Electric or petrol car: compare all the costs

Energy is only one part of comparing technologies. Use the same mileage and ownership horizon, but each car’s own purchase price, resale, consumption and maintenance. Include any required charger without assuming subsidies. Compare overall cost rather than energy cost per kilometre alone.

Hypothetical example, in EUR

In a hypothetical comparison without borrowing, A costs EUR 20,000, resells for EUR 10,000 and uses EUR 900 of energy yearly. B costs EUR 25,000, resells for EUR 12,000 and uses EUR 360 yearly. With EUR 1,100 other annual costs each over five years, A totals EUR 20,000 and B EUR 20,300. Energy savings alone do not offset depreciation here.

A = 10 000 + 5 × (900 + 1 100) = 20 000; B = 13 000 + 5 × (360 + 1 100) = 20 300 EUR

What to check before deciding

Repeat the calculation with different resale and mileage assumptions. Keep the horizon equal across cars. Distinguish annual expenses from one-off payments and energy from maintenance. Cost per kilometre is undefined at zero mileage. Enter known sale or repair expenses explicitly rather than assuming one technology always wins.

What can change the result?

Resale, mileage, horizon and interest. Change one assumption at a time to isolate its effect; the comparison is not a forecast.

Try the example and compare your own inputs

Reading the result

Compare cars over the same ownership period. Fuel is only part of cost: include depreciation and annual expenses. Loan principal must not be counted again on top of the purchase price.