EV vs petrol/diesel running cost breakeven calculator
Compare electric and petrol/diesel running costs, see where electricity beats fuel prices, and understand the break-even point for your energy tariffs and real-world efficiency.
Efficiency for comparison
Enter the efficiency numbers you want to compare. Change mi/kWh or MPG (US) to see how the breakeven point moves—the chart updates as you move the sliders.
Prices to test
Use values for the electricity and fuel prices you want to test to move the crosshair on the heatmap.
Compare which car is cheaper with different electricity and fuel prices
Scan the grid to see which car is cheaper at different electricity and fuel prices. Blue squares favor the EV, red squares favor petrol/diesel, and the pale band marks the breakeven line. The dashed lines show your selected electricity and fuel prices and the circle where they intersect shows your selected prices.
Heatmap showing which car type is cheaper per mi at combinations of electricity price per kilowatt hour and fuel price per US gallon. Blue means EV is cheaper, red means petrol or diesel is cheaper, and the pale band marks parity. Dashed crosshairs show your selected tariffs.
What this means for you
At the prices you’ve set, you save $0.07/mi by driving electric.
The cost to run an EV is $0.05/mi per mi, and the cost to run a petrol/diesel car is $0.12/mi per mi.
You’d break even if you paid $0.42/kWh (+147%) for electricity to run the EV, or $1.46/US gal (-59%) for petrol/diesel.
Yearly outcome
Save $856 per year with an EV at these prices.
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Petrol vs Electric Car Cost Calculator
Our Petrol vs Electric Car Cost Calculator helps you easily compare the running costs of electric and petrol vehicles. Simply enter your electricity tariffs, fuel prices, and your car's real-world efficiency to find out at what point an electric car becomes more cost-effective than a petrol car.
This straightforward tool shows the break-even point per mile or kilometre, so you can quickly assess if switching to an electric vehicle fits within your budget.
For a more detailed comparison, use this calculator alongside our Electric Car vs Petrol Car Calculator to calculate monthly and yearly totals. You can also explore our Electric vs Petrol Breakeven View to stress-test different fuel and electricity prices. Adjust mileage, servicing, and taxes to get a clear picture of the true ownership costs, beyond just fuel savings.