EV vs Gas Car Calculator
Compare an electric car against a gas car on what you will actually pay, and what you will actually emit
How you drive
The gas car
Use the combined figure, not the highway one.
US average, EIA (verified 2026-08-16).
The electric car
On the EPA label. Most current EVs are 25-40.
The federal credit ended for vehicles acquired after 30 Sept 2025. State and utility programs may still apply.
US residential average, EIA (verified 2026-08-16).
The biggest single swing factor on running cost.
Assumptions
Published estimates range 40-80. This is the least certain number here.
Adds roughly 24% for refining and distributing gasoline, and grid losses for electricity.
Cost and carbon
These break even at different points, so they are reported separately.
What is driving this
Total cost of ownership
Lifetime carbon
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Why there are two break-even points
An EV asks you to pay more up front and less afterwards, and it asks the atmosphere for the same trade: extra emissions to build the battery, fewer emissions every mile you drive. Those two debts are repaid at very different speeds.
The carbon debt clears fast — typically around 20,000 miles, under two years of ordinary driving. The financial one takes far longer now that the federal credit has ended, and at a $10,000 price premium it can outlast how long you keep the car. Reporting a single blended verdict would hide that, so this calculator does not.
The other thing worth testing is the charging mix. Move the public fast-charging slider from 0% to 100% and watch the fuel saving mostly evaporate. For anyone without a driveway or a garage outlet, that is the real question, not the sticker price.
Where the numbers come from
- Gasoline carbon: 8.887 kg CO2 per gallon — the EPA and DOT constant used for fuel economy standards and for every "equivalent to X gallons of gas" comparison.
- Grid carbon: EPA eGRID2023 Revision 2, by subregion.
- Maintenance: Argonne National Laboratory — 10.1 cents per mile for a gas car, 6.1 for a battery electric.
- Fuel and electricity prices: EIA (verified 2026-08-16).
- Battery manufacturing: 60 kg CO2e per kWh by default, within a published range of roughly 40–80. This is the least certain input on the page and it is editable for that reason.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter how much you drive. Annual mileage and how long you expect to keep the car. Both matter: an EV pays back its price premium through use, so high mileage helps it and a short ownership period hurts it.
- Describe the gas car. Purchase price, combined MPG and your local fuel price. Use the combined figure from the window sticker rather than the highway number.
- Describe the electric car. Purchase price, efficiency in kilowatt hours per 100 miles, and battery capacity. Efficiency is on the EPA label; most current EVs sit between 25 and 40 kWh per 100 miles.
- Set how you will charge. The share you expect to charge on public DC fast chargers is the single biggest swing factor on running cost. Home charging is roughly a third the price of fast charging.
- Read both answers. Cost and carbon are reported separately because they break even at different points. The carbon break-even is where the EV has driven off the emissions debt from building its battery - typically around 20,000 miles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for an EV to pay for itself?
At 2026 prices, longer than it used to. A typical EV saves roughly $1,100 a year against a 27 MPG gas car driven 12,000 miles, once fuel and maintenance are counted. On a $10,000 price premium that is about a nine year payback - beyond the eight years many people keep a car. The federal $7,500 credit that used to cut this to two or three years ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025, so check state and utility rebates and enter them in the incentives field.
Does an EV really produce less CO2 once you count the battery?
Yes, in every US grid region. Building a 75 kWh pack emits roughly 4.5 tonnes of CO2 that a gas car never incurs, so the EV starts in debt. But on the US average grid an EV emits about 0.10 kg CO2 per mile against 0.33 kg for a 27 MPG gas car, so it clears that debt in around 20,000 miles - under two years of typical driving. Even on Hawaii's grid, the dirtiest in the country, it still comes out ahead, just more slowly.
What if I charge on public fast chargers instead of at home?
The fuel saving largely disappears. Home charging at 18.4 cents per kilowatt hour costs about 5.5 cents a mile. DC fast charging at 45 cents costs about 13.5 cents a mile, which is close to what a 30 MPG gas car costs at $4 a gallon. If you cannot charge at home, the case for an EV rests on maintenance, driving experience and emissions rather than on fuel cost.
Are EVs cheaper to maintain?
Yes. Argonne National Laboratory puts scheduled maintenance at 6.1 cents per mile for a battery electric vehicle against 10.1 cents for a comparable gas car - about 40% less, because there is no oil to change, no spark plugs, no exhaust system and far less brake wear thanks to regenerative braking. Insurance usually runs higher for EVs, which offsets part of that, so both are separate inputs above.
How certain is the battery manufacturing figure?
Less certain than the rest of the calculation, which is why it is an editable input rather than a hidden constant. Published life-cycle estimates range from about 40 to 80 kg CO2e per kilowatt hour of pack capacity depending on cell chemistry, where the factory is and how the system boundary is drawn, and the figure has been falling as production moves onto cleaner grids. The default here is 60. The carbon break-even mileage is directly proportional to it, so if you have a better number for a specific vehicle, enter it.