Is an Electric Car Cheaper Than Petrol?

For most drivers, an electric car costs noticeably less to run than a petrol car, because electricity per kilometre is usually cheaper than fuel and EVs have fewer moving parts to maintain. This calculator focuses on the two costs that are easiest to compare directly — energy (fuel vs electricity) and carbon emissions — so you can see the gap for your own driving.

How to Use the Calculator

1. How Much You Drive: Enter the distance you drive in a typical year (km or miles).
2. Petrol Car: Enter its fuel use in L/100km (check your car's specs or your own fill-ups) and your local petrol price per litre.
3. Electric Car: Enter the EV's energy use in kWh/100km and your electricity price per kWh.
4. Click "Compare EV vs Petrol" to see the yearly cost, emissions, and potential savings.

How the Numbers Are Worked Out

• Petrol cost: distance × fuel use × petrol price.
• EV cost: distance × energy use × electricity price.
• Petrol emissions: litres of petrol burned × ~2.31 kg CO2e per litre.
• EV emissions: electricity used × ~0.4 kg CO2e per kWh (a global-average grid figure — cleaner grids and home solar make this lower).
• Trees equivalent: CO2e saved ÷ ~21 kg, the amount a mature tree absorbs in a year.

What Affects Your Real Savings

• Where you charge: Home or off-peak charging is far cheaper than public fast-charging.
• Your local grid: The cleaner your electricity, the lower the EV's emissions — rooftop solar can take charging emissions close to zero.
• Fuel and electricity prices: Both move over time, so re-run the numbers with current rates.
• Driving style and conditions: City vs highway driving, climate, and load all change real-world efficiency.

This tool looks at running costs and emissions only. A full ownership comparison would also include purchase price, depreciation, insurance, servicing, and any incentives — worth researching before you buy.