Electric vs Petrol Car Cost Calculator UK (2026)
Work out whether an electric car really costs less than petrol in the UK. The calculator below is pre-filled with November 2026 UK prices, the £3,750 Electric Car Grant and the 3p-a-mile eVED that starts in April 2028. Change any number to match your car, mileage and tariff.
Free calculator · updated Nov 2026
Electric vs petrol: what will each car really cost you?
Electric vs petrol cost per mile in the UK (November 2026)
Per mile, an EV is cheaper than petrol as long as most of its charging happens at home. The table assumes an EV that does 3.6 miles per kWh, which is typical for a small family EV in mixed driving. From 1 April 2028, EVs also pay 3p a mile in eVED.
| How you fuel | Energy per mile | With eVED (from Apr 2028) |
|---|---|---|
| EV, smart off-peak tariff (6.5p/kWh) | 1.8p | 4.8p |
| EV, home on the price cap (26.32p/kWh) | 7.3p | 10.3p |
| EV, 85% home + 15% rapid charging | 9.6p | 12.6p |
| Petrol hybrid, 60 mpg | 12.9p | 12.9p |
| EV, on-street and standard public chargers only (54p/kWh) | 15.0p | 18.0p |
| Petrol, 48 mpg | 16.2p | 16.2p |
| Petrol, 40 mpg | 19.4p | 19.4p |
| EV, rapid chargers only (82p/kWh) | 22.8p | 25.8p |
At 7,400 miles a year, roughly the UK average, home charging on the price cap costs about £540 a year, or about £710 if 15% of it is at rapid chargers. A 48-mpg petrol car costs about £1,200 a year in fuel. That’s a saving of roughly £480–£660 a year before eVED, and £260–£430 after it.
Is an electric car cheaper than petrol over 10 years?
At average mileage, it’s close. The calculator’s default example is a typical family EV at £34,000 (£30,250 after the £3,750 Band 1 grant) against a £28,000 petrol car that does 48 mpg. Both are financed with 10% down at 8.9% APR over 48 months and kept for 10 years.
| Cost over 10 years | Electric | Petrol |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price (after grant) | £30,250 | £28,000 |
| Loan interest | £5,233 | £4,844 |
| Charging / petrol | £7,804 | £13,123 |
| Servicing | £3,500 | £5,500 |
| Insurance | £7,800 | £6,800 |
| VED + eVED | £3,905 (incl. £1,905 eVED) | £2,000 |
| Resale after 10 years | −£5,780 | −£7,840 |
| Total cost of ownership | £52,712 | £52,426 |
The EV saves about £5,300 on fuel and £2,000 on servicing. Most of that is cancelled out by its higher price, insurance, eVED and lower resale value, so the two finish within £286 of each other. Small changes in how you charge or how far you drive decide the winner.
When does an EV win in the UK?
We changed one thing at a time from the default example above. Every figure comes from the calculator on this page.
| Scenario (10 years) | Electric | Petrol | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default: 7,400 mi/yr, 15% rapid charging | £52,712 | £52,426 | About level (petrol by £286) |
| All charging at home on the price cap | £50,832 | £52,426 | EV by £1,594 |
| Smart off-peak tariff (6.5p/kWh, 95% home) | £47,221 | £52,426 | EV by £5,205 |
| 5,000 mi/yr | £49,563 | £48,170 | Petrol by £1,393 |
| 10,000 mi/yr | £56,124 | £57,037 | EV by £914 |
| 15,000 mi/yr | £62,684 | £65,904 | EV by £3,220 |
| Band 2 grant (£1,500) instead of Band 1 | £55,351 | £52,426 | Petrol by £2,925 |
| No grant | £57,111 | £52,426 | Petrol by £4,684 |
| No driveway: on-street chargers at 54p/kWh | £57,062 | £52,426 | Petrol by £4,636 |
| Rapid chargers only (82p/kWh) | £63,365 | £52,426 | Petrol by £10,938 |
| Paying cash instead of financing | £47,479 | £47,583 | About level (EV by £104) |
| Keeping the car 5 years instead of 10 | £32,357 | £31,390 | Petrol by £967 |
Home, on-street or rapid: the 38% rule
Home electricity on the price cap costs 26.32p/kWh. In October 2026, Zapmap’s price index put the average pay-as-you-go price at 54p/kWh on standard public chargers and 82p/kWh on rapid and ultra-rapid chargers. Smart EV tariffs that charge overnight can cost far less: Octopus advertises 6.5p/kWh for six hours a night on Intelligent Octopus Go.
That spread creates a simple rule. If your other charging is at home on the price cap, a 3.6 mi/kWh EV costs more per mile than a 48-mpg petrol car once about 38% of its charging happens at rapid chargers, after eVED is added. Without eVED, the tipping point would be about 57%.
- Driveway or garage: an EV is the cheaper car to run. A smart tariff makes the gap much bigger.
- No driveway: run the numbers with your local on-street price. At 54p/kWh, energy costs about 15p a mile, close to petrol’s 16.2p. Once eVED is added in 2028, it’s more than petrol.
