EV Charging Cost & Fuel vs. Electricity Calculator

Compare EV charging cost (including onboard charger efficiency loss) against combustion fuel cost per 100 km and per year.

Estimated Annual Energy Savings (EV vs. Fuel)
$873
5-Year Savings: $4,366 • Full 0–100% EV Charge: $10.11
0–100% Full Charge Cost $10.11
EV Cost per 100 km $2.39
Fuel Vehicle Cost per 100 km $8.21
Annual EV vs. Fuel Cost $359 vs $1,232
Inputs
km / yr
Total kilometers driven per year.
kWh
Usable pack capacity (e.g., 50–85 kWh for typical passenger EVs).
km / kWh
Kilometers traveled per kWh of battery energy (~6–7 km/kWh typical).
%
Accounts for ~10% AC-to-DC inverter and thermal charging loss.
$ / kWh
Home or public charger rate per kWh.
km / L
Combustion vehicle efficiency in km per liter.
$ / L
Pump price per liter of fuel.
Results & Graph
Estimated Annual Energy Savings (EV vs. Fuel)
$873
5-Year Savings: $4,366 • Full 0–100% EV Charge: $10.11
0–100% Full Charge Cost
$10.11
72.2 grid kWh (~423 km range)
EV Cost per 100 km
$2.39
Fuel Vehicle Cost per 100 km
$8.21
Annual EV vs. Fuel Cost
$359 vs $1,232

Annual Energy Spend Comparison ($)

EV Electricity Spend vs. Petrol/Gasoline Spend Over 1 Year
Graph 1 • Annual Running Cost Comparison Home AC EV charging vs. public DC fast charging vs. petrol/diesel
Home AC EV Charging (Annual) 20,513/yr Public DC Fast Charging (~2.2× Tariff) 45,128/yr Internal Combustion Fuel (Annual) 109,286/yr
Graph 2 • 10% → 80% Charging Duration Across Charger Tiers Based on adding 45 kWh of net battery energy
Level 1 Portable 15A Outlet (2.4 kW) 18.8 hrs Single-Phase Home Wallbox (7.4 kW) 6.1 hrs Three-Phase AC Wallbox (11 kW) 4.1 hrs Highway DC Fast Charger (60 kW) 45 mins (0.75 hr) Ultra-Fast DC Hypercharger (150 kW) 18 mins (0.30 hr)
Graph 3 • 5-Year Cumulative Running Cost Trajectory Solid curve = Petrol/Diesel spend; Dashed curve = Home EV spend
0 295.1k 590.1k Year 1: 109,286 109.3k Year 1 Year 2: 218,571 218.6k Year 2 Year 3: 327,857 327.9k Year 3 Year 4: 437,143 437.1k Year 4 Year 5: 546,429 546.4k Year 5
Summary: Annual EV cost is $359 compared to $1,232 for fuel.
Summary: Driving 15,000 km/year in an EV averaging 6.5 km/kWh (with 90% charger efficiency at $0.14/kWh) costs $359/year ($2.39 per 100 km), compared with $1,232/year for a combustion vehicle at 14 km/L and $1.15/L, saving $873 annually.

Formula & Mathematical Methodology: Grid-Adjusted EV Energy Cost vs. Combustion Fuel Cost

EV Cost = Annual kmkm/kWh × ηcharger × Tariff,   Fuel Cost = Annual kmkm/L × Fuel Price
Grid_kWh_annual = (Dist_km / EV_km_per_kWh) / ChargingEff; EV_Cost = Grid_kWh_annual × Tariff; ICE_Cost = (Dist_km / ICE_km_per_L) × FuelPrice
  • ChargingEff: Ratio of energy stored in the battery to energy drawn from the wall meter (typically 0.88–0.92)

Rounding: Per-charge and per-100km figures round to 2 decimal places; annual totals round to nearest dollar.

Worked Example: 15,000 km/yr: 65 kWh EV (6.5 km/kWh, 90% Eff, $0.14/kWh) vs. 14 km/L Car ($1.15/L)

Compare annual energy spend over 15,000 km.

  1. Full 65 kWh charge draws 65 ÷ 0.90 = 72.22 grid kWh × $0.14 = $10.11.
  2. Annual EV grid energy = (15,000 ÷ 6.5) ÷ 0.90 = 2,564.1 kWh → $358.97/year ($2.39 per 100 km).
  3. Annual fuel car consumption = 15,000 ÷ 14 = 1,071.4 L × $1.15 = $1,232.14/year ($8.21 per 100 km).
  4. Annual savings = $1,232.14 − $358.97 = $873.17/year ($4,365.85 over 5 years).
Result: Saves $873/year ($4,366 over 5 years); full EV charge costs $10.11.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the wall meter record more kWh than my battery capacity?

During AC Level 2 charging, the vehicle’s onboard charger converts AC power to DC and runs battery thermal management pumps, dissipating roughly 8%–12% of grid energy as heat.

Science & Engineering • Energy & Transportation Engineering Guide

How to Use the EV Charging Cost & Fuel vs. Electricity Calculator: Practical Guide & Visual Analysis

Model real-world EV energy costs by factoring in AC/DC charging efficiency losses (typically 88%–92%) and comparing grid kWh tariffs against internal combustion fuel consumption. Whether you are researching electric car charging cost, ev vs gas calculator, ev vs petrol calculator, cost per 100km ev, kwh to charge car, this interactive tool helps you calculate the cost of a full EV battery charge, compare EV electricity cost per 100 km against petrol/gasoline, and project 1-year and 5-year energy savings.

Interpreting the 3 Custom Visual Graphs & Key Outputs

As you adjust Annual Driving Distance, Usable EV Battery Capacity, EV Driving Efficiency, Wall-to-Battery Charging Efficiency, the calculator immediately computes Estimated Annual Savings ($/yr), 5-Year Energy Savings ($), 0–100% Full EV Charge Cost ($), EV vs. Fuel Cost per 100 km and updates all three domain-specific SVG charts in real time. Instead of relying on a single static figure, you can inspect the primary domain diagram, component breakdown, and multi-point trajectory curve to see how changing your inputs shifts the final result. Use the Compare (up to 3 scenarios) button to evaluate side-by-side variations before making a decision.

Real-World Benchmark & Planning Tips (Global)

In our benchmark scenario (15,000 km/yr: 65 kWh EV (6.5 km/kWh, 90% Eff, $0.14/kWh) vs. 14 km/L Car ($1.15/L)), Saves $873/year ($4,366 over 5 years); full EV charge costs $10.11. Keep in mind that includes wall-to-battery charging loss so meter billing is accurately represented. For related calculations in Science & Engineering, explore Unit Conversion Calculator, Compound Interest Calculator, ROI Calculator (Return on Investment).