Enter your local gasoline price. The default is the 2025 U.S. average; in states where gas costs more, the EV comes out better.
What the calculator adds up
For each car, over the years you keep it:
- Purchase price: what you pay for the car.
- Energy: for the EV, home charging at your state's average residential electricity price (EIA, Table 5.6.B); for the gas car, gallons × the gasoline price.
- Scheduled maintenance: miles × cost per mile.
Default values
- Maintenance: $0.061 per mile for a battery electric vehicle and $0.101 per mile for a gasoline car, the scheduled maintenance costs estimated by Argonne National Laboratory for the Department of Energy (Argonne, 2021).
- Gasoline: $3.10 per gallon, the 2025 U.S. average for regular gasoline (EIA).
- Gas car: 27.2 mpg, the average real-world fuel economy of new model year 2024 vehicles (EPA).
What it leaves out
Resale value, insurance, taxes and registration, financing, a home charger and its installation, and public fast charging, which usually costs more than charging at home. Change the purchase prices to the real prices you were offered.
For the monthly fuel savings alone, use the EV charging cost calculator.