To find out which car will cost less, compare an electric vehicle (EV) and a petrol car that meet the same needs over the same ownership period and distance. Count what you pay to buy or lease, financing, taxes and fees, insurance, energy, maintenance and repairs, any home-charging installation, and the money you expect to recover when you sell. There is no universal winner: local prices, charging access, mileage and resale value can change the result.
What belongs in a total-cost comparison?
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is the cost of having and using a vehicle over a defined period, not just its purchase price or fuel bill. Include the following for both cars, using the same time span and distance:
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- Acquisition: the price you actually pay, applicable taxes and fees, financing cost, and incentives you qualify for.
- Depreciation or resale: the expected value when you sell, subtracted from the amount paid. Do not count both the full purchase price and depreciation as separate costs.
- Energy: petrol or electricity based on expected use and local prices.
- Ongoing ownership: insurance quotes for the particular driver and models, scheduled maintenance, tyres, likely repairs, registration, vehicle or road taxes, and relevant tolls or clean-air charges.
- Charging equipment: a home charger and installation if you need them. Include any applicable installation or electrical costs, rather than assuming the charger is free.
The University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems and Welsh Government both include these kinds of costs in their TCO guidance and analyses. The Michigan study also identifies mileage, discount rate and vehicle lifetime as assumptions that can differ between comparisons (University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems; Welsh Government).
How to build a fair comparison
- Choose cars that are genuinely comparable. Match vehicle class, size, passenger and cargo needs, equipment, and new or used condition. Consider whether the EV’s range and the petrol car’s refuelling convenience suit your trips. A small, short-range EV is not a fair stand-in for a large, long-range SUV.
- Set the same ownership period and annual distance. Use your expected years of ownership and miles or kilometres driven each year for both cars. If your mileage is uncertain, calculate low-, expected- and high-mileage cases.
- Use your actual acquisition costs. For a purchase, record the price you expect to pay, financing costs, taxes and fees, and incentives for which you are eligible. Estimate each car’s resale value at the end of the period and subtract it from the purchase cost. For a lease, compare the deposit and lease payments over the same period, and check whether the quote already includes taxes, maintenance or other costs.
- Estimate energy from local prices and realistic efficiency. For petrol, use the car’s expected fuel consumption and a local petrol price. For an EV, use expected electricity consumption and the share of charging at home, work and public stations. Use the actual tariffs and account for charging losses or delivery fees if the tariff or your data provides them. Record the location and date of every price input because energy costs change.
- Add recurring costs for each car. Get insurance quotes for the specific vehicle and driver. Include expected maintenance, tyres and repairs; registration and vehicle taxes; and any tolls, congestion charges or clean-air fees that apply. Account for warranty coverage in your repair assumptions, but do not insert an unsupported battery-replacement probability.
- Compare totals, then test the assumptions. Calculate total cost over the ownership period and cost per year or mile/kilometre. Recalculate with different annual distances, energy prices, charging shares, resale values and ownership periods. Note which change makes one car cheaper than the other.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) TCO tool illustrates why location and use need to be explicit: its inputs include country or region, year, annual distance, vehicle type, fuel price and home-charger installation. The tool was last updated on 13 December 2022, so treat it as a framework for variables, not a source of current local prices (IEA TCO tool).
#1 Best Overall
- Flex Level 1 EV Charger - The EVDANCE Level 1 electric car charger is compatible with J1772 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (North American Standard). *Tesla requires a SAE J1772 adapter.
- Convenient to Use - This charger has both NEMA 6-20 plug for 16A 240V charging (3.68kW, 10-12 mi/h) and a NEMA 6-20 to 5-15 plug adapter for 12A 120V charging (1.44kW, 2-5 mi/h). The included bag makes it easier to carry on the go. It also has a 25ft cable length, you can use it flexibly from anywhere in the garage or driveway.
- Check Your Outlet Type -This charger works with standard 120V NEMA 5-15/5-20 outlets (2-5 mph charging speed) and 240V NEMA 6-20 outlets (10-12 mph) . It's not compatible with NEMA 6-15/10-30/14-30/14-50/6-50 outlets – you'll need a NEMA 14-50/14-30/10-30/6-50 to 6-20 adapter (sold separately) to connect.
- Compatible EV Models -This EV charger works with most major electric vehicles, including Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Audi, Nissan Ariya, Rivian R1S, Kia, and others. However, it's not compatible with Mini Cooper Electric Hardtop,Toyota Prus Prime/Z4X/RAV4Prime, Porsche Taycan Base/4S/Turbo/Turbo S or Tesla models (Tesla requires a J1772 to Tesla Adapter, sold separately). For a full list of compatible models, check out the Full Compatibility List on our product page.
