A plain fuel-and-maintenance comparison — not a sales pitch. Every default below is a real, dated, sourced number (see "Where these numbers come from" at the bottom); adjust any of them to match your own driving and rates. This intentionally leaves out vehicle price, loan terms, insurance, and incentives, since those depend on the specific car — for a full total cost through payoff on a specific vehicle, use the Comparison Tool instead.
These are qualitative, not run through the calculator above — they don't have one universal dollar figure that applies to every vehicle, driver, and state.
| Category | Gas vehicle | Electric vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Routine service | Oil and filter changes, spark plugs, timing belt/chain service | No engine oil, no spark plugs — cabin air filter and tire service still apply |
| Brake wear | Pads and rotors wear at a normal rate | Regenerative braking does most of the slowing, so pads and rotors typically last longer |
| Emissions testing | Required in many states, on a schedule and fee that vary by state | Many states exempt battery-electric vehicles from emissions testing — check your own state's DMV, since this isn't universal |
| Federal/state incentives | Not applicable | May qualify for federal or state tax credits or rebates depending on the vehicle, your income, and current law — verify eligibility before assuming a number; this changes often |
This calculator uses typical, adjustable assumptions. For a real listing's own price, warranty, and financing worked into a total cost through payoff, use the tools below instead.
Gasoline price: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Retail Prices for Gasoline, All Grades, All Formulations — latest official EIA observation. Electricity: EIA Form 861M monthly residential average retail electricity price for the selected state. Monthly driving distance: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 13,735 miles per licensed driver in 2024, rounded to the calculator's 1,150-mile monthly default. EV efficiency: when a vehicle is selected, the calculator uses the vehicle's available city/highway efficiency fields from the Clear Auto Choice inventory and derives combined efficiency using 55% city / 45% highway weighting, with 33.7 kWh per gallon-equivalent for the mi/kWh conversion. If vehicle-specific efficiency is unavailable, the calculator uses the adjustable 3.5 mi/kWh fallback. Gasoline efficiency remains an adjustable MPG input because the EV inventory is not a complete gasoline-vehicle EPA database. Maintenance and repair cost per mile: Consumer Reports member-survey analysis using 2019–2020 reliability data, expressed as lifetime averages over 200,000 miles.
How the estimate is calculated: gasoline fuel cost = monthly miles ÷ gasoline MPG × gasoline price. EV electricity cost = monthly miles ÷ EV miles/kWh × electricity price. Maintenance and repair cost = monthly miles × the applicable Consumer Reports per-mile rate. Monthly savings = gasoline fuel cost + gasoline maintenance cost − EV electricity cost − EV maintenance cost. Annual savings = monthly savings × 12. Five-year savings = monthly savings × 60 using today's selected assumptions; the calculator does not predict future energy-price changes. Vehicle purchase price, financing, insurance, taxes, registration, incentives and depreciation are excluded because those costs depend on the specific transaction and ownership situation.