Electric car running costs: EV vs petrol vs diesel calculator
Compare an EV's cost per mile against a petrol or diesel car using today's live UK average pump prices from our own data, not a national estimate from last month.
2.2pper mile, ev, home off-peak tariff
The cheapest option in this comparison at 7,400 miles a year.
That is about £160 a year to drive this far, against 17.5p a mile for petrol.
Full comparison
| Car and tariff | Pence/mile | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV, home off-peak tariff Cheapest | 2.2p | £13.33 | £160 |
| EV, home standard rate | 7.1p | £43.87 | £526 |
| EV, public rapid charging only | 20.8p | £128.33 | £1540 |
| Petrol car | 17.5p | £108.21 | £1299 |
| Diesel car | 16.4p | £101.18 | £1214 |
On home charging at the standard rate, an EV driver here saves about £772 a year against the more expensive of petrol or diesel (petrol) at 7,400 miles. A typical EV price premium of £3,000 over an equivalent petrol/diesel car would be paid back in running-cost savings after about 28,751 miles.
Vehicle tax (VED) since April 2025
Electric cars registered from 1 April 2025 pay Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) on the same footing as petrol and diesel cars: the lowest first-year rate, then the standard rate from year two, with the "expensive car" supplement applying to EVs priced over £40,000 in the same way it does for petrol and diesel. Electric cars are no longer exempt. Check the exact current rates on GOV.UK's vehicle tax rate tables before you budget, as rates are set each April.
Compare with today's fuel prices near you
See today's petrol and diesel prices by town or the UK average to check the numbers this calculator used, or search a different postcode above.
Sources and assumptions, checked 26 September 2026
- Home rate: Ofgem energy price cap, Direct Debit GB average, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (ofgem.gov.uk).
- Off-peak EV tariff: Octopus Intelligent Go, typical published off-peak EV rate, national indicative figure, checked September 2026 (octopus.energy). Off-peak rates vary by the UK's 14 regional distribution zones.
- Public rapid charging: Zapmap EV Charging Price Index, weighted UK average for 50kW+ rapid/ultra-rapid chargers, pay-as-you-go, August 2026 (zapmap.com).
- EV efficiency default: Typical real-world efficiency across current UK family EVs (3.5-4.6 mi/kWh depending on model; see the model table below), checked 26 September 2026.
- Annual mileage default: Commonly cited UK average annual car mileage figure, checked September 2026.
- Petrol/diesel mpg defaults: Typical real-world (not WLTP-sticker) fuel economy for mixed UK driving: WLTP figures usually overstate real-world economy by 15-25%.
Petrol and diesel prices are today's live average from our own data (see the note under the result). Everything else is a default you can override in the form; the maths and the sources are shown so you can check them, not just trust them.