PureTools
Compare Electric vs Gas Car Total Cost
Find the break-even year and total savings when choosing electric over gasoline.
How to use the EV vs Gas Car Calculator
- Enter vehicle prices - Type the purchase price of your electric vehicle and the equivalent gasoline car. Use the on-road price before applying any incentive or rebate.
- Set your annual distance - Enter how many kilometers you drive per year. The default of 15,000 km is close to the global average for personal vehicles.
- Enter local energy prices - Fill in your electricity price per kWh and gasoline price per liter. Check your most recent utility bill and a local fuel price app for accurate values.
- Adjust consumption and maintenance - Update the electric consumption in kWh per 100 km and gasoline consumption in liters per 100 km to match the specific models you are comparing.
- Click Calculate and read the chart - The break-even year is marked on the cumulative cost chart. The savings card shows the total difference at the end of your ownership period.
What drives the break-even year
Four factors determine how quickly an electric car pays off: the purchase price gap (electric cars typically cost 8,000 to 15,000 more than comparable gas models), the fuel cost advantage per kilometer driven (electricity costs 2 to 5 times less per kilometer in most markets), annual distance driven (higher mileage accelerates the break-even), and the maintenance cost difference (electric drivetrains have no oil, timing belt, spark plugs or exhaust system, saving roughly 400 to 600 per year on average). Changing any one of these four inputs has a significant effect on the result.
Understanding total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership (TCO) captures every recurring cost over the life of a vehicle, not just the sticker price. For cars, a full TCO includes purchase price, fuel, maintenance, insurance and registration fees. This calculator focuses on the three costs that differ most between electric and gas vehicles: purchase price, fuel and maintenance. Insurance and registration fees are excluded because they tend to be similar between vehicle types in most markets and would add complexity without meaningfully changing the comparison. If your local insurance premiums differ significantly between EV and gas, you can factor that difference into the maintenance cost fields to approximate the real gap.
Frequently asked questions
How does the EV vs gas car calculator work?
The calculator adds up the total cost of owning each vehicle year by year: purchase price minus any incentive, plus annual fuel costs and annual maintenance. It finds the year when the cumulative cost of the electric car first drops below the cumulative cost of the gas car. That crossing point is the break-even year. The chart plots both cost curves so you can see the full picture at a glance. All calculations run locally in your browser with no data sent to any server, and no file is ever uploaded.
What is the break-even year in an electric vs gas car comparison?
The break-even year is the point at which the total amount spent on an electric car, including its higher purchase price, equals the total amount spent on a comparable gasoline car. Before that year the gas car has cost you less overall. After that year the electric car costs less in total. Electric cars typically reach break-even between 4 and 9 years depending on the price gap between vehicles, local fuel and electricity prices, and annual distance driven. In high-fuel-cost markets like Germany or France, break-even often occurs in 5 to 6 years for average mileage drivers.
What inputs do I need to compare electric vs gas car costs?
You need: the purchase price of both vehicles, the annual distance you drive, your local electricity price per kWh, the electric car consumption in kWh per 100 km, your local fuel price per liter, the gas car consumption in liters per 100 km, estimated annual maintenance costs for each vehicle, and optionally any government purchase incentive for the electric car. All fields come pre-filled with realistic global averages that you can adjust for your specific vehicle models and region.
How accurate are the default maintenance cost values?
The defaults of 400 per year for electric vehicles and 900 per year for gas vehicles are based on industry averages for mid-range cars. Electric vehicles cost less to maintain because they have no oil changes, fewer brake jobs thanks to regenerative braking, no timing belt, no spark plugs and far fewer moving parts overall. Consumer Reports and AAA data consistently show EV maintenance costs running 30 to 40 percent below equivalent gas vehicles. Real-world costs vary by brand, driving conditions and local labor rates, so entering your own estimates will improve accuracy.
Does the calculator include government incentives?
Yes. The optional incentive or rebate field reduces the upfront cost of the electric vehicle before the break-even calculation. In the United States the federal EV tax credit is up to 7,500 dollars for new vehicles that meet income and price limits. In France the bonus ecologique is up to 7,000 euros for lower-income buyers. In Germany the environmental bonus reached up to 9,000 euros before recent program changes in 2024. Enter the exact incentive applicable to your vehicle and situation to get an accurate local result.
What electricity price should I use in the calculator?
Use the price you actually pay per kWh at home, since most EV charging happens overnight on a home charger. The global average is roughly 0.15 to 0.20 dollars per kWh, but prices vary widely: Germany averages around 0.32 euros per kWh, France around 0.24 euros, the United States around 0.13 dollars, and Australia around 0.28 dollars. If you regularly charge at public fast chargers, the cost is typically 0.30 to 0.70 dollars per kWh, which will extend the calculated break-even year significantly compared to home charging.
Does the calculator account for battery degradation over time?
The current version uses a fixed efficiency for the electric vehicle across the full ownership period. In practice, lithium-ion battery capacity degrades by roughly 2 to 3 percent per year on average, which slightly increases energy consumption over time. This effect is modest over a 10-year period, adding less than 10 percent to the total fuel cost of the electric car. Most modern EVs with active thermal management degrade at the lower end of this range. The result remains accurate enough for purchase decisions, and the degradation impact falls within normal variation in individual driving habits and charging patterns.
Does the calculation factor in resale value?
No. Resale value is excluded because it varies significantly by brand, model, mileage, condition and local market demand. Historically electric vehicles have had lower resale values than gas cars, though this gap is closing as EV adoption grows and battery reliability becomes better understood. If resale value matters for your decision, note that a higher gas car resale value would extend the EV break-even year, while a competitive EV resale value would shorten it. The calculator focuses on the operating costs that are more predictable and directly comparable between vehicle types across different markets.