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Electric car vs petrol or diesel

Compare the energy costs of an electric car with a petrol or diesel car over the same mileage – per 100 km, per year and over the period you choose.

Your mileage

Electric car

Energy from the battery, not the WLTP figure – that one already includes charging losses.

An 11 kW wallbox around 5 to 7 %, a household socket 13 to 24 %, rapid charging 5 to 15 %.

Combustion car

Real consumption is usually above the WLTP figure. German fleet averages: petrol 7.3 l/100 km, diesel 7.1 l/100 km.

Include annual servicing, tax and insurance

These amounts are not energy costs, so the calculator shows them separately.

Include extra investment and payback

The calculator does not check eligibility for any grant. Enter only amounts you are actually entitled to.

Everything you enter stays in your browser.

How the calculator works

  • Electric: battery energy (kWh) = mileage × consumption ÷ 100, grid energy = battery energy ÷ (1 − charging loss rate). Combustion: fuel (l) = mileage × consumption ÷ 100.
  • Charging losses are divided out, not added on: grid energy = battery energy ÷ (1 − loss).
  • Prices, consumption and charging losses are your entries. They vary with tariff, provider, driving style, temperature and region and are not claimed to be current here.
  • Servicing, tax and insurance are optional entries and are shown separately from energy costs.
  • The payback figure is a simple static calculation without interest, price rises or residual value.
  • This is not a total cost of ownership. Depreciation, financing, tyres, repairs, parking and grants are missing. The comparison covers energy costs only, plus any other running costs you enter.
Worked example

15,000 km per year, electric car at 18 kWh/100 km with 10 % charging losses at €0.35/kWh, petrol car at 7 l/100 km and €1.80/l: the electric car needs 3,000 kWh from the grid and costs €1,050.00 per year, which is €7.00 per 100 km. The petrol car needs 1,050 l and costs €1,890.00 per year, which is €12.60 per 100 km. The electric car is €840.00 cheaper.

Frequently asked questions

Why are charging losses divided out for the electric car?

The consumption figure describes the energy that leaves the battery. While charging, additional energy is lost; you pay for it but it never reaches the battery. The calculator therefore scales battery consumption up to grid energy.

Is this a total cost comparison?

No. It compares energy costs. Depreciation, financing, tyres, repairs and grants are missing. You may optionally enter servicing, tax and insurance; they are then shown separately.

What does the payback time mean?

It says after how many years or kilometres the annual saving on energy has recovered the extra price of the electric car and the wallbox. The calculation is static: interest, price rises and residual value are left out.

Why is the default combustion consumption higher than the WLTP figure?

Because real consumption on the road is above the test-bench figure. For the German fleet, KBA data plus the real gap gives around 7.3 l/100 km for petrol and 7.1 l/100 km for diesel.

Where the defaults come from

The defaults are dated guide values and are not updated automatically. Check them and replace them with your own figures.

  • Electric consumption 18 kWh/100 km: ADAC test consumption 13.4 to 29.7 kWh/100 km (as of 6/2026) and ifeu/KBA 17.1 kWh/100 km (14 Feb 2025). Real consumption is 18 to 25 % above WLTP (ICCT, 07/2025).
  • Combustion consumption 7.0 l/100 km: ifeu/KBA 2023 (petrol 6.4 l/100 km WLTP) plus the real 14 % gap (ICCT) gives 7.3 l/100 km for the German fleet; rounded here to 7.0.
  • Electricity €0.35/kWh and fuel €1.80/l: deliberately round example values, because both prices change daily to weekly. Current reference points: household electricity 37.0 ct/kWh (BDEW, data as of 08/2026); E10 2.267 €/l and diesel 2.428 €/l (ADAC daily values, 22 Sep 2026).
  • Charging losses 7 %: ADAC study, 11 kW wallbox 5.1 to 7.0 %, household socket 12.7 to 24.2 %, rapid charging 5 to 15 % (page as of 2026).

Disclaimer

All information is provided without guarantee. The results of this calculator are a non-binding estimate and serve for guidance only. We accept no liability for incorrect, incomplete or wrongly transmitted input, or for the results calculated from it. Terms of Use