EV vs Petrol Calculator
Electric cars usually cost more to buy but less to run. Enter both cars — purchase price, efficiency, servicing and road tax — plus your annual mileage and how long you'll keep the car, and see the total cost of ownership and how many years or miles it takes the EV to pay back its higher price tag.
Estimate only. This is an estimate based on the figures you enter — real purchase prices, electricity/fuel rates, servicing and depreciation vary, and resale value isn't included. Not financial advice.
Enter both cars to compare
Add a purchase price for each car, your annual mileage and ownership period, and we'll compare the total cost of ownership.
How the break-even point works
An EV's total cost of ownership is its purchase price plus running costs (electricity, servicing and VED) over your ownership period; a petrol or diesel car's is the same, using fuel instead of electricity. If the EV costs more upfront but less per year to run, it eventually 'catches up' — the break-even point is the year (and the equivalent mileage, at your annual mileage) where the two total-cost lines cross. Drive more miles per year and you reach that point sooner; drive fewer and it can take longer than you'll own the car, in which case the petrol car may work out cheaper overall even though it costs more to fuel.