Electric vs Petrol Running Costs
Compare a year of petrol or diesel with charging an electric car at home and on public chargers.
Your driving
UK unitsYour yearly running costs
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How this is calculated
- Petrol or diesel: litres = miles ÷ MPG × 4.546 (litres in a UK gallon); cost = litres × price per litre.
- Electric: kWh = miles ÷ miles per kWh, split between home and public charging; cost = kWh × each price.
- The difference is fuel or electricity only: not the price of the car, insurance, servicing or road tax.
Whether an electric car is cheaper to run mostly depends on where you charge. Home electricity, especially on an electric-car tariff overnight, costs much less per mile than petrol or diesel. Public rapid chargers can cost as much as fuel, or more.
For a car-by-car comparison of your daily drive, the commute cost calculator uses the same electric car figures.
Use this when you're thinking about switching to an electric car and want to know what you'd spend on energy instead of fuel.
Common questions
Usually, if you can charge at home. Home electricity costs far less per mile than petrol or diesel, but public rapid chargers can cost as much as fuel or more, so how much you charge at home makes the biggest difference.
Only what you pay for fuel or electricity over a year. It leaves out the price of the car, insurance, servicing, tyres and road tax, which can change the overall picture.
Most do 3 to 4 miles per kWh, less in winter and at motorway speeds. We start with a typical figure, shown in the form; enter your car's own figure if you know it.