How to Use the Gas vs EV Cost Comparison
The Simple Answer
The Gas vs EV Cost Comparison compares the cost of owning a gas car and an electric car over the years you expect to keep it, and shows where the cost differences come from.
What the tool does
Fuel is only part of owning a vehicle. The tool lets you add the purchase price, financing, incentives, resale value, maintenance, insurance, fees and other costs, so the total reflects the whole picture. You can compare two vehicles, and add a third or fourth.
How to use it
- Enter how many years you expect to own the vehicle and how many miles you drive each year.
- For each vehicle choose Gas or Electric and enter the purchase price and the fuel details. For gas that is MPG and the gas price. For electric it is efficiency and the electricity price.
- Optionally open the extra sections for charging details, financing, incentives and resale value, maintenance, insurance and fees, and other costs.
- Read the totals and where the differences come from.
A worked example
The page has a Load an example button that fills in sample numbers for a gas car and an electric car. Change the miles per year or the fuel prices and watch which line of the breakdown moves most. Often the purchase price and the fuel price are the largest drivers, and they pull in different directions.
Things to know
- Gas prices, electricity prices, efficiency and annual miles stay the same every year. Real prices change, and efficiency varies with temperature, speed and driving style.
- Incentives are only what you enter, treated as received at purchase. Eligibility changes and must be verified separately.
- Charging loss defaults to 10% for an electric vehicle. That is an assumption, not a measurement. You can change it or set it to 0%.
- This is an estimate and not financial advice.
Common questions
Does it include maintenance and insurance? Yes, in the optional sections. Nothing is assumed, so enter your own figures.
Why does the answer change with years of ownership? Fuel savings add up over time while the purchase price is paid once, so a longer period can change which vehicle costs less.
Gas vs EV Cost Comparison: Open the Gas vs EV Cost Comparison and try your own numbers.