EV vs Hybrid vs Gas Running Cost Calculator

How this calculator works

For each vehicle the calculator works out the cost of one mile and multiplies it by the miles you drive. For the gas vehicle and the hybrid, the fuel cost per mile is the gas price divided by the miles per gallon. For the EV it is the electricity price divided by the miles per kWh. If you enter an upkeep figure in dollars per mile, it is added on top. The yearly figure is the cost per mile times your annual miles, and the period total multiplies that by the number of years.

The starting values (25 mpg, 45 mpg and 3.0 miles per kWh) are round figures for a typical gas car, hybrid and EV, so replace them with the ratings of the vehicles you are actually comparing. Upkeep starts at zero so that the result is energy cost only until you put in your own numbers.

Using it for a project car decision

Fuel cost is one input to a bigger decision. If you are planning a restoration or a swap, run the numbers for the car you would build and for the alternatives. A classic with a carbureted V8 might return 12 to 15 mpg, and the difference from a 25 mpg daily is real money over a year of commuting, but a weekend car driven 2,000 miles a year hardly changes the picture. Enter the annual miles you really expect, not the miles you wish you drove. For a car that only comes out on sunny weekends, running cost is a rounding error next to storage, insurance and the restoration itself, and the Restoration Budget Calculator is the better place to spend your time.

Thinking about an EV conversion

Converting a classic to electric is a big project with its own costs: the motor, controller, battery pack, charger, wiring and a rebuild of the brakes, suspension and cooling to suit the new weight distribution. Home-built conversions often reach efficiencies near or below the 3 miles per kWh figure used here depending on weight and aerodynamics, so check your own estimate. The wiring for a home charger needs a proper circuit; see Wiring a Garage for how wire gauge and breaker size relate.

What the calculator leaves out

• Purchase price, financing, depreciation and insurance.
• Charging losses and the cost of public fast chargers, which can be far above home electricity prices.
• Cold weather, towing and high-speed driving, which cut both mpg and EV range.
• Tax credits, registration fees and road-use charges that differ by region.

Where these numbers come from

Defaults are round, representative figures for common vehicle classes. For real ratings, use the EPA label on the car, a trip computer average over a few tanks, or your EV's own energy display. This tool gives a planning estimate of energy and upkeep cost and does not cover full ownership cost.