- Indication Displays - LED display that can tell you the status as well as indicate errors while charging your electric vehicle.
Put the costs in one worksheet
Use the same units, dates and ownership assumptions for both vehicles. A simple structure is:
| Cost item | Electric car | Petrol car |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price or lease payments | Your quoted amount | Your quoted amount |
| Financing, taxes, fees and eligible incentives | Your applicable amounts | Your applicable amounts |
| Expected resale value at the end | Subtract from cost | Subtract from cost |
| Energy over the ownership period | Electricity by charging location and tariff | Fuel use and local petrol price |
| Insurance, maintenance, tyres and repairs | Vehicle- and driver-specific estimates | Vehicle- and driver-specific estimates |
| Registration, taxes and other transport charges | Applicable local amounts | Applicable local amounts |
| Home charger and installation | Include if needed | Not applicable |
| Total cost over the chosen period | Sum costs, then subtract resale | Sum costs, then subtract resale |
| Cost per year and per mile/kilometre | Total divided by period and distance | Total divided by period and distance |
If an input is not known, label it as an estimate and show how the result changes when it moves. Do not quietly fill gaps with a generic figure: insurance, resale and energy prices are specific to the car, driver, location and date.
Rank #2
- Charge with Confidence: ChargePoint builds reliable, flexible EV charging stations for home, business, and fleets. Get 24/7 support and access to hundreds of thousands of North American charging locations.
- Charge Smart: With the user-friendly ChargePoint Mobile App, you can control your electric car charger, manage reminders, connect to smart home devices, find stations, get data and charging info, and access the latest features. Note: WiFi is needed for certain functionalities and troubleshooting steps if connectivity issues arise.
- Vast Network: Wherever you go, ChargePoint’s network includes 274k+ stations across North America and Europe and 565k+ roaming partner stations.
- Safe & Durable: Rely on this UL-certified EV charger for safe home charging. It can be installed indoors or outdoors by an electrician and includes a cold-resistant cable.
- Fast & Powerful: This EV charger charges 9× faster than a 120V outlet, delivering up to 45 mi/hr., dependent upon your vehicle. It features a J1772 connector for all non-Tesla EVs and requires a 20A or 80A circuit. For Tesla EVs, this will require an adapter.
Why location and charging access matter
Running costs can favour an EV, but the amount depends on where and how you charge. Home electricity, workplace charging and public-network rates can differ substantially; a driver who relies on public charging should not use a home-electricity rate for every mile.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA 2024 University of Michigan study modelled a 300-mile-range midsize electric SUV in 14 U.S. cities. Its modeled total cost varied by $52,000—nearly 40%—across those locations. In the study’s cases, access to home charging reduced lifetime cost by approximately $10,000 on average and by as much as $26,000. These are results for the study’s models and assumptions, not a forecast for an individual buyer (University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems).
Rank #3
- ✅【Fast and Efficient Charging】 The eTimxon level 2 EV charger is equipped with NEMA 6-20 Plug, supports 240V, 16A, 3.84kW output current, approximately 4x faster than 8A level 1 ev chargers, shorten the electric vehicle charging time,so you can quickly get back on the road. Perfect for those early morning commutes, last-minute errands, or spontaneous weekend getaways—your car will be charged and ready to go when you are.
- ✅【Charge anywhere & anytime】Designed for maximum flexibility, eTimxon Level 1 & 2 EV charger features both NEMA 5-15 and 6-20 plug compatibility. Whether you're charging in your garage, at a friend's house, or at a roadside motel. NEMA 6-20 plug for Level 2 ev charging (240V, 16A, 3.84kW) and a NEMA 5-15 adapter for Level 1 ev charging (120V, 12A, 1.44kW) NOTE: In compliance with North American electrical safety standards, when use NEMA 5-15 Plug, you need to adjust the Current to 12A by manual to protecting both your vehicle and your home’s electrical system
- ✅【Dual-Level Charging】This portable J1772 ev charger offers true dual-level compatibility. For Level 2 fast charging (240V), it comes with a fixed NEMA 6-20 plug which must be used with a dedicated NEMA 6-20 outlet. For Level 1 charging (120V), it includes a NEMA 5-15 adapter that plugs into a standard 3-prong household outlet (NEMA 5-15 receptacle).Before You Order: Please verify you have the correct outlet
- ✅【Before Make Order】 1. This Mobile charging cable includes a fixed NEMA 6-20 plug and a NEMA 5-15 adapter. You must have access to the corresponding outlet type for the charger to work. Please confirm your outlet type before purchasing 2. You can set the current and delay time before plug in the charger into your car . 3. For an 87kWh battery pack, using the NEMA 6-20 plug (240V, Level 2) delivers a full charge in approximately 22.4 hours, while using the NEMA 5-15 adapter (120V, Level 1) takes over 60 hours for a full charge. Actual charging speed depends on your vehicle and circuit
- ✅【Multiple protection】 When the charging temperature exceeds 158°F, our EV charging station will activate the protection function and reduce the charging power. If the temperature remains too high, charging will be temporarily suspended. once the temperature back to normal, charging will automatically resume. perfect to protect your device and car at any time.
