Gas vs Electric Car Cost Calculator
Enter how far you drive, your gas car's MPG, and the electricity and gasoline prices you pay, and this calculator compares what each car costs to fuel per year. It shows the annual savings of going electric, a five-year running total, and — if you tell it how much more the EV costs up front — how many years of fuel savings it takes to break even. This compares fuel and energy only, not the full cost of ownership.
Driving & gas car
Electric car
Annual fuel savings with an EV
$888.00
Gas $1,500.00/yr − EV $612.00/yr
5-year fuel savings
$4,440.00
Break-even on premium
0.00 yrs
Cost breakdown
Annual fuel cost: gas vs electric
How it works
The gas car's annual fuel cost is miles driven divided by MPG, multiplied by the price per gallon: 12,000 miles at 30 MPG and $3.50/gal burns 400 gallons for $1,400 a year. The EV's annual energy cost is miles × energy use per mile (kWh/mile) × your electricity rate: 12,000 miles at 0.30 kWh/mile and $0.15/kWh is 3,600 kWh for $540 a year. The difference — $860 here — is your annual fuel savings.
The five-year figure simply multiplies the annual savings by five, holding both gasoline and electricity prices flat. That is a deliberate simplification: real prices move, and gas prices are historically far more volatile than residential electricity rates, so the gap can widen or narrow year to year. Because EVs skip gasoline entirely, their running cost is usually both lower and steadier, but this tool does not forecast future prices.
If an EV costs more to buy than a comparable gas car, the break-even is that price premium divided by the annual fuel savings — a $4,300 premium at $860 saved per year pays back in five years. When the EV's energy cost matches or exceeds the gas cost (very cheap gas or very expensive electricity), there are no fuel savings and the break-even is effectively never. Federal or state purchase incentives, which can cut the premium sharply, are not included here.
Frequently asked questions
Does this include maintenance, insurance, and tax incentives?+
No — it compares fuel and energy cost only. Total cost of ownership also includes maintenance (EVs typically need less: no oil changes, less brake wear, but tires and eventual battery service differ), insurance (often higher for EVs), registration, depreciation, and any federal or state purchase incentives. Incentives in particular can dramatically shorten the break-even by lowering the EV's up-front premium. Treat this as the fuel-cost piece of a bigger picture, not the whole comparison.
What gas and electricity prices should I enter?+
Use your own recent numbers if you can — a gas receipt and a utility bill are the most accurate inputs. National averages drift and vary widely by region: US gasoline and residential electricity prices are tracked by the EIA, and both differ a lot between states. Home electricity is usually far cheaper than public DC fast charging, which can cost two to three times the home rate. The defaults here reflect a home-charging scenario, so if you rely on public fast charging your EV cost will be higher than shown.
Why might the calculator show no savings from going electric?+
Fuel savings depend entirely on the prices and efficiencies you enter. If gasoline is cheap, your gas car is very efficient, your electricity rate is high, or the EV uses a lot of energy per mile, the EV's energy cost can equal or exceed the gas cost — and then there are no annual fuel savings and the break-even is never. This is a real outcome in some regions and use cases. The calculator reports it honestly rather than assuming electric is always cheaper.