more over the whole period. Cheaper is not automatically right, but choosing the dearer one should be deliberate.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for price
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
How mileage changes the answer
This is the input that decides it. Everything else moves the answer a little; mileage moves it a lot.
| Miles a year | Petrol costs | Electric costs | Saved a year | Payback |
|---|
Petrol fuel = miles divided by miles per gallon, times the price a gallon. Electric = miles divided by miles per kWh, times the price per kWh. Payback = the extra purchase price divided by the yearly saving.
EV vs petrol running costs: real examples
Three drivers. Click any card to load it.
- The average driver
12,000 miles a year
Charging at home.
The electric car saves $1,246 a year. Against an $8,000 higher price, it pays back in 6.4 years.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - High mileage
25,000 miles a year
The same two cars, twice the driving.
The saving more than doubles and the payback drops sharply. Mileage is what decides this more than anything else.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - No home charging
Public rapid charging only
Electricity at four times the home price.
Electric now costs $297 a year more to run. If you cannot charge at home, run this before assuming you will save anything at all.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about EV vs petrol running costs
Is an electric car actually cheaper to run?
Usually yes on fuel, often by a lot, and the gap widens the more you drive. But running cost is only part of it. A higher purchase price can take years to earn back, and this tool shows how many.
What decides the answer most?
How many miles you drive and what you pay for electricity. Charging at home overnight is dramatically cheaper than public rapid charging. If you cannot charge at home, run the numbers with public prices before assuming you will save.
What about maintenance?
An electric car has far fewer moving parts, no oil changes and less brake wear. Most people spend less. Tyres can cost more because the cars are heavier. Put your own estimates in rather than assuming either way.
Does the higher price ever pay for itself?
It depends entirely on your mileage. The tool works out the break-even in years. If you drive very little, it may never pay back, and that is a perfectly reasonable reason to buy petrol.
What about battery replacement?
It is the fear people raise most and the cost people see least. Most batteries outlast the ownership period and carry long warranties. If it worries you, put a figure in the other costs box and see whether it changes the answer.
What is not in this?
Purchase incentives, insurance differences, and what each car is worth when you sell. Resale in particular can swamp everything here, so check what both cars are actually worth at the age you would sell.