Over 8 years and 120,000 km the EV costs 4,501 € less to own (0.38 vs 0.418 €/km). Lifetime CO₂ is 36% lower with the EV.
8-year saving with the EV
€4,501
EV cheaper to own
EV total cost of ownership
€45,640
0.38 €/km
Petrol car total cost
€50,142
0.418 €/km
Energy: EV vs petrol
€7,836
6,809 vs 14,645
Running cost per 100 km
€8.29
petrol 16.38 € (energy + maintenance)
Break-even distance
70,912 km
≈ 8,864 km/yr over 8 yrs
Resale value after 8 yrs
€11,969
petrol car 10,503
Lifecycle CO₂: EV
18.3t
incl. 4.5 t for the battery
Lifecycle CO₂: petrol
28.6t
180 g/km well-to-wheel
Carbon break-even
36,433 km
≈ 2.4 years of driving
Year by year (before resale)
| Year | EV running (€) | Petrol running (€) | EV cumulative (€) | Petrol cumulative (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,143 | 3,456 | 42,143 | 35,456 |
| 2 | 2,159 | 3,490 | 44,303 | 38,947 |
| 3 | 2,175 | 3,525 | 46,478 | 42,472 |
| 4 | 2,192 | 3,561 | 48,670 | 46,032 |
| 5 | 2,209 | 3,597 | 50,879 | 49,629 |
| 6 | 2,226 | 3,634 | 53,104 | 53,263 |
| 7 | 2,243 | 3,672 | 55,348 | 56,935 |
| 8 | 2,261 | 3,710 | 57,609 | 60,645 |
- Petrol CO₂ = 2.31 kg/L at the tailpipe + 20% for oil extraction, refining and transport. EV CO₂ = grid intensity × consumption incl. charging losses. Grid intensity is held constant; in reality most grids are decarbonising, which favours the EV.
- Depreciation uses a constant yearly rate on the list price (subsidies don't raise resale). Financing costs are excluded.