EV vs Gas Cost Calculator
Compare fuel, charging and maintenance costs of an electric car and a gas car, the years to recover a higher EV price, and yearly CO2 on your local grid.
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About this toolWhat is the EV vs Gas Cost Calculator?
The EV vs Gas Cost Calculator compares two cars you are choosing between: what each costs to run per year and per mile, how many years the electric car's higher price takes to earn back, the running total over the years you plan to keep it, and the CO₂ each emits. It splits EV charging between home and public chargers at different prices, because that split decides most of the answer.
With the US defaults (12,000 miles a year, a 30 mpg car on $3.90 gasoline, an EV using 30 kWh per 100 miles charged 80% at home at 18 cents and 20% in public at 48 cents, and maintenance of 10.1 versus 6.1 cents a mile) the gas car costs $2,772 a year and the EV $1,596. The EV saves $1,176 a year and recovers a $7,000 higher price in just under six years.
Switch to metric for kilometres, litres per 100 km and kWh per 100 km, and pick your currency. The cumulative table includes the purchase price, so you can see the year the lines cross.
- Yearly fuel, charging and maintenance cost for both cars
- Home and public charging split with separate prices
- Break-even years and a cumulative cost table with purchase prices
- Tailpipe and grid CO₂ for every US eGRID region or the UK
- US and metric units, any currency, shareable link
How to use the EV vs Gas Cost Calculator
- Choose US or metric units, then enter how far you drive a year and how many years you expect to keep the car.
- For the gas car, enter fuel economy, fuel price, maintenance per mile and the purchase price.
- For the EV, enter its consumption, the share of charging done at home, home and public prices per kWh, maintenance, the price and any incentives.
- Pick your electricity grid region for the CO₂ comparison.
- Read yearly costs, break-even, the total after your ownership period and the year-by-year table.
Worked examples
Default US comparison
Input
12,000 mi/yr; 30 mpg at $3.90; EV 30 kWh/100 mi, 80% home at $0.18, 20% public at $0.48; $35,000 vs $42,000
Output
Gas $1,560 fuel + $1,212 upkeep; EV $864 + $732; saves $1,176/yr; break-even 5.95 years; $4,760 ahead after 10 years
The blended charging price is 0.8 x 0.18 + 0.2 x 0.48 = 0.24 per kWh, so 3,600 kWh cost $864.
No home charger
Input
Same cars, 0% home charging
Output
EV electricity $1,728/yr; saving falls to $312/yr; break-even 22 years
Paying public fast-charging prices for every mile wipes out most of the fuel saving, leaving mainly the maintenance difference.
Metric example on the UK grid
Input
20,000 km/yr; 7 L/100 km at 1.75; EV 18 kWh/100 km, 80% home at 0.25, 20% public at 0.60
Output
Saves 1,798 a year; break-even 3.9 years; CO₂ 3.25 t vs 0.64 t a year
High fuel prices and a low-carbon grid make both the money and the CO₂ case stronger.
Background and insight
Default prices are editable starting points from the US Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook of October 2026, which forecasts a 2026 average of about $3.90 a gallon for regular gasoline and about 18 cents per kWh for residential electricity. Public DC fast charging varies by network and state and is often two to three times the home rate, so enter what your local network actually charges. EV consumption should be the EPA label figure in kWh per 100 miles, which is measured from the wall and therefore already includes charging losses.
Maintenance defaults come from Argonne National Laboratory's 2021 total cost of ownership study, summarised by the US Department of Energy in Fact of the Week #1190: scheduled maintenance of about 10.1 cents per mile for a conventional car and 6.1 cents for a battery electric vehicle, which has no oil changes, spark plugs or timing belt. Insurance, registration, depreciation and financing are left out because they vary more between models than between powertrains; add them to the purchase prices if you have quotes.
Incentives change. The federal new clean vehicle credit (section 30D) ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so the incentive field defaults to zero; enter any state, utility or employer rebate you qualify for. CO₂ uses EPA's 8.78 kg per gallon of gasoline (10.21 for diesel) at the tailpipe and your eGRID region's output rate for the EV; neither includes upstream fuel production or battery manufacturing.
Common use cases
Choosing your next car
Compare a specific EV with the gas model you would otherwise buy, using real quotes.
Checking the home charger case
See how much installing home charging changes yearly cost and break-even.
Fleet and business vehicles
Estimate running costs for high-mileage drivers where per-mile savings add up quickly.
Emissions reporting
Estimate the CO₂ difference on your regional grid for a sustainability report.
Tips and limitations
- Mileage matters more than anything else: savings scale with distance, so low-mileage drivers take longer to break even.
- Winter and highway driving raise EV consumption; use a real-world figure if you know your driving is harder than the EPA test.
- If you are on a time-of-use tariff, enter your overnight rate as the home price.
- Resale value is not modelled; if you expect one car to hold value better, subtract that from its purchase price.
Frequently asked questions
Is an electric car cheaper to run than a gas car?
Usually, when you charge mostly at home. At 18 cents per kWh and 30 kWh per 100 miles, electricity costs 5.4 cents a mile, against 13 cents for a 30 mpg car on $3.90 gasoline. Relying on public fast chargers can close most of that gap.
How many years does it take for an EV to pay back its higher price?
Divide the extra purchase price, after incentives, by the yearly saving. With the defaults, $7,000 / $1,176 = 5.95 years. Higher mileage, more home charging and dearer fuel shorten it.
How much cheaper is EV maintenance?
Argonne National Laboratory estimated scheduled maintenance at about 6.1 cents per mile for battery electric vehicles and 10.1 cents for conventional cars, mostly because EVs need no oil changes and have fewer wearing parts.
Is there still a federal tax credit for buying an EV?
The section 30D new clean vehicle credit ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025. Some states, utilities and employers still offer rebates; enter them in the incentives field.
Does an EV produce less CO2 than a gas car everywhere?
On every US eGRID region the use-phase CO₂ per mile is lower for a typical EV than for a 30 mpg car. On the US average grid the defaults give 1.27 t a year against 3.51 t. Battery manufacturing adds emissions up front, which this calculator does not include.
Does the kWh per 100 miles figure include charging losses?
The EPA label figure is measured from the wall socket, so it already includes typical charging losses. If you use a figure from the car's own display, which measures from the battery, add about 10%.
Is there an in-depth guide to the EV vs Gas Cost Calculator?
Yes. “EV vs Gas: Running Cost, Break-Even and CO2 Compared” covers the background, how it works, common pitfalls and worked examples. Read the full guide.
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