Gas vs Electric Car Savings Calculator

How it works

Gas cost = miles ÷ mpg × gas price · EV cost = miles ÷ (mi/kWh) × (1 + charging loss) × electricity price · blended electricity = home share × home rate + public share × public rate · yearly saving = gas cost − EV cost · mi/kWh = 100 ÷ kWh/100 mi = MPGe ÷ 33.7 · break-even electricity price = gas cost ÷ kWh used · net saving = Σ yearly (fuel + maintenance + insurance) differences − price gap − charger

The fuel saving is the gap between what the gas car spends at the pump and what the EV spends on electricity for the same miles, projected over the years you keep the car. Enter the EV’s efficiency the way you have it — miles per kWh, kWh per 100 miles from the window sticker, or MPGe — and the calculator converts between them (one gallon counts as 33.7 kWh). Electricity can be a blend of your home rate and public charging, which often costs two to three times as much; EPA ratings already include charging losses, so only add a loss for the car’s own dashboard figure. Optional yearly price changes show how rising gas or power prices move the multi-year total. Turn on the price-gap option to see the fuller picture: maintenance and insurance per year (AAA 2025 national averages are pre-filled), the extra purchase price after incentives and a home charger, the payback year, and the net saving after the years you choose. Break-even prices tell you how far gas would have to fall, or electricity rise, before the EV stops being cheaper to fuel, and the CO₂ line compares tailpipe emissions with power-plant emissions on your grid.

Worked example

12,000 miles a year in a 28 mpg car at $3.50 a gallon uses 428.6 gallons, or $1,500. An EV at 3.5 mi/kWh uses 3,429 kWh; at $0.15 per kWh that is $514. The saving is $986 a year — $4,929 over five years, or $82 a month. The EV stays cheaper to fuel until electricity passes $0.438 per kWh. With the price-gap option on, AAA’s maintenance and insurance averages save another $116 and cost $301 a year, so running costs fall by $801 a year; a $5,000 price gap plus a $1,500 charger pays back in about 8.1 years.

Sources: AAA — Your Driving Costs 2025 (maintenance, insurance and fuel by vehicle type) · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center — Vehicle Cost Calculator · US EPA — Greenhouse gas emissions from a typical passenger vehicle (8,887 g CO₂ per gallon)

Frequently asked questions