EV vs Gas Total Cost of Ownership Calculator
Whether an electric car or a gasoline car costs less over the years you keep it: fuel versus electricity at your mileage and local prices, the EV's lower maintenance, and its higher purchase price. Shows the per-mile energy cost of each and the break-even year.
Last updated: October 2026
Net EV saving over the ownership period
$2,400.00
This calculator gives an estimate for general information only. It is not financial, tax or investment advice. Check the figures with a qualified professional before making decisions, and follow the rules that apply where you live.
Formula below · 2 sources (fueleconomy.gov, afdc.energy.gov) · Updated Oct 2026
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About this calculator
Total cost of ownership compares what each car costs over the years you keep it, not just the sticker price. The calculator takes the four items that differ most between an EV and a comparable gasoline car. Gasoline: annual miles ÷ MPG × price per gallon, per year. Electricity: annual miles ÷ efficiency in miles per kWh × price per kWh, per year; a typical EV does 3–4 miles per kWh, and if your rate does not already include charging losses, add about 10% to it, since 100 kWh from the wall delivers roughly 90 kWh to the battery. Maintenance: EVs have no oil changes, spark plugs, timing belts or exhaust and brake pads last longer thanks to regenerative braking; the US Department of Energy's AFDC estimates EV scheduled maintenance at about 6 cents a mile against about 10 cents for a gasoline car, roughly $480 a year at 12,000 miles, which is where the default $600 (including some repairs) comes from. Purchase price: the EV premium after federal and state incentives, dealer discounts and any difference in resale value you expect; enter a negative number if the EV is the cheaper car. Net EV saving = (gasoline cost − electricity cost + maintenance saving) × years − premium. A positive result means the EV costs less over the period; the break-even tile divides the premium by the annual running-cost saving to show when that happens. The per-mile tiles make the energy comparison independent of mileage: at $3.50 a gallon and 30 MPG gasoline costs 11.7 cents a mile, while at 15 cents per kWh and 3.5 miles per kWh electricity costs 4.3 cents, and the eGallon tile converts the electricity price into the price of a gallon's worth of energy (33.7 kWh). Not included: insurance (often slightly higher for EVs), registration fees and EV road-use surcharges that some states levy, the cost of a home charger ($500–2,000 installed), public fast-charging at two to three times the home rate, tyre wear, and the difference in depreciation, which can go either way. Add any of these to the premium or the maintenance figure to refine the result.
How to use
Example 1 — the defaults: 12,000 miles a year for 7 years, a 30 MPG gas car at $3.50 a gallon, an EV at 3.5 miles per kWh charged at $0.15 per kWh, $600 a year less maintenance, and an $8,000 price premium after incentives. Gasoline: 12,000 ÷ 30 × 3.50 = $1,400 a year, $9,800 over 7 years. Electricity: 12,000 ÷ 3.5 × 0.15 = $514 a year, $3,600 over 7 years. Maintenance saving: $600 × 7 = $4,200. Net = 9,800 − 3,600 + 4,200 − 8,000 = $2,400 in the EV's favour. The annual running-cost saving is $1,486, so the premium is recovered after 8,000 ÷ 1,486 = 5.4 years; the energy cost is 11.7 cents a mile for gas and 4.3 cents for the EV. Example 2 — a low-mileage driver with expensive power: 6,000 miles a year, $0.30 per kWh, everything else the same. Gasoline $700 a year, electricity $514, maintenance saving $600: the running-cost saving is $786 a year, $5,500 over 7 years, which does not recover the $8,000 premium; net −$2,500, and break-even would take 10.2 years. Reducing the premium to $4,000 with a state incentive turns that into a $1,500 saving.
Frequently asked questions
Is an electric car cheaper than a gas car over the long run?
Usually on running costs, not always in total. Electricity at home costs a third to a half of gasoline per mile and maintenance is lower, but the EV often costs more to buy. Whether the saving recovers the premium depends on your mileage, local prices and how long you keep the car: at 12,000 miles a year, $3.50 gas and $0.15/kWh, an $8,000 premium pays back in about 5.4 years.
How many years does it take for an EV to break even?
Divide the price premium by the annual running-cost saving (fuel saving plus maintenance saving). With the default inputs that is $8,000 ÷ $1,486 = 5.4 years; at 20,000 miles a year it drops to 3.9 years, and at 6,000 miles with $0.30/kWh electricity it stretches past 10 years. The calculator shows the figure as a tile.
What electricity rate should I use?
Your home's marginal rate per kWh, from your bill, or a time-of-use off-peak rate if you charge overnight on such a plan; US residential rates are typically 12–25 cents. Add about 10% for charging losses unless you know the delivered figure. If you rely on public fast charging, use that price (often 40–60 cents per kWh), which can erase most of the fuel saving.
What is a typical EV efficiency in miles per kWh?
About 3 to 4 miles per kWh for most cars (25–33 kWh per 100 miles on the EPA label); small efficient models reach 4.5 and large trucks and SUVs fall to 2–2.5. Cold weather and highway speeds reduce it. The EPA label's kWh per 100 miles converts as 100 ÷ (kWh per 100 miles).
How much less maintenance does an EV need?
The US Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center puts scheduled maintenance for a battery-electric car at about 6.1 cents a mile against about 10.1 cents for a conventional gasoline car, roughly $480 a year at 12,000 miles, because EVs have no engine oil, filters, spark plugs, belts or exhaust and their brakes last longer. Tyres wear slightly faster on heavier EVs, which partly offsets this.
What costs does this calculator leave out?
Insurance, registration and any EV road-use fee, home charger installation, public charging premiums, tyres and depreciation. Add a home charger to the premium, put state EV fees into the maintenance saving as a negative adjustment, and if you expect the EV to resell for more or less than the gas car at the end of the period, adjust the premium by that difference.
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