Electric Car vs Gas Car: 5-Year Total Cost Compared

What does the EV winning by $321.43 mean?

It means that over 5 years the electric car costs $321.43 less than the gas car in total: gas costs $40,750.00 and the EV costs $40,428.57, on the defaults — EV $35,000 against gas $28,000, 15,000 miles a year, gas at 30 mpg and $3.50 a gallon, EV at 3.5 miles per kWh and $0.16 a kWh, maintenance $400 a year for the EV against $800 for gas. The EV starts $7,000 behind on the purchase price and makes it back $1,464.29 a year — $1,064.29 a year cheaper on fuel and charging, plus $400 a year cheaper on maintenance — so after 4.78 years it is ahead, and by year 5 it is ahead by $321.43. The gap is small because the horizon is short: over 10 years it is $7,642.86, because the saving repeats every year while the premium is paid once.

Three things to check before you trust the number

The miles decide the winner. At 15,000 miles a year the EV wins by $321.43, at 14,000 miles the gas car wins by $33.33, and at 10,000 miles the gas car wins by $1,452.38. The EV's advantage is a saving per mile — about 7 cents a mile on fuel plus maintenance — so the more miles you drive, the more it saves, and a low-mileage driver never drives enough to repay the premium. Put your real yearly miles in, not the national average.

Your electricity price is not the national average. At $0.16 a kWh the EV wins by $321.43, at $0.18 it already loses by $107.14, and at $0.30 a kWh the gas car wins by $2,678.57. Home charging overnight is usually the cheapest electricity you will buy; public fast charging can cost two or three times as much, and at those prices the EV's fuel advantage disappears. If you cannot charge at home, put the public price in.

No tax credit is in these figures, and no resale value either. A federal or state credit lowers the EV's purchase price dollar for dollar — a $7,500 credit would turn the $321.43 win into a $7,821.43 win — but credits change, have income and price limits, and may not apply to the car you want, so the calculator leaves them out and says so. Resale value is left out the same way: the EV and the gas car will not be worth the same in 5 years, and nobody knows by how much. The totals here are purchase plus running costs, nothing else.

Worked example

On the defaults: EV $35,000 against gas $28,000, 15,000 miles a year, gas at 30 mpg and $3.50 a gallon, EV at 3.5 miles per kWh and $0.16 a kWh, maintenance $400 a year for the EV against $800 for gas, 5 years.

1. Gas fuel a year: 15,000 ÷ 30 × $3.50 = $1,750.00.
2. EV electricity a year: 15,000 ÷ 3.5 × $0.16 = $685.71 (unrounded 685.714286).
3. Fuel per mile: gas $1,750.00 ÷ 15,000 = $0.12 (unrounded 0.116667); EV $685.71 ÷ 15,000 = $0.05 (unrounded 0.045714).
4. Gas total over 5 years: $28,000 + 5 × ($1,750.00 + $800) = $40,750.00.
5. EV total over 5 years: $35,000 + 5 × ($685.71 + $400) = $40,428.57 (unrounded 40428.571429).
6. Gap: $40,750.00 − $40,428.57 = $321.43 (unrounded 321.428571) — the EV wins.
7. 10-year totals: gas $28,000 + 10 × $2,550.00 = $53,500.00; EV $35,000 + 10 × $1,085.71 = $45,857.14 (unrounded 45857.142857); the gap is $7,642.86 (unrounded 7642.857143).
8. Annual saving: ($1,750.00 − $685.71) + ($800 − $400) = $1,464.29 a year (unrounded 1464.285714).
9. Break-even: $7,000 ÷ $1,464.29 = 4.78 years (unrounded 4.780488).
10. Smallest gas price for the EV to win over 5 years: $3.50 a gallon — at $3.50 the EV wins by $321.43, and at $3.25 the gas car wins by $303.57.

