How does the petrol vs electric calculator work?

It calculates petrol litres from distance and km/L, and EV electricity from distance and either kWh/100 km or km/kWh. It then multiplies each energy amount by the matching local price.

Does the result include charging losses?

Yes, when you enter a loss percentage. The tool divides battery energy by charging efficiency to estimate electricity drawn from the grid. Enter zero if your EV efficiency figure already represents wall-to-wheel consumption or you want to exclude loss.

What is the difference between kWh/100 km and km/kWh?

Lower kWh/100 km means better efficiency, while higher km/kWh means better efficiency. They are reciprocal measures: kWh/100 km equals 100 divided by km/kWh.

Should I use a home or public charging tariff?

Use the tariff that represents where you expect to charge. If you use several tariffs, calculate each charging share separately or enter a weighted average price per kWh.

Does this compare total ownership cost?

No. It compares petrol and charging energy expense only. Purchase price, finance, depreciation, insurance, taxes, servicing, repairs, battery ageing, and resale value are excluded.

Why might actual EV charging cost differ?

Temperature, speed, traffic, elevation, heating or air conditioning, payload, tyre pressure, charger efficiency, battery conditioning, standby use, and tariff changes can affect actual energy and cost.

Can I use any currency?

Yes. Enter petrol and electricity prices in the same currency and type its code as the label. The calculator does not fetch live prices or perform currency conversion.

Energy comparison

Petrol vs Electric Calculator

Compare a petrol vehicle's fuel expense with an electric car's charging expense for the same distance. Use your real efficiency, pump price, electricity tariff, and charging-loss assumption.

Bike, scooter, car, or truck
Privacy-first
150+ currencies preset

Compare petrol and EV energy cost

User-supplied prices · running energy only · optional charging loss

Distance (km)Currency codePetrol efficiency (km/L)Petrol price per litreEV efficiency unitEV efficiency (kWh/100 km)Electricity price per kWhCharging loss (%)Enter 0 to exclude loss; must be below 100%.

Petrol vehicle

Energy required

83.33 L

Energy cost

PKR 23,333.33

Electric vehicle

Energy required

177.78 kWh from grid

160 kWh delivered to battery

Energy cost

PKR 9,777.78

Running-energy cost difference

PKR 13,555.56 less for the EV

This is not a total-ownership-cost comparison.

Instructions

How to Compare Petrol and EV Running Energy Cost

Enter the same travel distance for both vehicles.
Enter real petrol efficiency in kilometres per litre and the petrol price per litre.
Select the EV efficiency unit, then enter kWh/100 km or km/kWh.
Enter the electricity tariff per kWh and a user-controlled charging-loss percentage.
Compare litres, grid electricity, energy costs, and the difference.

Use values measured under comparable routes, weather, load, and driving conditions. Currency is a label; both prices must use that same currency.

Exact math

Petrol vs Electric Cost Formulas

Petrol litres = distance ÷ petrol km/L

Petrol cost = litres × price per litre

Battery kWh = km × kWh/100 km ÷ 100

Battery kWh = km ÷ km/kWh

Grid kWh = battery kWh ÷ (1 − loss %)

EV cost = grid kWh × tariff per kWh

Cost difference equals petrol cost minus EV charging cost. Full precision is retained during calculation and values are rounded only for display.

Worked example

Petrol and Electric Running-Cost Example

Inputs: 1,000 km; petrol 12 km/L at PKR 280/L; EV 16 kWh/100 km; electricity PKR 55/kWh; charging loss 10%.

Petrol: 1,000 ÷ 12 = 83.333 L; cost = PKR 23,333.33

Battery energy: 1,000 × 16 ÷ 100 = 160 kWh

Grid energy: 160 ÷ 0.90 = 177.778 kWh

EV charging cost: 177.778 × 55 = PKR 9,777.78

Energy-cost difference: PKR 13,555.56 less for the EV

This example compares running energy only; it does not establish total ownership savings.

Efficiency and tariffs

Use Comparable Real-World Inputs

Petrol efficiency

Traffic, idling, engine condition, speed, gradients, payload, tyres, air conditioning, and trip length affect km/L. Prefer a measured average from similar use.

Electric efficiency

EV consumption can change with temperature, heating, cooling, motorway speed, elevation, payload, tyres, regenerative braking, and battery conditioning. Do not compare a petrol city figure with an EV laboratory figure.

Electricity price and charging loss

Home, workplace, off-peak, and rapid-charging tariffs may differ. Charging loss represents grid electricity that does not reach the battery. It is an explicit input, not an assumed universal rate. Use zero when your consumption value already measures energy from the wall.

Scope

What This Calculator Includes and Excludes

Its entities and phrases include petrol, gasoline, electric vehicle, EV, litre, kilowatt-hour, km/L, kWh/100 km, km/kWh, charging loss, grid energy, pump price, electricity tariff, cost per kilometre, and running energy expense.

It does not compare purchase price, financing, depreciation, insurance, registration, taxes, maintenance, repairs, tyres, battery degradation, charger installation, demand charges, resale value, emissions, or total cost of ownership. It also does not model plug-in hybrids.

This page targets petrol-versus-electric energy cost. Use the trip petrol calculator for one petrol journey or the petrol vs diesel calculator for combustion-fuel comparison. Those boundaries avoid competing with general petrol, mileage, or ownership-cost pages.

FAQ

Petrol vs Electric FAQs

Answers about EV efficiency, tariffs, charging loss, petrol use, and comparison limits.

Transparent calculation

Methodology and Accuracy

The calculator uses only the displayed formulas and user-supplied values. It rejects zero or negative distance, efficiency, and price inputs, and charging loss outside 0% to less than 100%.

Review the shared calculation methodology and petrol expense formula guide. Last reviewed: 3 August 2026.

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