EV vs Gas Cost Calculator: Monthly & Annual Fuel Savings by State
The single biggest running-cost difference between an electric vehicle and a gas car is fuel — and for most drivers, electricity wins by a wide margin. This calculator compares the two directly: enter your monthly miles, your EV's efficiency, and your gas car's MPG, and see the monthly and annual cost of each, plus how much you'd save by driving electric at your local electricity and gas prices.
4.9¢/mile — 286 kWh/mo
12.5¢/mile — 35.7 gal/mo
61% cheaper to drive electric
at 12,000 miles/yr
Results update live as you type. For planning and field-check estimates — always verify against applicable standards and equipment ratings.
How we calculate this →How EV vs gas fuel cost is calculated
The comparison is straightforward: both vehicles are driven the same number of miles each month, and the only question is what it costs to power each one.
For the EV, monthly energy use is miles driven ÷ efficiency (miles/kWh), and cost is that kWh total × your electricity rate. For a car doing 3.5 miles per kWh over 1,000 miles, that's about 286 kWh — roughly $49 at the U.S. average rate of $0.17/kWh. Cost per mile is simply rate ÷ efficiency: at 3.5 miles/kWh and $0.17/kWh that's about 4.9 cents per mile.
For the gas car, monthly fuel use is miles ÷ MPG, and cost is that gallon total × gas price. A 28-MPG car covering 1,000 miles uses about 36 gallons; at $3.50/gallon that's $125/month, or about 12.5 cents per mile — roughly 2.5× the EV cost per mile.
Monthly savings is simply the gas cost minus the EV cost. Multiply by 12 for the annual figure. The actual cost advantage depends heavily on local rates: states with cheap electricity (Louisiana, Oklahoma, Idaho — around $0.10/kWh) show the biggest EV advantage; states with expensive electricity and cheap gas narrow the gap, though EVs still typically win on fuel cost alone.