Access is not the same for every driver. In a 2022 Department for Transport survey reported by the UK Government, 93% of respondents had home-charging access; 90% of those respondents charged overnight. Those figures describe that survey’s EV and plug-in hybrid drivers, not EV owners everywhere (UK Government).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What published comparisons can—and cannot—tell you
The IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2025 says EVs often have lower lifetime TCO because of lower fuel and maintenance expenses, while purchase-price gaps remained in many regions and affordability trends varied by country and vehicle segment. That broad pattern is useful context, but it does not establish which of two particular cars will cost less for you (IEA Global EV Outlook 2025).
Rank #4
- SAE J1772 Standard Charger: Compatible with all North American electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, including Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Porsche, Toyota, Honda, Jeep, and GMC. Tesla vehicles can be charged with a separate SAE J1772 adapter (sold separately).
- Adjustable Current: Choose from 8A, 10A, 13A, or 16A to match your vehicle’s charging needs.Dual Plug Compatibility,NEMA 6-20 Plug (220/240V): Delivers up to 3.84 kW/h, providing approximately 15.36 MPH charging speed at 16A.NEMA 5-15 Plug (110/120V): Supports 10A charging at 120V, offering 1.2 kW/h (around 4.4 MPH). Customizable Charging: Easily adjust current to suit different charging scenarios, giving you maximum flexibility at home or on the go
- Hassle-Free Installation: Forget complicated setups—just plug in and go. Equipped with NEMA 5-15 and NEMA 6-20 (220V/240V) connectors, it works with any standard 110V–240V outlet. The 25-foot cable gives you the freedom to reach vehicles parked at a distance, making charging convenient anywhere.
- Intelligent Charging: Featuring a 2.8-inch touch display, you can easily select the charging current (8A / 10A / 13A / 16A) and schedule charging with a 1–12 hour delayed start. Perfect for maximizing off-peak hours and cutting electricity costs. (Example: Set a 2-hour delay, and charging begins automatically after 2 hours.)
- Comprehensive Safety: Designed to meet CE and FCC safety standards, this charger offers multiple layers of protection, including overvoltage, overload, short-circuit, grounding, and leakage safeguards. The durable IP65-rated waterproof housing and reinforced cable ensure reliable charging in all weather conditions, keeping your vehicle safe year-round.
The University of Michigan’s 2024 analysis found that small and low-range EVs were generally less expensive than gasoline cars in its modeled cases. Larger, long-range EVs were more expensive; midsize EVs reached parity in some cities with incentives. The IEA’s five-year comparison methodology, updated 5 June 2026, counts capital, financing, maintenance and fuel, excludes subsidies, and compares popular local petrol models with equivalent locally adopted battery-electric vehicles. Its assumptions include annual distances of 6,500–17,500 km. These published comparisons use defined models and assumptions; neither replaces a calculation with your vehicles, local prices and expected use (IEA five-year TCO chart; University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems).
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Use dated examples as illustrations, not forecasts
For context, the UK Government quoted home-charging costs of about 8p per mile and petrol or diesel fuel costs of 13p–17p per mile as of January 2024. It said public-network charging was roughly equivalent on average to fuelling an equivalent petrol car. These are UK-specific figures from that date, not current prices for every driver or a substitute for your tariff and car efficiency (UK Government).
A Welsh Government illustration compares small cars over eight years from 2025 at 10,000 miles per year: £36,643 for petrol and £34,065 for electric. It assumes petrol at £1.35 per litre, electricity at £0.28 per kWh, petrol efficiency of 45 mpg and EV efficiency of 4 miles per kWh, and excludes future changes in prices and mileage. It demonstrates how a whole-life calculation can work; it is not a present-day quote or a general result (Welsh Government).
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