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
140+ currencies preset

Calculate Your Petrol vs Electric 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%.

Enter positive distance, efficiency, and price values. Charging loss must be from 0% to less than 100%.

Formula and example

How the Petrol vs Electric Calculator Works

Petrol litres equals distance divided by petrol km/L. EV battery energy equals km multiplied by kWh/100 km divided by 100. Grid energy equals battery energy divided by charging efficiency. Cost difference equals petrol cost minus EV charging cost.

Comparison formula

EV cost = (Grid kWh) × Tariff

For example, 1,000 km; petrol vehicle at 12 km/L; EV at 16 kWh/100 km; charging loss 10%. Enter your local petrol and electricity prices.

Petrol required

1,000 ÷ 12

83.33 L

Grid energy

160 ÷ 0.90

177.78 kWh

Difference

petrol − EV

Your saving

Illustrative reference

Vehicle Mileage Calculator Example

Petrol economy ranges and the daily cost they produce across common vehicle types. Use them as a petrol reference point before comparing fuel with EV charging costs above.

Currency

Detecting your currency — pick one manually if you prefer.

Petrol price per litre

per litre

Use the current pump price in your currency. It is not fetched automatically.

Vehicle

km/L

Vehicle	Fuel economy	Fuel / day	Cost / day	Cost / month
Light commuter bike	55–65	0.50 L	—	—
Standard commuter bike	45–50	0.63 L	—	—
Mid-size commuter bike	45–50	0.63 L	—	—
Sport commuter bike	40–45	0.71 L	—	—
Larger commuter bike	38–42	0.75 L	—	—
Light city scooter	50–55	0.57 L	—	—
Comfort scooter	42–48	0.67 L	—	—
Urban scooter	48–52	0.60 L	—	—
Compact hatchback	18–22	1.50 L	—	—
Small family car	14–17	1.94 L	—	—
Mid-size sedan	12–15	2.22 L	—	—
Compact sedan	13–16	2.07 L	—	—
Large sedan	11–13	2.50 L	—	—
Large SUV	8–10	3.33 L	—	—
Pickup truck	9–12	2.86 L	—	—
Compact SUV	12–14	2.31 L	—	—

Based on a 30 km trip using the midpoint of each economy range. Add a petrol price to see daily and monthly cost.

How to use it

Calculate Petrol vs EV Running 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.

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

01Use case

Energy comparison

Compare litres, grid electricity, energy costs, and the difference.

02Use case

Charging loss

Enter your own loss percentage, or zero when the figure already covers it.

03Use case

Tariff check

Use the tariff where you actually charge, or a weighted average.

Energy comparison guide

Fuel Comparison Guide

Enter comparable efficiencies, pick a representative tariff, and understand what this energy-only comparison excludes.

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.

Methodology, Accuracy and Assumptions

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.

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: 17 September 2026.

FAQ

Petrol vs electric calculator questions

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

More calculators

Related Fuel Calculators For Every Vehicle, Trip, and Driver

The universal calculator handles most cases, while dedicated tools cover specific vehicles, budgets, comparisons, trips, and professional driving needs.