Electric vs Gas Car Cost Calculator
Compare annual fuel cost of an EV against a gas car.
Gas car fuel cost / year
EV electricity cost / year
Yearly savings with EV
Savings over 5 years
How to use this calculator
Enter your annual miles, the gas car's MPG, gas price, your EV's efficiency and your electricity costs. Home charging is much cheaper than public, so the home share slider matters a lot.
Worked example
Drive 12,000 miles a year in a 30 MPG gas car at $3.50 a gallon and fuel costs about $1,400. The same miles in an EV at 3.3 miles per kWh, charged 80% at home at $0.15/kWh and 20% on public chargers, costs roughly half that - around $700 a year before any off-peak discounts.
What the result means
The tool compares annual fuel costs, not sticker prices. Home charging rates make or break the EV math - an EV charged mostly at expensive public stations can rival a gas car's fuel bill.
The inputs that swing the comparison
- Home electricity rate: the single biggest factor in EV running costs.
- Share charged at home: public rates are often 2-3x residential.
- Gas price and MPG: the gas car's baseline you are trying to beat.
Frequently asked questions
Are EVs cheaper to run overall?
On fuel and maintenance, usually yes; on purchase price, often no. Compare the total ownership picture - this tool isolates the fuel portion so you can weigh the rest separately.