EV vs Gas Cost Per Mile Calculator
Compare the cost per mile of driving an electric vehicle versus a gasoline vehicle. Enter your local electricity and gas prices along with each vehicle's efficiency to see which is cheaper per mile.
Electric Car
Gas Car
This calculator compares the real driving cost of electric and gasoline cars. It shows how much you pay per mile depending on efficiency and energy prices.
What your result means
At $0.15/kWh and 3.5 miles per kWh, the EV costs $0.043 per mile. The 25 mpg gas car at $3.50/gallon costs $0.14 — electricity is 69% cheaper.
EV against gas car — the easiest way to sanity-check the per-mile figures.
Saved on fuel alone at the US average annual mileage.
What a gas car would have to return at $3.50/gallon to match the EV's cost per mile.
How to lower your cost per mile
- Charge on an off-peak or EV-specific tariff$0.009/mi
Cost per mile is a straight product of price and efficiency. Moving from $0.15 to a $0.12/kWh overnight rate takes the EV from $0.043 to $0.034 per mile without changing anything about the car.
- Use your car's real efficiency, not the EPA number$0.007/mi per 0.5 mi/kWh
Your dashboard shows lifetime mi/kWh. Winter, roof racks and highway speed can cost 0.5–1.0 mi/kWh — at $0.15/kWh that is the per-mile swing shown here, which is often larger than the difference between tariffs.
- Compare against the gas car you would really own$0.088/mi at 40 mpg
A 40 mpg hybrid at $3.50/gallon costs $0.088 per mile, while a 20 mpg SUV costs $0.175. Against an efficient hybrid the EV's advantage narrows sharply on an expensive electricity tariff.
- Keep public fast charging out of the daily numbers$0.129/mi at $0.45/kWh
DC fast charging is priced for convenience. If most of your kWh come from a public network, enter that rate here instead — the honest comparison uses the electricity you actually buy.
- Remember what this figure excludes$300–$600/yr maintenance
Cost per mile here is fuel only. Oil changes, exhaust, spark plugs and brake wear all favour the EV, while a higher purchase price and insurance premium work the other way.
Worked examples
Example A — efficient EV, average US electricity
- Electricity
- $0.17/kWh
- EV efficiency
- 4.0 mi/kWh (Model 3 LR)
- Gas
- $3.50/gallon
- Gas car
- 28 mpg sedan
EV: 0.17 ÷ 4.0 = $0.0425/mi → Gas: 3.50 ÷ 28 = $0.125/mi → difference $0.0825/mi → × 12,000 mi = $990/yr
The EV's equivalent MPG here is 82 mpg. This is the typical US case, and it is why fuel savings usually survive even a mediocre electricity rate.
Example B — heavy EV on public charging vs a hybrid
- Electricity
- $0.45/kWh (DC fast)
- EV efficiency
- 2.2 mi/kWh (electric truck)
- Gas
- $3.20/gallon
- Gas car
- 45 mpg hybrid
EV: 0.45 ÷ 2.2 = $0.2045/mi → Hybrid: 3.20 ÷ 45 = $0.0711/mi → difference $0.1334/mi in favour of gasoline → × 12,000 mi = $1,601/yr
A big, inefficient EV charged entirely in public is the one case where the fuel maths clearly reverses. Home charging at $0.15/kWh would drop the same truck to $0.068 per mile and flip the result again.
Quick facts
Operating cost: where the gap really shows
Per-mile cost is the cleanest way to compare a Tesla Model 3 to a Toyota Camry. EVs convert about 85–90% of stored energy into motion. Gas cars convert closer to 25–30%, with the rest lost to heat. That efficiency gap is why EVs typically cost $0.03–$0.05 per mile while gas cars sit at $0.12–$0.18 per mile.
City vs highway: a reversed pattern
Gas cars are most efficient on the highway thanks to steady RPMs. EVs are the opposite — regenerative braking and low-speed efficiency make city driving cheaper per mile. A commuter doing stop-and-go traffic will see a much wider EV-vs-gas gap than a long-distance highway driver.
Maintenance is the silent winner
EVs skip oil changes, spark plugs, timing belts, transmissions, exhaust systems, and most brake wear (regen does the work). Independent studies from Consumer Reports and the US DOE put EV maintenance at roughly half the cost of a gas car over the vehicle's lifetime.
Hidden gas vehicle costs
Beyond the pump, gas cars carry costs people forget: emissions inspections, fluid flushes, exhaust repairs, and faster brake pad wear. Add $300–$700 a year for an average sedan once the warranty ends.
Yearly ownership example
A 15,000-mile-per-year driver in a $0.15/kWh region spends roughly $675 charging an efficient EV. The same miles in a 25 MPG gas car at $3.50/gallon cost about $2,100 — a $1,425 yearly difference, before maintenance.
Per-mile cost comparison
| Vehicle type | Energy use | Cost / mile |
|---|---|---|
| Efficient EV (Model 3) | 0.25 kWh/mi @ $0.15 | $0.038 |
| Average EV | 0.30 kWh/mi @ $0.15 | $0.045 |
| Hybrid (45 MPG) | $3.50/gal | $0.078 |
| Sedan (25 MPG) | $3.50/gal | $0.140 |
| SUV (18 MPG) | $3.50/gal | $0.194 |
Most gas car owners underestimate fuel costs by 20–30% because they only count fill-ups, not the slow drip of mid-month top-offs.
Stretch every dollar further
- Charge at home overnight when utilities offer off-peak rates as low as $0.08/kWh.
- Pre-condition your EV while plugged in — heating from the battery hurts winter range.
- Use one-pedal driving to maximize regenerative braking in city traffic.
- If you must use gas, keep tires at spec — under-inflation alone costs ~3% MPG.