EV vs Gas Car Calculator
5, 7, or 10-year total cost of ownership. Purchase, fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation — apples to apples. Defaults reflect U.S. national averages; tweak them to your situation.
The federal EV tax credit defaults to $0.
§30D, §25E, and §45W were terminated by the One Big Beautiful Bill (July 4, 2025) for any vehicle acquired after September 30, 2025. Add a federal credit only if you had a binding written contract and made a payment by that date. State rebates may still apply — see the EV Tax Credit Calculator.
Popular comparisons
One click loads both cars' price and efficiency. Each result is priced with the settings below as they stand right now, so the number on the button is the number you'll get.
EV inputs
Gas car inputs
Total cost of ownership over 7 years (84,000 miles)
Gas saves $80
EV total $43,220 · Gas total $43,140
EV breaks even at roughly 12,201 miles/year with these inputs.
Breakdown
| Component | EV | Gas | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
Purchase (net of credit) EV Gas | $42,500 | $30,000 | +$12,500 |
Fuel / electricity EV Gas | $4,445 | $9,240 | −$4,795 |
Maintenance EV Gas | $3,500 | $8,400 | −$4,900 |
Insurance EV Gas | $11,900 | $10,500 | +$1,400 |
Resale value returned EV Gas | ($19,125) | ($15,000) | −$4,125 |
| Total | $43,220 | $43,140 | +$80 |
What the preset comparisons use
EV prices and efficiency come from EVMath's shared model data. Gas prices are the manufacturer's MSRP excluding destination — the same basis as the EV figures — and MPG is EPA combined for the exact trim named. Verified August 2026; trim, drivetrain, and model year all move these numbers, so check yours before trusting the result.
| EV | MSRP | kWh/100mi | Gas car | MSRP | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | $44,990 | 28 | 2026 Toyota RAV4 LE FWD | $31,900 | 43 |
| Rivian R1T Dual Standard | $71,700 | 47 | 2026 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4×4, 2.7L EcoBoost | $51,915 | 20 |
| Chevy Equinox EV | $34,995 | 30 | 2026 Honda CR-V LX FWD, 1.5L turbo | $30,920 | 30 |
Gas-car links go to the source that published the price; MPG is from EPA / fueleconomy.gov for the 2026 model year. The 2026 RAV4 is sold only as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, which is why its MPG is so high — if that's the comparison you're actually running, the EV vs hybrid calculator models it properly.
What this calculator doesn't include
Every ownership calculator makes choices about what to model. Here are ours, so you can judge how much slack to leave around the answer above.
- Financing interest. Both totals are cash costs. A loan adds interest to both sides — and more to the pricier car, which is usually the EV. Payment-shaped comparisons live in the EV monthly cost calculator and the lease vs buy calculator.
- Taxes, title, and the EV road-use fee. Sales tax scales with price, so it widens the gap the sticker already opened. Many states also charge EVs an annual road-use fee in place of the gas tax they never pay — check your DMV and add it to the EV's maintenance line if you want it counted.
- Home charger hardware and installation. The biggest one-time EV cost after the car, and it doesn't appear anywhere above. The home charger ROI calculator prices the install against what it saves you in public charging.
- An insurance delta modeled per car. The two insurance fields are flat annual numbers you type. Our defaults assume EVs cost a little more to insure, which is generally true, but the real gap swings hundreds of dollars by model, state, and carrier — the EV insurance cost calculator estimates yours, and a real quote beats both.
- A depreciation curve. Resale here is one percentage applied to the purchase price at the end of the term — not a curve, and blind to mileage, condition, and battery health. The EV depreciation calculator models the shape of it, and the battery degradation calculator covers the part of resale that's specific to EVs.
- Inflation, and your time. Gas and electricity are held at today's prices for the whole term; in reality they move, usually not together. And a road trip in an EV spends time at chargers that a gas car spends driving — the road trip calculator puts a number on that.
How to compare an EV and a gas car honestly
The single most common mistake people make when comparing an EV to a gas car is anchoring on the sticker price. A $42,000 EV next to a $30,000 sedan looks like a $12,000 penalty, and that's where most conversations end. It's also where most conversations get the answer wrong. The right frame is total cost of ownership: every dollar that leaves your account from the day you sign to the day you sell, minus everything you get back at resale. Over 5 to 10 years the purchase price is just one of five components — and not always the largest.
The federal tax credit used to be the obvious first wedge — up to $7,500 off a qualifying new EV and $4,000 off a qualifying used one — but the One Big Beautiful Bill (July 2025) terminated §30D, §25E, and §45W for any vehicle acquired after September 30, 2025. If you had a binding written contract and a payment by that date, you can still claim the credit on your 2025 or 2026 return; otherwise it does not apply, and our default scenario reflects that with a $0 federal credit. State rebates remain available in many states — check your state's program before finalizing your numbers.
