Buying tool
EV vs gas: 5-year cost
Compare the real five-year cost of an EV and a gas car: purchase price with sales tax, energy, insurance, maintenance and the EV registration surcharge, minus what each is worth after five years.
Five-year cost difference
$4,145
The gas car costs less over five years; past 24,236 mi a year the EV pulls ahead
Five-year cost: EV $44,030, gas $39,885; energy per mile is 0.05 vs 0.12.
| EV | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Out-the-door price | $44,940 | $40,660 |
| 5-year energy | $3,060 | $7,125 |
| 5-year insurance | $10,500 | $8,500 |
| 5-year maintenance | $2,000 | $4,500 |
| EV surcharge | $750 | $0 |
| Resale value back | −$17,220 | −$20,900 |
| Five-year total (net of resale) | $44,030 | $39,885 |
Resale is the biggest swing factor: each 5-point drop in EV retention adds about $2,100 to the five-year cost on a $42k car — recheck the market before you sell.
How it is calculated
Out-the-door = price × (1 + sales tax). No federal credit is applied — the $7,500 credit ended September 30, 2025.
Energy = annual miles × 5 × consumption × price — kWh/100 mi for the EV, gallons at the MPG rating for the gas car. The EV surcharge applies per year where charged; there is no equivalent gas-car line.
Total = out-the-door + 5-year energy + insurance + maintenance + surcharge − resale (price × retention).
Break-even mileage = the fixed-cost gap ÷ the per-mile energy gap over 5 years. Financing interest, parking and tolls are excluded.
How to fill each field
- PricesUse negotiated figures for both. The EV premium is usually $3,000–$5,000 over a comparable gas car — same-price comparisons are fair too.
- Electricity priceBlend your real mix: mostly home charging sits near the residential average (~$0.17), DC-fast-only runs about $0.50 nationally (Paren, 2025).
- Resale ratesiSeeCars tracks a ~59% five-year loss for EVs versus ~46% for all vehicles; check recent used listings for the exact models rather than trusting the default.
FAQ
Why doesn't the EV always win on total cost?
Depreciation is the biggest line: iSeeCars (March 2025) puts the five-year EV loss at ~59% versus ~46% for the average car — roughly 41% retained vs 54%. The energy savings ($3–5k over five years) can be smaller than the resale gap, so at the defaults the gas car still edges it; higher annual mileage favors the EV.
At what yearly mileage does the EV come out ahead?
At the defaults the break-even sits near 24,000 mi/yr — below that the gas car's resale advantage wins, above it the per-mile energy gap takes over. Re-run with your own prices.
Is EV insurance really more expensive?
Yes — new EVs run roughly 20–30% more than an equivalent gas model (Insurify ~23%, ValuePenguin ~23% for new vehicles), driven by battery repair costs and parts pricing. Enter real quotes for both cars if you have them.
How much does charging at home vs DC fast change the answer?
At 30 kWh/100 mi, each 10¢/kWh difference is worth about $1,800 over 12k mi × 5 years. DC-fast-only at ~$0.50/kWh costs about 15¢/mi — more than a 32-mpg car at $3.80/gal (12¢/mi); home charging is what preserves the energy advantage.
Where do resale percentages come from?
From used-market tracking (iSeeCars, Kelley Blue Book, Cox Automotive). Five-year EV retention sits near 40% for mainstream models; big new-car price cuts drag used values down, so stay conservative.