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EV Cost · keep vs switch

What will an EV cost vs my gas car?

Real fuel-versus-electricity math for your ZIP and your miles. No sales pitch.

Your driving

Using the US average of ~$0.17/kWh until you enter a ZIP.

Your gas car

The EV

Where you'll charge

Your yearly energy bill

Gas

–

Electricity

–

5-year energy difference
Per mile (gas vs EV)

What this doesn't tell you (honestly)

  • Purchase price and depreciation usually matter more than fuel. Most EVs still cost more up front, and resale values have been volatile.
  • Insurance is often 10–25% higher on EVs. Get a real quote before you buy.
  • Tires wear faster on heavy EVs. Budget a set every ~25–40k miles.
  • Maintenance is cheaper with no oil changes or exhaust work. It's not modeled here, but it's typically a few hundred dollars a year in the EV's favor.
  • Incentives and time-of-use rates aren't included. A cheap overnight EV rate can cut the electricity number in half.
  • Winter can raise EV energy use 20–35% in cold months, so treat the EV figure as a fair-weather-plus-buffer estimate.
  • Home charger install typically runs $800–2,500, once.
Find which EV fits you ›Home Level 2 charging guide10-step EV buying checklist

How rates are estimated: your ZIP's first three digits map to a state, and we use that state's approximate average residential electricity price (rounded from recent EIA data). "Mostly public" assumes ~$0.48/kWh DC fast charging, and "Home + some public" blends 75% home with 25% public. EV energy includes ~10% charging losses. Model efficiencies are approximate real-world figures. Everything is an estimate, so check your own utility bill.