- Mostly rapid charging: an EV costs more to run than a typical petrol car at today’s prices.
UK EV grants and car tax in 2026
- Electric Car Grant: up to £3,750 (Band 1) or £1,500 (Band 2) off new EVs with a list price of £37,000 or less. You don’t apply: the dealer takes it off the price. The scheme runs until 31 March 2030 or until its £2 billion budget runs out. Band 1 models include the Nissan Leaf and the Renault 5 (52 kWh); check the government’s model list before you buy.
- Vehicle tax (VED): a new EV pays £10 in its first year, then the standard rate of £200 a year (2026–27). Petrol cars pay a first-year rate based on CO₂, then the same £200.
- Expensive Car Supplement: an extra £440 a year for years two to six on cars with a list price over £40,000. For EVs registered from 1 April 2025 the threshold is £50,000.
- eVED from April 2028: 3p a mile for battery EVs and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids, on top of VED, rising with inflation from 2029–30. Read our eVED explainer for what it costs at different mileages.
- Company cars: benefit-in-kind tax on an EV is 4% of list price in 2026–27, rising to 5% in 2027–28, then 7% and 9%. On a £40,000 EV that’s a taxable benefit of £1,600 this year: about £320 for a basic-rate taxpayer or £640 at the higher rate. Petrol company cars pay far higher rates, up to 37%.
Costs to check before you buy
- Home charger: the calculator doesn’t include the cost of installing a wallbox. Get a quote and add it to the EV’s price.
- Insurance: our £780 vs £680 a year is an example. EV premiums vary widely by model and postcode, so get real quotes.
- Battery warranty: cars that qualify for the Electric Car Grant must come with a battery warranty of at least 8 years or 100,000 miles.
- Resale: used EV prices have tended to fall faster than petrol. The calculator assumes about 16% a year for EVs and 12% for petrol, which you can change.
- Energy prices: Ofgem resets the price cap every quarter. If your tariff changes, update the home electricity price.
Related
- eVED explained: what 3p a mile adds to an EV’s running cost
- EV vs gas calculator: the same tool with defaults for 31 countries
- All our car cost calculators
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car per mile in the UK?
About 7.3p a mile at home on the Ofgem price cap of 26.32p/kWh, for an EV that does 3.6 miles per kWh. On a 6.5p/kWh off-peak tariff it’s about 1.8p. Standard public chargers at 54p/kWh cost about 15p a mile, and rapid chargers at 82p/kWh about 22.8p. A 48-mpg petrol car costs about 16.2p a mile at 170.7p a litre.
Is an electric car cheaper than a petrol car in the UK?
Per mile, yes, if you charge mostly at home. Over 10 years it depends on how you charge, how far you drive and which grant band the car gets. In our example the two are level at 7,400 miles a year. The EV wins by about £5,200 on a smart off-peak tariff and by about £3,200 at 15,000 miles a year. It loses if you rely on public chargers.
How much is the UK Electric Car Grant?
Up to £3,750 for Band 1 cars and £1,500 for Band 2, on new EVs with a list price of £37,000 or less. The dealer applies it as a discount at purchase. The scheme runs until 31 March 2030 or until the money runs out.
Do electric cars pay road tax in the UK?
Yes. Since April 2025, new EVs pay £10 in the first year and then the standard rate, which is £200 a year in 2026–27. New EVs with a list price over £50,000 also pay the £440 Expensive Car Supplement for five years. From April 2028, eVED adds 3p a mile.
Is an EV worth it without a driveway?
Only if you can charge cheaply. At 54p/kWh on a typical on-street charger, an EV costs about 15p a mile in energy, close to a 48-mpg petrol car at 16.2p. After eVED it costs more. Over 10 years our example EV costs about £4,600 more than petrol in that case. Check the price of the chargers near you and enter it in the calculator.
How we calculate
- Charging: miles ÷ miles per kWh × your electricity price, blended between home and public charging. Petrol: miles ÷ mpg (UK gallon, 4.546 litres) × price per gallon. Both prices rise 2% a year.
- eVED: 3p a mile added to the EV’s costs from month 18 (April 2028), kept flat in today’s money.
- Financing: standard amortising loan, counting the interest paid plus any balance still owed when you sell.
- Total cost = price after grant + loan interest + energy + servicing + insurance + VED and eVED − resale value. VED is a flat £200 a year for both cars; first-year rates are left out.
- Defaults: petrol 170.7p/litre (government weekly pump price, week of 9 November 2026); home electricity 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem price cap, October–December 2026); public charging 82p/kWh rapid and 54p/kWh standard (Zapmap, October 2026). Car prices, servicing, insurance and resale are typical examples.
This page is a cost analysis based on official rules and our open calculator. It isn’t financial advice.
Last reviewed 13 November 2026. Sources: DESNZ weekly road fuel prices · Ofgem price cap, Oct–Dec 2026 · Zapmap charging price index · GOV.UK: Electric Car Grant · GOV.UK: vehicle tax rates · HMRC: eVED · HMRC: company car tax rates