EV or gas — which costs less?
EVs cost more upfront but cheaper to run. We project both cars over 10 years and tell you the exact month the EV stops costing more.
01Gas vehicle
$
$
02Electric vehicle
$
$
mi/kWh
$/kWh
mi
03 · The result
EV premium · upfront
$2,500
Fuel saved · /yr
$1,150
Maint saved · /yr
$600
Net savings · 10 yr
+$14,513
The result
The EV is already cheaper from year one — about $131/mo, and the gap widens every year.
With the tax credit and lower cost per mile, it's already the cheaper choice; the longer you keep it, the bigger the lead.
02 · The crossover
The EV is cheaper from year one
Cumulative cost · price + fuel + maintenance
Gas
EV
EV savings
10-year delta
+$14,513
At 10 years EV total cost $69.9k vs gas $84.4k. The longer you keep the car, the wider the gap.
Fuel cost per mile
11.7¢gas
4.0¢EV
EVs cost ~2.9× less per mile of energy. The more you drive, the more the savings add up.
Cumulative cost · year by year
shaded row = first year EV is ahead at year-end03 · Compare EVs
Different EVs · same 10-year horizon
Your gas car
baseline · 30 mpg
Ops · /yr
$2,950
10-yr total
$61.5k
Retained @ yr 538%
EV — modeled
$35k · 4 mi/kWh
Ops · /yr
$1,200
10-yr total
$46.5k
Break-even vs gas
1.0 yr
Retained @ yr 533%
EV — cheaper
$29k · 3.5 mi/kWh
Ops · /yr
$1,286
10-yr total
$42.2k
Break-even vs gas
1.0 yr
Retained @ yr 533%
EV — premium
$47k · 4.5 mi/kWh
Ops · /yr
$1,133
10-yr total
$57.9k
Break-even vs gas
9.3 yr
Retained @ yr 533%
Best value
EV — cheaper
The premium EV barely matches gas at 10 years. A cheaper EV reaches break-even sooner. The gap depends on the vehicle price, not the marketing.
The bigger picture
Auto loan TCO
Plug in either vehicle and see the full picture — payment + insurance + fuel + maintenance over 5 years.
Open ↗Find the upfront
Budget — find $2,500
The EV needs more cash today. See if your current budget can pull that down payment together.
Open ↗Save your work
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