How this calculation works
A cheaper kilometre does not automatically make a cheaper vehicle. Start with comparable on-road quotes, add any separate charging installation, then estimate the fuel or electricity needed for your own annual distance. Yearly upkeep and an explicitly assumed resale value complete the cash-cost comparison. The crossover result keeps resale separate so a future sale is not mistaken for money saved while driving.
Worked example
This example uses illustrative inputs. Your current result is shown above.
Using the illustrative defaults, petrol costs ₹100/15 = ₹6.6667 per km and EV charging costs 15×₹8/100 = ₹1.20 per km. At 15,000 km/year with ₹12,000 versus ₹8,000 upkeep, annual costs are ₹1,12,000 and ₹26,000. The ₹3,40,000 EV upfront premium is recovered after about 3.9535 years or 59,302.33 km before resale. Over 8 years, after resale of ₹2,50,000 and ₹3,50,000, petrol costs ₹17,46,000 and EV costs ₹12,98,000: an EV saving of ₹4,48,000.
Assumptions and limits
- All defaults are editable worked-example assumptions, not current vehicle quotes, fuel prices, electricity tariffs or typical savings.
- The comparison is for a battery-electric vehicle and a petrol vehicle with the same annual driving distance. It does not model plug-in hybrids.
- Usage, efficiency, energy prices and annual upkeep remain constant. Electricity use includes charging losses; prices are inclusive of non-recoverable charges you enter.
- Purchase prices include on-road costs. Annual upkeep includes only the recurring costs you supply. Loan interest, opportunity cost, inflation and exceptional repairs or battery replacement are not added automatically.
- Resale is deducted once at the selected final year and cannot exceed the vehicle purchase price. No separate depreciation expense is added, avoiding double counting.
- Crossover uses upfront and running costs before resale. It can show petrol catching up when EV is cheaper to buy but dearer to run. An already-cheaper EV is labelled separately; zero means equal upfront costs, not free ownership.
- Crossover assumes running costs accrue evenly through the year. Distances depend on the entered annual usage because upkeep is a yearly cost. Results beyond one million years are shown as outside the useful crossover range.
Questions people ask
How do I combine home and public charging prices?
Weight prices by the electricity bought, not by the number of charging sessions. If 80% of your kWh cost ₹8 and 20% cost ₹20, the blended rate is ₹10.40/kWh. These are arithmetic examples, not quoted tariffs. Include fixed subscriptions in annual upkeep instead.
Should I use battery capacity divided by advertised range?
That can be a rough starting assumption, but it may omit charging losses and differ from real driving. Prefer metered charging kWh divided by the distance travelled, multiplied by 100. Keep seasonal air-conditioning, traffic and charging habits in mind when choosing the input.
Why can petrol catch up rather than the EV breaking even?
An EV can cost less initially yet cost more each year under the prices and upkeep entered. Its initial advantage then shrinks. The result labels that reverse crossover explicitly; a crossing point by itself does not mean EV ownership becomes cheaper.
Is resale counted in the recovery distance?
No. Resale is a one-time receipt at the end of the selected ownership period. It affects total ownership savings and the final table row. The running-cost crossover excludes it; compare both results when your resale assumptions are material.
Are battery replacement, loans and subsidies included?
No automatic replacement schedule or loan cost is assumed. Enter only confirmed incentives in the price you pay. For a financed vehicle or a likely battery replacement, account for those extra costs separately before making a purchase decision.