Fuel: where EVs do the heavy lifting
A reasonably efficient EV uses about 28 to 32 kWh per 100 miles. At the U.S. average residential rate of roughly $0.16/kWh, that works out to about 4.5 cents per mile. A 30 mpg gas car at $3.30/gallon is 11 cents per mile — about 2.4× as expensive. Over 12,000 miles a year, that's roughly $780 in annual fuel savings before you touch any other line item. The savings compound: more miles, higher gas prices, cheaper electricity, or off-peak utility rates all widen the gap. The savings shrink if you depend on $0.40–$0.55/kWh DC fast charging, which is why the home-charging share is one of the most consequential inputs in the calculator.
Maintenance: smaller than people think, but real
EV scheduled maintenance is roughly half of a comparable ICE, per Consumer Reports and AAA cost-of-ownership studies. There are no oil changes, no spark plugs, no transmission fluid, no exhaust system, no fuel filters. Regenerative braking does most of the stopping in normal driving, so brake pads regularly last 100,000+ miles. The honest counterweight: EVs are heavier and torquier, so tires wear faster. Net of all of that, the EV typically saves $500 to $900 a year on maintenance over a 7-year window. That's a line item, not a tiebreaker — but it's not trivial either.
Insurance and depreciation: the headwinds
Insurance generally runs slightly higher on EVs because parts and labor on damaged battery packs and high-voltage components are expensive, and total-loss thresholds get hit sooner after a collision. The premium varies wildly by carrier and model — get quotes for the specific car before deciding the delta is small.
Depreciation is the line item most people get wrong in both directions. EVs depreciated faster than ICE in 2023 and 2024, partly because new EV prices fell mid-cycle and dragged used values with them. That gap narrowed through 2025 as inventory normalized and the point-of-sale credit pulled forward demand. Now that the federal credit has sunset, new-EV transaction prices may settle higher, which tends to support better residuals on the used side. The calculator defaults to 45% residual for EVs and 50% for gas at 7 years, which roughly tracks the latest published data. Verify against current Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book figures for the specific models you're comparing before treating this as gospel.
When the EV loses
Three scenarios flip the math toward gas. The first is low annual miles — under about 6,000 — where fuel savings can't outrun the EV price premium over a 5-year window. The second is expensive electricity combined with cheap gas: a household paying $0.32/kWh and a 35 mpg hybrid competitor narrows fuel savings to a few hundred dollars a year. The third is no home charging, which forces public DC fast charging into the blended rate and can erase the per-mile advantage entirely. Run the inputs honestly and the calculator will tell you which side of the line you're on.
Defaults reflect U.S. national averages as of 2026 and are intended as a starting point, not a prediction. Tax credit eligibility, electricity rates, fuel prices, and resale values change frequently — verify with the IRS, your utility, EPA fueleconomy.gov, and the manufacturer before making a purchase decision.
Gear we'd look at
The gear behind the biggest input on this page
Nothing here changes the answer on its own — the two cars do that. But '% miles charged at home' is the single input that moves an EV's running cost the most, and these are the categories that decide whether that number is 90% or 40%. The calculator works fine if you ignore every link.
Smart Level 2 charger with scheduling
The difference between $0.16/kWh and $0.45/kWh
A 40–48A wall unit is what makes overnight charging at home rates practical. Scheduling matters as much as the amperage: on a time-of-use plan, charging after midnight can cut the electricity line in the table above by half.
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NEMA 14-50 outlet, industrial grade
The cheaper path to Level 2
A plug-in charger on a 240V outlet usually costs far less to install than a hardwired unit. Buy the industrial-grade receptacle — the budget ones are not built for hours of sustained EV load.
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Portable Level 1/Level 2 charger
For renters and anyone not installing yet
Dual-voltage units run off a normal 120V outlet or a 240V one with the right adapter. Slower, but it keeps most of your miles on home electricity rather than public DC — which is what the home-charging input is really measuring.
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J1772 to NACS (Tesla) adapter
Cheaper kWh for the miles you can't charge at home
Supercharger pricing is often below what third-party DC networks charge, so an adapter lowers the blended rate on the public share of your miles. Check that your car is on the manufacturer's supported list first.
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As an Amazon Associate EVMath earns from qualifying purchases. Product links are sponsored and go to Amazon search results, not specific listings — verify specs, amperage, and connector type before buying.
What to look for in each — amperage, cable length, breaker sizing, connector type — is covered in the EV accessories guide, and the install decision itself in the home charger buying guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do EVs really save money compared to gas cars?+
It depends on annual miles, your electricity rate, and any state rebate you can stack. With the federal credit now sunset for any vehicle acquired after Sept 30, 2025, the math is tighter than it was: an EV still typically beats a comparable gas car over 7–10 years for a 12,000-mile-a-year driver charging mostly at home at the national-average $0.16/kWh, but the break-even shifts later than the pre-sunset numbers most people remember. Low-mileage drivers on high-cost electricity can come out behind — run your own numbers above.