Every branch, checked

• Gas at $4.00 a gallon: Gas at $4.00 a gallon: Gas $42,000.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $1,571.43 (gas fuel $2,000.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). gas at $4.00 a gallon — the EV wins by $1,571.43; dearer gas is dearer driving, and the EV's advantage grows with every cent on the pump price.
• 10 years: 10 years: Gas $53,500.00 vs EV $45,857.14 over 10 years — EV wins by $7,642.86 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). 10 years — the EV wins by $7,642.86; twice the time is far more than twice the gap, because the saving repeats every year while the purchase premium is paid once.
• 10,000 miles a year: 10,000 miles a year: Gas $37,833.33 vs EV $39,285.71 over 5 years — Gas wins by $1,452.38 (gas fuel $1,166.67/yr, EV electricity $457.14/yr). 10,000 miles a year — the gas car wins by $1,452.38; too few miles for the fuel saving to repay the $7,000 premium.
• EV at $30,000: EV at $30,000: Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $35,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $5,321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). EV at $30,000 — the EV wins by $5,321.43; a cheaper EV shrinks the premium to $2,000, and the saving pays it back in 1.37 years.
• Gas at 40 mpg: Gas at 40 mpg: Gas $38,562.50 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $1,866.07 (gas fuel $1,312.50/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). gas at 40 mpg — the gas car wins by $1,866.07; a thrifty gas car burns so little that the EV has little to save.
• Electricity at $0.30 a kWh: Electricity at $0.30 a kWh: Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $43,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $2,678.57 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $1,285.71/yr). electricity at $0.30 a kWh — the gas car wins by $2,678.57; dear electricity nearly doubles the EV's charging bill.
• 20,000 miles a year: 20,000 miles a year: Gas $43,666.67 vs EV $41,571.43 over 5 years — EV wins by $2,095.24 (gas fuel $2,333.33/yr, EV electricity $914.29/yr). 20,000 miles a year — the EV wins by $2,095.24; more miles is more saving, and the premium pays back in 3.85 years.
• 3 years: 3 years: Gas $35,650.00 vs EV $38,257.14 over 3 years — Gas wins by $2,607.14 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). 3 years — the gas car wins by $2,607.14; three years of saving is not enough to repay $7,000.
• Gas $30,000, EV $38,000: Gas $30,000, EV $38,000: Gas $42,750.00 vs EV $43,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $678.57 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr). gas $30,000, EV $38,000 — the gas car wins by $678.57; the premium is $8,000 here, and five years is just short.
• 25 mpg and $0.12 a kWh: 25 mpg and $0.12 a kWh: Gas $42,500.00 vs EV $39,571.43 over 5 years — EV wins by $2,928.57 (gas fuel $2,100.00/yr, EV electricity $514.29/yr). 25 mpg and $0.12 a kWh — the EV wins by $2,928.57; a thirsty gas car and cheap electricity together.

The reverses, worked backwards

• Smallest gas price for the EV to win over 5 years: $3.50 — at $3.50 the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $40,125.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $303.57 (gas fuel $1,625.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40125.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 303.571429, gas fuel raw 1625.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.108333, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1339.285714, break-even 5.226667 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $41,375.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $946.43 (gas fuel $1,875.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 41375.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 946.428571, gas fuel raw 1875.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.125000, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1589.285714, break-even 4.404494 years) — verdict: STEP.
• Largest EV price for the EV to still win over 5 years: $35,000 — at $35,000 the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $41,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $678.57 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 41428.571429, gap raw 678.571429, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 5.463415 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $39,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $1,321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 39428.571429, gap raw 1321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.097561 years) — verdict: STEP.
• Smallest yearly miles for the EV to win over 5 years: 15,000 miles a year — at 15,000 miles a year the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $40,166.67 vs EV $40,200.00 over 5 years — Gas wins by $33.33 (gas fuel $1,633.33/yr, EV electricity $640.00/yr) (gas raw 40166.666667, EV raw 40200.000000, gap raw 33.333333, gas fuel raw 1633.333333, EV elec raw 640.000000, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1393.333333, break-even 5.023923 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $41,333.33 vs EV $40,657.14 over 5 years — EV wins by $676.19 (gas fuel $1,866.67/yr, EV electricity $731.43/yr) (gas raw 41333.333333, EV raw 40657.142857, gap raw 676.190476, gas fuel raw 1866.666667, EV elec raw 731.428571, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1535.238095, break-even 4.559553 years) — verdict: STEP.
• Highest electricity price for the EV to win over 5 years: $0.16 — at $0.16 the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,857.14 over 5 years — Gas wins by $107.14 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $771.43/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40857.142857, gap raw 107.142857, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 771.428571, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.051429, annual saving raw 1378.571429, break-even 5.077720 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,000.00 over 5 years — EV wins by $750.00 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $600.00/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40000.000000, gap raw 750.000000, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 600.000000, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.040000, annual saving raw 1550.000000, break-even 4.516129 years) — verdict: STEP.
• Fewest years for the EV to win: 5 years — at 5 years the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $38,200.00 vs EV $39,342.86 over 4 years — Gas wins by $1,142.86 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 38200.000000, EV raw 39342.857143, gap raw 1142.857143, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $43,300.00 vs EV $41,514.29 over 6 years — EV wins by $1,785.71 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 43300.000000, EV raw 41514.285714, gap raw 1785.714286, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years) — verdict: STEP.
• Highest gas mpg for the EV to win over 5 years: 30 mpg — at 30 mpg the figures are Gas $40,750.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $321.43 (gas fuel $1,750.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 40750.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 321.428571, gas fuel raw 1750.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.116667, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1464.285714, break-even 4.780488 years); at the upper neighbor the figures are Gas $39,500.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — Gas wins by $928.57 (gas fuel $1,500.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 39500.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 928.571429, gas fuel raw 1500.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.100000, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1214.285714, break-even 5.764706 years); at the lower neighbor the figures are Gas $42,500.00 vs EV $40,428.57 over 5 years — EV wins by $2,071.43 (gas fuel $2,100.00/yr, EV electricity $685.71/yr) (gas raw 42500.000000, EV raw 40428.571429, gap raw 2071.428571, gas fuel raw 2100.000000, EV elec raw 685.714286, per-mile gas raw 0.140000, EV raw 0.045714, annual saving raw 1814.285714, break-even 3.858268 years) — verdict: STEP.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are an EV at $35,000 against a gas car at $28,000, 15,000 miles a year, gas at 30 mpg and $3.50 a gallon, EV at 3.5 miles per kWh and $0.16 a kWh, maintenance $400 a year for the EV against $800 for gas, over 5 years — a typical new-car comparison, and the EV wins by $321.43. They are a starting point, not a verdict: your prices may be different, your miles may be 10,000 or 20,000, your electricity may be $0.30 a kWh, and the right answer for you is the one your numbers describe. Change the prices, the miles, the fuel and electricity prices and the years to your own and the calculator recomputes instantly. Take the purchase price, add the years of running costs, and read the gap.

