EV vs Gas Car Cost Calculator

Compare electric vehicle and gasoline car ownership costs across energy, fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation.

5-year EV cost

$33,273

Depreciation plus operating cost

5-year gas cost

$35,802

Depreciation plus operating cost

EV savings

$2,529

Positive means EV is cheaper

Annual energy savings

$843

Gas fuel minus EV charging

Ownership assumptions

Compare EV and gasoline ownership cost over a selected period.

Net EV price

$39,250

Purchase price after incentive

EV annual charging

$617.14

3,428.6 kWh per year

Gas annual fuel

$1,460.00

400 gal per year

EV depreciation cost

$19,687

Estimated value loss over the period

Gas depreciation cost

$17,002

Estimated value loss over the period

Break-even estimate

2.6 yr

Based on price gap and annual operating savings

Related calculators

What is the EV vs gasoline total cost comparison?

This calculator compares the total cost of ownership for an electric vehicle and an internal-combustion vehicle. It does not stop at the purchase price. It also reflects subsidies, acquisition tax relief, annual automobile tax, fuel or charging cost, maintenance, insurance, parking, toll discounts, and depreciation.

Use it when you want to know whether the higher sticker price of an EV is offset by Korean subsidies and lower running cost, when the payback point arrives, and how much annual driving distance changes the result.

Korea-specific assumptions

  • The page uses 2026 Korean EV subsidy and tax-benefit assumptions, not a US federal-credit model.
  • Amounts are shown in KRW and should be checked against the Ministry of Environment zero-emission vehicle portal before purchase.
  • Local subsidies, public parking discounts, and congestion-toll exemptions vary by city and budget status.

2026 EV subsidy and tax benefits

National and local subsidies

  • Basic national subsidy: up to KRW 3,000,000 depending on model performance and price.
  • Scrappage conversion support: up to KRW 1,000,000 when replacing an internal-combustion vehicle.
  • Total national support: up to KRW 4,000,000 in the conversion scenario.
  • Local subsidy: roughly KRW 1,000,000 to KRW 4,000,000 depending on the local government, with local budgets expected to cover at least 30% of the national amount.
  • Budget scale: KRW 1.5954 trillion is used as the total subsidy budget reference in the Korean source.

Tax and daily-use benefits

  • Acquisition tax relief: up to KRW 1,400,000.
  • Individual consumption tax relief: up to KRW 3,000,000.
  • Education tax relief: up to KRW 900,000, equal to 30% of the individual consumption tax relief.
  • Annual automobile tax: about KRW 130,000 for an EV versus about KRW 520,000 for a 2,000 cc gasoline vehicle.
  • Public parking: often 50% off, depending on the city.
  • Highway tolls: 30% off in 2026 with Hi-Pass, expected to shrink to 20% in 2027 and possibly end after 2027.

Fuel, charging, maintenance, and depreciation

Charging and fuel reference prices

  • Home slow charging at night can be modeled around KRW 80 to KRW 120 per kWh, while public fast charging commonly lands around KRW 324 to KRW 347 per kWh and private fast chargers can reach KRW 350 to KRW 500 per kWh.
  • The Korean source uses February 2026 national average fuel prices of about KRW 1,693/L for gasoline and KRW 1,598/L for diesel.
  • For 15,000 km per year, an EV at 5.0 km/kWh with 70% slow charging is illustrated at about KRW 910,000 per year, compared with about KRW 2,120,000 per year for a 12 km/L gasoline vehicle.
  • That example produces roughly KRW 1,210,000 of annual fuel-cost savings before other cost differences.

Maintenance and resale assumptions

  • EVs avoid engine oil, transmission oil, spark plugs, and fuel filters, but tire wear can be faster because of battery weight.
  • EV tire replacement is modeled around KRW 400,000 to KRW 1,000,000 for four tires, often every 12,000 to 20,000 km depending on driving style.
  • Battery warranty is described as 10 years or 160,000 km with 70% capacity coverage, and out-of-warranty replacement can reach KRW 15,000,000 to KRW 35,000,000.
  • Three-year EV residual value is shown around 45% to 55% of purchase price, versus 55% to 70% for internal-combustion vehicles.
  • EV insurance is assumed about 20% to 30% higher because battery and high-voltage repair costs can be 1.5x to 2x higher after an accident.

How to use the result

1. Choose a preset or enter your own vehicle values

Start from compact, sedan, SUV, or premium assumptions, then adjust prices, efficiency, subsidies, insurance, and maintenance.

2. Set common driving conditions

Annual mileage, comparison period, highway share, and parking cost apply to both vehicles.

3. Compare total cost and payback

Read total ownership cost, annual savings, break-even year, and cumulative cost charts together rather than relying on fuel cost alone.