Transportation · 8 min read

EV vs. gas: the cost difference gets clearer when you count every mile

Fuel savings are real, but the useful comparison includes charging, efficiency, insurance, and the way you drive.

Published August 11, 2026 · Educational analysis, not financial advice.

Fuel cost is the simplest part of an EV comparison. For a gasoline vehicle, annual fuel cost is miles driven divided by miles per gallon, multiplied by the gasoline price. For an EV, it is miles divided by miles per kilowatt-hour, multiplied by the electricity price.

That is a screening calculation, not a full ownership model. Purchase price, financing, insurance, maintenance, resale value, public charging, and available incentives can all matter more than a modest fuel-price difference.

Use a local electricity price and your actual mileage. The calculator on this site keeps the assumptions visible so you can adjust them rather than relying on a single national average.

Sources & assumptions

Source release context: The fuel-cost calculation uses reader-entered miles, efficiency, and fuel/electricity prices; it is not a total-cost-of-ownership estimate.

Assumptions and limits

  • Gas cost equals miles divided by mpg, multiplied by gas price.
  • EV electricity cost equals miles divided by miles per kilowatt-hour, multiplied by electricity price.
  • Purchase price, financing, insurance, maintenance, resale value, public charging, and incentives are excluded.

Primary sources