EV vs Petrol — what will you actually save?
Real Indian numbers. Adjust the sliders and watch your 5-year cost, savings and break-even update live.
How this EV vs petrol calculator works
An electric vehicle's running cost depends on three things: how efficient it is (km per kWh), your electricity tariff (₹ per unit), and how much you drive. A petrol car's cost depends on its mileage (km per litre) and the pump price. We multiply both out over a year and over five years, then show the gap — and how quickly the fuel savings pay back the higher purchase price of the EV.
Why the savings are usually understated
This tool only counts fuel. EVs also cut maintenance sharply — no engine oil, fewer moving parts, regenerative braking that saves brake pads — often ₹15,000–25,000 a year less than a petrol car. Add that in and the break-even comes even sooner.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I save by switching from petrol to an EV in India?
Most Indian drivers save around ₹1–1.5 lakh per year on fuel and maintenance, depending on how much they drive. Home charging costs roughly ₹1–1.5 per km versus ₹6–8 per km for petrol. Enter your daily distance above to see your own estimate.
How is the EV vs petrol running cost calculated?
We compare your yearly fuel spend (distance × petrol price ÷ mileage) against EV charging cost (distance × electricity rate ÷ efficiency), then factor in typical maintenance differences. All figures are indicative and depend on your local rates.
Do electric cars have lower maintenance costs?
Yes. EVs have far fewer moving parts—no engine oil, spark plugs, clutch or exhaust—so routine servicing is usually cheaper. Regenerative braking also reduces brake wear.
How long is the payback period for an electric car?
Because EVs cost more upfront but far less to run, the higher price is typically recovered in about 3–6 years for average usage. Higher daily mileage shortens the payback period. The calculator estimates yours.
How this calculator works, and where it stops
The arithmetic here is deliberately simple, because the honest version of this calculation is simple. Energy used, multiplied by what you pay for it, divided by distance. What makes most online EV savings calculators wrong is not the formula — it is the assumptions quietly baked into it.
The formula
For the electric side: battery capacity in kilowatt-hours, plus about 10% for charging loss, multiplied by your tariff per unit, divided by realistic range. Charging loss is the part people forget — the meter records more energy than the battery receives, and ignoring it understates running cost by roughly a tenth.
Realistic range, not claimed range, is the other half of getting this right. We apply a band of roughly 72–80% to the manufacturer’s certified figure, for the reasons set out in how we estimate real-world range. Divide by the brochure number instead and you will arrive at a cost per kilometre that nobody actually achieves.
For the petrol side: fuel price divided by real-world fuel efficiency. Here too the honest input is the efficiency you actually see in your own driving, not the figure on the brochure.
What the calculator includes
- Energy or fuel cost per kilometre
- Your monthly and annual running cost on both
- The difference between them, which is your running-cost saving
What it deliberately leaves out
- The purchase premium. An EV usually costs more upfront. The running-cost saving is what repays that, so the saving on its own is only half the picture.
- Servicing. EVs generally cost less to service — no oil changes, fewer moving parts, less brake wear thanks to regenerative braking — but the amounts vary too much by brand to put a credible number on.
- Insurance. Typically higher on an EV because the insured value is higher.
- Depreciation and resale. The largest cost of owning any car, and the one with the least reliable data in the Indian EV market so far.
- Public charging. The figures here assume home charging. DC fast charging costs several times a domestic tariff, and for someone charging mostly in public the saving narrows sharply.
Reading your break-even
Take the on-road price difference between the EV and the petrol car you would otherwise buy, after any state waivers, and divide it by the annual saving this calculator gives you. That is your break-even in years. If you keep cars for longer than that number, the EV is cheaper over your ownership; if you do not, it is not, whatever the per-kilometre figure says. This is the single most useful thing on this page, and it is the calculation almost no advertisement does for you.
Three mistakes that ruin the answer
- Using your average electricity rate. Indian domestic tariffs are slab-based, so an EV’s consumption is charged at your highest slab rate, not your average. Use the marginal rate from the top of your bill. It is often two to three rupees a unit above what people assume.
- Using claimed range. Covered above, and it is the most common error by a wide margin.
- Comparing a base EV against a top petrol trim. Match the variants or the comparison is meaningless.
Once you have a number you trust, the comparison tool will put two shortlisted EVs side by side, and the home charging guide explains where the tariff you just used comes from.
Calculator FAQs
Which electricity rate should I enter?
The marginal rate at the top of your slab, from your most recent bill — not the average implied by dividing the bill by units. Adding an EV pushes consumption into the highest slab you reach.
Does it account for charging losses?
Yes, roughly 10%. The battery receives less energy than the meter records, and leaving this out makes every EV look about a tenth cheaper to run than it is.
Why is my result worse than figures I see elsewhere?
Usually because other calculators divide by claimed range, ignore charging loss, or assume an unrealistically low tariff. Any of the three produces a flattering number.
Does it include servicing and insurance?
No. It covers energy and fuel only. Servicing usually favours the EV and insurance usually favours the petrol car, and both vary too much by brand for a credible national figure.