EV vs Gas Calculator

An EV vs gas calculator answers a question with several moving parts: what does a year of driving cost on electricity compared with gasoline, and how long does it take for lower running costs to repay a higher purchase price? This page compares fuel and scheduled maintenance for any pair of cars, using EPA efficiency ratings from fueleconomy.gov and current prices from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Every number below was computed with the calculator's own formulas.

For the charging side in detail, including charging times and the cost of each session, use the EV Charging Calculator. To price a single trip in a gas car, the Fuel Cost Calculator and the Gas Mileage Calculator do the job, and the Natural Gas Cost Calculator covers the home heating bill.

The EV vs gas cost formulas

Both sides of the comparison reduce to energy used times price paid. The electric side uses the car's EPA rating in kWh per 100 miles, which fueleconomy.gov notes already includes the losses that occur during charging, so no extra efficiency factor is needed.

Two more numbers come out of the same inputs. The electricity price at which both cars cost the same per mile is the gas car's cost per mile divided by the EV's kWh per mile, and the gas price that would erase the EV's advantage is the EV's cost per mile times the gas car's mpg.

Worked example 1: Equinox EV vs Equinox at October 2026 prices

fueleconomy.gov rates the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD at 31 kWh per 100 miles (108 MPGe) and the gasoline 2026 Equinox FWD at 27 mpg combined. Same name and a similar size make it a fair pairing, and 27 mpg sits close to the record 27.2 mpg the EPA reports for the average new vehicle of model year 2024. Use 15,000 miles a year, all charging at home at 18 cents per kWh, and regular gasoline at $4.35, EIA's U.S. average for the week of October 5, 2026:

Per mile, the EV costs 5.58 cents for electricity and the gas Equinox 16.11 cents for fuel. If the electric version costs $5,000 more to buy, the difference is repaid in $5,000 ÷ $2,179.67 = 2.3 years, and after five years the owner is $5,898 ahead before insurance, financing and resale value. The break-even prices are just as telling: electricity would have to cost $0.52 per kWh before the EV's fuel cost per mile matched the gas car's, and gas would have to fall to $1.51 a gallon for the gas car to match the EV.

Worked example 2: a Blazer EV with public charging at 2025 gas prices

Change several assumptions at once. The 2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV AWD is rated 36 kWh per 100 miles and the gasoline Blazer AWD with the 2.0-liter engine 24 mpg. The driver covers 12,000 miles a year and does a quarter of the charging at public fast chargers priced at an example $0.50 per kWh. Gas is back at $3.10, close to EIA's 2025 average of $3.097 for regular, and the electric version costs $8,000 more:

The fuel saving shrinks to about a quarter of Example 1's. The owner is still $745.60 behind after eight years and $161.20 ahead after nine. Public charging is the biggest lever here: at a blended 26 cents per kWh the EV's energy costs 9.36 cents a mile against 12.92 cents for gas, and the electricity price at which the two cars cost the same per mile falls to $0.36 per kWh.

Annual fuel cost at different mileages

Fuel savings grow with every mile, so high-mileage drivers recover a price difference fastest. The table keeps the Equinox pair from Example 1 (31 kWh per 100 miles against 27 mpg, home charging at 18 cents) and shows gas at both $4.35 (October 2026) and $3.10 (about the 2025 average).

At 12,000 miles a year the fuel saving is $1,263.73 at October 2026 prices but $708.18 at 2025 prices. Gasoline has moved far more than residential electricity: EIA's weekly U.S. average for regular was $2.779 in the week of January 12, 2026 and $4.500 in the week of May 11, 2026, while the average residential electricity price went from 17.30 cents per kWh for 2025 to 17.99 cents for the 12 months through July 2026.

Same-model comparisons from fueleconomy.gov

Comparing an EV with the gas version of the same model removes most size and equipment differences. These four 2026 Chevrolet pairs use fueleconomy.gov's combined ratings, 15,000 miles a year, home charging at 18 cents per kWh and gas at $4.35.

All-wheel drive costs a little on both sides, and the savings land in a narrow band of about $1,580 to $1,750 a year. The larger and less efficient Blazer EV still saves more than the Equinox EV, because its gas twin burns more fuel as well. That is the real lesson of a same-model comparison: the saving depends on the pair, not on the EV alone.

The break-even electricity price

A mile costs the gas price divided by mpg on one side and kWh per mile times the electricity price on the other, so there is always an electricity price at which the two are equal. Above it, the EV costs more per mile to fuel. The table shows that price for combinations of gas mileage and EV efficiency, with gas at $4.35:

Read across the 27 mpg row: the Equinox EV at 31 kWh per 100 miles stays cheaper per mile up to $0.52 per kWh, above every state's average residential price in EIA's January to July 2026 data, where the highest was Hawaii at 46.28 cents. Against a car that gets 50 mpg, the same EV breaks even at $0.28 per kWh, so regular fast charging at $0.50 would cost more per mile than that car's gasoline. An electric vehicle using 48 kWh per 100 miles against a 20 mpg gas vehicle breaks even at $0.45 per kWh.

Do electric cars cost less to maintain?

The Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office estimates scheduled maintenance at 6.1 cents per mile for a light-duty battery-electric vehicle and 10.1 cents per mile for a conventional gasoline vehicle, based on a 2021 total-cost-of-ownership study by Burnham and colleagues. The gap comes from parts an EV does not have: engine oil, a timing belt, an oxygen sensor, spark plugs and more. At 15,000 miles a year the difference is $600, which the calculator adds to the fuel savings. These figures cover scheduled maintenance, not repairs, tires or insurance, so replace them with your own quotes if you have them.

The federal EV tax credit ended in 2025

Older comparisons often subtract a $7,500 federal credit from the EV's price. Under current law that no longer applies. The IRS states that the new clean vehicle credit is not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, and that a buyer shows acquisition with a binding written contract and a payment made on or before that date. The previously owned clean vehicle credit, worth 30% of the sale price up to $4,000 for used EVs costing $25,000 or less, ended for vehicles acquired after the same date. Both changes come from Public Law 119-21, signed in July 2025. Enter the price difference you actually pay after dealer discounts and any state or utility incentive you can confirm, and leave the expired federal credits out.

How to use this calculator

Start with your annual mileage; 15,000 miles is the figure the EPA uses for the annual cost on its labels. Enter the EV's kWh per 100 miles and the gas car's combined mpg from fueleconomy.gov or the window sticker, or tap one of the same-model pairs. Set your home electricity rate, the price you expect at public fast chargers and the share of charging you will do there. Then enter the gas price, the maintenance cost per mile for each car and how much more the EV costs to buy, or a negative number if it costs less.

The headline shows the yearly fuel saving and the total including maintenance. Below it are a yearly cost table, the break-even electricity and gas prices, and a 10-year table of savings net of the price difference. It suits shoppers comparing electric and gas versions of the same model, drivers checking whether a higher-priced EV pays off at their mileage, households without home charging who want to see what public charging does to the math, and fleet managers comparing running costs per mile.

Key terms

• kWh per 100 miles: the EPA's electricity consumption rating for an EV, measured at the wall outlet and including charging losses.
• MPGe: miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent, with 33.7 kWh counted as one gallon. MPGe = 3,370 ÷ kWh per 100 miles.
• Combined mpg: the EPA rating that blends city and highway driving; fueleconomy.gov's annual cost estimates assume 55% city and 45% highway miles.
• Blended electricity price: the average price per kWh across home and public charging, weighted by the share of each.
• Parity price: the electricity or gas price at which both cars cost the same to fuel per mile.
• Break-even years: the simple payback period, the purchase price difference divided by yearly savings.
• Scheduled maintenance: routine service such as fluid changes, filters and inspections, as opposed to repairs.

What changes the result

• Gas prices. The Equinox pair saves $1,579.67 a year on fuel at $4.35 and $885.22 at $3.10.
• Where you charge. A quarter of the charging at $0.50 per kWh lifts the blended price from 18 to 26 cents.
• Your electricity rate. State averages for January to July 2026 ran from 12.36 cents per kWh in North Dakota to 46.28 cents in Hawaii.
• Miles driven. Savings scale with mileage: $526.56 a year at 5,000 miles against $2,632.78 at 25,000 miles.
• The cars you compare. An efficient gas car or a thirsty EV narrows the gap quickly, as the break-even table shows.

A few habits make the comparison more honest: compare the same model or size class, use the rate from your own electric bill, run the numbers at both a low and a high gas price, estimate your public charging share realistically, and get insurance quotes for both cars before you decide.

Limitations

Running costs are only part of ownership. The calculator leaves out insurance, registration fees, financing, depreciation and resale value, tires, unscheduled repairs, battery replacement and the cost of a home charger. It holds prices and mileage constant and does not discount future savings, so the break-even figure is a simple payback period, not a net present value. EPA ratings are standardized; real efficiency drops in cold weather and at highway speeds for both kinds of car. Treat the results as a running-cost comparison at the prices you enter.

Related calculators

• For charging time and the cost of each session, use the EV Charging Calculator.
• For your home heating bill, use the Natural Gas Cost Calculator.
• To measure your current car's mpg, use the Gas Mileage Calculator, and for one trip's fuel bill the Fuel Cost Calculator.
• To price other household electricity use, use the Electricity Cost Calculator.
• To see what either car costs per month to finance, use the Car Payment Calculator or the Car Affordability Calculator.

Sources

• EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update: U.S. regular gasoline $4.354 per gallon in the week of October 5, 2026; weekly and annual history (2025 average $3.097).
• EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3: residential electricity 17.30 cents per kWh in 2025 and 17.99 cents for the 12 months through July 2026.
• fueleconomy.gov, 2026 Chevrolet ratings: Equinox, Equinox EV, Blazer and Blazer EV combined mpg and kWh per 100 miles.
• EPA, electric vehicle label (15,000 miles a year), fueleconomy.gov data notes (charging losses included) and the MPGe definition (1 gallon = 33.7 kWh).
• DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, Fact of the Week #1190: scheduled maintenance of 6.1 cents per mile for battery-electric and 10.1 cents for gasoline vehicles.
• IRS, Credits for New Clean Vehicles and IRS, Used Clean Vehicle Credit: not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025.
• EPA Automotive Trends Report highlights: new vehicles averaged a record 27.2 mpg in model year 2024.