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EV vs Gas vs Hybrid
Cost Calculator
Find out what your driving really costs. Compare fuel and charging, or add purchase prices to see the bigger picture.Compare fuel, charging and purchase costs. Start with your driving.
Your distance.
Your energy prices.
Your comparison.
See the detailed breakdown
THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How this drive cost calculator works
Transparent assumptions
THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How this drive cost calculator works
Fuel costs
For gas and conventional hybrid cars, annual fuel cost is your yearly distance multiplied by consumption and fuel price. In metric units:
km per year × L/100 km ÷ 100 × price per litre
With U.S. units, divide annual miles by U.S. MPG, then multiply by the price per U.S. gallon. The hybrid calculation uses gasoline only, not plug-in charging.
EV charging costs
Annual electricity cost uses distance, kWh consumption and the weighted price of home and public charging. The optional extra-use allowance multiplies electricity consumption.
Annual kWh × weighted price per kWh
A mix of 80% home charging at $0.15/kWh and 20% public charging at $0.55/kWh gives a weighted rate of $0.23/kWh. These are examples, not current tariffs.
Purchase-price payback
Buying mode adds the purchase price, any EV charger setup cost, and the annual expenses you enter for your selected ownership period.
Extra upfront cost ÷ annual running-cost savings
Payback requires positive annual savings. A cheaper purchase with higher running costs can instead lose its initial advantage. Neither case is a guaranteed prediction.
At 15,000 km per year, a gas car using 8.5 L/100 km at $1.65/L costs $2,103.75 per year to fuel. An EV using 18 kWh/100 km at the example blended rate of $0.23/kWh costs $621 per year to charge, with no extra-use allowance. The energy difference is $1,482.75 per year, before purchase and other ownership costs.
What is not included automatically?
This is a purchase-plus-running-cost comparison, not a complete total-cost-of-ownership model. It does not automatically estimate financing interest, resale value, depreciation, opportunity cost, battery replacement, future energy-price changes, public-charging session fees or incentives. Maintenance, insurance, tires and registration are included only through the annual amounts you enter in buying mode.
Prices, distance and efficiency remain constant across the selected period. A vehicle preset fills efficiency only. Compare the correct model year and configuration, then replace examples with your own rates and quotes.
Questions before you compare
Is an electric car always cheaper than gas?
No. Charging prices, vehicle efficiency, annual distance and the purchase-price difference can change the result. Fuel & charging mode compares energy only. Buying a car mode can show a different lowest-cost option once purchase prices and other entered expenses are included.
How do I compare a hybrid vs petrol car?
Choose Gas vs hybrid in the comparison menu. Enter your driving distance, local petrol price and both vehicles’ consumption figures. Switch to buying mode to test whether fuel savings recover a higher hybrid purchase price.
Are the vehicle presets live prices or local ratings?
No. The starter library uses selected configurations from Natural Resources Canada’s 2025 guide, January 24 edition. A preset supplies its combined consumption figure and source. U.S. MPG and kWh per 100 miles are conversions of the Canadian rating, not an EPA rating. No purchase prices or energy tariffs are fetched automatically.
Can I compare a plug-in hybrid?
Not in this version. The hybrid column models a conventional gasoline hybrid. A plug-in hybrid needs a separate calculation for electric driving and gasoline driving. Do not use its blended MPGe value as conventional MPG here.
Does the calculator include charging losses and winter driving?
The EV extra-use allowance starts at 0%. Avoid adding losses already included in your published or measured consumption figure. An allowance of 10% multiplies consumption by 1.10 for the whole year. For a seasonal comparison, use a representative annual consumption figure rather than assuming a winter penalty applies on every trip.
Does changing currency convert my prices?
No. It changes the currency labels only. Enter every price in that currency. Changing distance units does convert distance, consumption and the fuel price per litre or U.S. gallon so the same physical scenario is preserved. U.S. MPG is not imperial MPG.
What does “no payback” mean?
When an alternative costs more upfront and has no positive annual running-cost savings, those assumptions do not produce a purchase-premium payback. A payback beyond your selected ownership period is shown explicitly. Resale values and financing could alter the decision, but are not estimated here.
Use our dedicated Hybrid vs Gas Cost Calculator to compare fuel costs, annual savings, 5-year savings and purchase-price break-even.
Sources & data privacy
Check your inputs
Use the correct vehicle rating, your electricity tariff and comparable purchase quotes. Model presets are selected 2025 Canadian configurations, not a complete vehicle catalogue.
Preset source edition: January 24, 2025 · Checked September 16, 2026 · No affiliation with vehicle manufacturers or rating agencies.
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