These notes repeat in every explainer section because this page is built to be read start to finish: the defaults are one comparison, not a standard; the miles decide the winner; your electricity price is not the national average; and no tax credit is in these figures, and no resale value either.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• A commuter doing 20,000 miles a year — the EV wins by $2,095.24 over 5 years, and the premium pays back in 3.85 years, so the mileage alone makes the case.
• A low-mileage driver doing 10,000 miles a year — the gas car wins by $1,452.38, because too few miles never repay the $7,000 premium, and the cheaper car to buy is the cheaper car to own.
• A buyer weighing a cheaper EV at $30,000 instead of $35,000 — the EV wins by $5,321.43, and the saving pays the $2,000 premium back in 1.37 years.
• Someone deciding on home charging — at $0.16 a kWh the EV wins by $321.43, and at $0.30 a kWh the gas car wins by $2,678.57, so the price you pay for electricity decides the answer before anything else does.

Accuracy & limitations

The calculator adds purchase price, yearly energy and yearly maintenance over the years you give, and every total on this page is checked against an independent model — the 5-year totals, the 10-year totals and the break-even all agree to the cent. What it cannot do is hold prices still: gas and electricity prices move, and they vary by state, so a figure that wins today can lose next year. Insurance is not modelled — EVs often cost more to insure than the gas car they replace — and neither is depreciation or resale value, so the totals are purchase plus running costs, not the whole cost of ownership. Maintenance is an average, not a promise: a gas car can run years without a repair, and an EV can need tyres sooner than expected. Battery replacement is not modelled either — a battery that needs replacing inside your horizon would change the answer by thousands, and one that does not is free. It is not buying advice: the right car depends on your miles, your charging, your prices and how long you keep a car, not only on the gap. And the page prints the unrounded figures so the rounding does not mislead you — the EV total is $40,428.57, unrounded 40428.571429, and the break-even is 4.78 years, unrounded 4.780488.

Cite this calculator

Electric car versus gas car: the whole cost over 5 years. On the defaults — EV $35,000 against gas $28,000, 15,000 miles a year, gas at 30 mpg and $3.50 a gallon, EV at 3.5 miles per kWh and $0.16 a kWh, maintenance $400 a year for the EV against $800 for gas — the EV costs $40,428.57 over 5 years against $40,750.00 for gas, so the EV wins by $321.43. Over 10 years the EV wins by $7,642.86. Smallest gas price for the EV to win over 5 years: $3.50 a gallon. Largest EV price for the EV to still win over 5 years: $35,000. Smallest yearly miles for the EV to win over 5 years: 15,000 miles a year. Highest electricity price for the EV to win over 5 years: $0.16 a kWh. Fewest years for the EV to win: 5 years. Highest gas mpg for the EV to win over 5 years: 30 mpg. Source: Bright Side Kit, brightoolbox.com.

Frequently asked questions