What about EV depreciation? I keep hearing it's brutal.+
EVs depreciated faster than ICE in 2023–2024 — used Teslas in particular lost value as new prices fell. The gap narrowed through 2025 as inventory normalized and the point-of-sale credit took effect. With the federal credit gone, new-EV transaction prices are likely to settle higher, which tends to support better residuals on the used side. We default EV resale to 45% after 7 years and ICE to 50%, which roughly tracks recent data — verify against current Edmunds/KBB before treating it as gospel.
How much do I actually save on fuel?+
An efficient EV uses about 28–32 kWh per 100 miles. At $0.16/kWh that's roughly $0.045 per mile. A 30 mpg gas car at $3.30/gallon is $0.11 per mile — about 2.4× more. Over 12,000 miles a year that's roughly $780 in annual fuel savings before you factor in any DC fast charging, which costs 2–3× home rates.
What's the actual maintenance difference?+
Consumer Reports and AAA data put EV scheduled maintenance at roughly half of a comparable ICE: no oil changes, no spark plugs, no transmission fluid, no exhaust system, and regenerative braking dramatically extends brake pad life. Tires wear faster on EVs (more weight, more torque), which partly offsets the savings. The net delta is typically $500–$900 a year in the EV's favor.
When is a gas car actually cheaper?+
Three scenarios flip the math: very low annual miles (under ~6,000) where fuel savings can't outrun the EV price premium; expensive electricity (>$0.30/kWh) combined with cheap gas; or no access to home charging, forcing reliance on $0.40–$0.55/kWh DC fast charging. With the federal credit no longer available for post-Sept-30-2025 acquisitions, the EV's purchase-cost penalty is bigger than it was, and gas wins more often over 7 years than under the old rules.
What does this calculator leave out?+
Five things, deliberately. Financing interest — every figure is the cash cost, so a loan adds thousands to both sides and more to the more expensive car. Sales tax, title, registration, and the annual EV road-use fee many states charge in place of gas tax. Home charger hardware and installation, typically the largest one-time EV cost after the car itself. Energy price inflation — gas and electricity are held at today's prices for the whole term. And time: charging stops on long trips cost hours a gas car doesn't spend. Insurance and depreciation are in the model, but only as numbers you type — the defaults are national averages, not quotes for your car.
Does this include the federal $7,500 tax credit?+
Not by default — the federal Clean Vehicle Credit ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill (July 2025). The tax-credit input now defaults to $0. If you had a binding written contract and a payment by Sept 30, 2025, you may still be eligible: use the EV Tax Credit Calculator to estimate it, then enter that number here. If your state still offers a rebate, add it to the same field.
Related calculators
- EV Monthly Cost Calculator — the same two cars as a monthly payment, before depreciation.
- EV Insurance Cost Calculator — the one running cost where EVs lose to gas, by model, state, and age.
- EV Tax Credit Calculator — figure out exactly what credit you qualify for.
- Home Charger ROI Calculator — the one EV cost this page leaves out: what a Level 2 install costs and how fast it pays back.
- EV Charging Cost Calculator — per-mile cost at home vs DC fast by state.
- EV Charging Cost by State — electricity rates and cents per mile in all 50 states, and where EVs beat gas by the widest margin.
- EV Solar Charging Calculator — the cheapest energy line in this comparison: how much solar it takes to charge the car, and what it pays back.
- EV Battery Degradation Calculator — what capacity the pack still has when you go to resell it.
- EV Road Trip Calculator — charging stops, time, and electricity vs gas for one long drive.
- Best EVs for Rideshare Drivers — this comparison at 50,000 miles a year, with every pick preloaded into the calculator above.
- EVMath home — all calculators and brand guides.
Still picking the EV side of the comparison?
The purchase price you type above is the number that decides most of this. These lists start from price and capability rather than from a car you already have in mind:
- Best EVs under $50k — where most of the EV-vs-gas math actually gets run.
- Cheapest EVs of 2026 — the shortest route to beating a gas car on total cost: a smaller sticker.
- Best used EVs under $25k — where someone else already paid the depreciation this page charges you for.
- Best EVs for towing — if the truck comparison is the one you're running, tow rating narrows the field before cost does.
Gas-car prices are manufacturer MSRP excluding destination, read August 2026; MPG is EPA combined from fueleconomy.gov for the 2026 model year. EV prices and efficiency come from EVMath's shared model data (fueleconomy.gov and manufacturer specifications, 2025–2026 model year). Accessory links go to Amazon search results rather than specific listings; EVMath is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases — see the affiliate disclosure.