Auto-fill rates with your local ZIP code, then see when an EV pays for itself
The $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended September 30, 2025 and does not apply to purchases made today. Enter any state or utility rebate you expect to qualify for — most are income-limited and funding can run out, so confirm on your state energy office's page first.
This calculator compares what you'd spend fueling a gas car against what you'd spend charging an EV at home, using your actual daily driving habits. Enter your zip code and it auto-fills a local electricity rate and gas price, or you can adjust every value by hand if you already know your utility's rate or the price at the pump nearby.
EVs typically cost more up front but less to run. The break-even point is how long it takes for the fuel savings to cancel out that higher purchase price. If an EV costs $10,000 more than a comparable gas car and saves you $1,000 a year in fuel, it breaks even in about ten years — but a $3,000 state rebate would cut that to around seven.
The chart above plots total cumulative cost for both vehicles over ten years: purchase price at year zero, plus fuel costs accumulating each year. The point where the two lines cross is your break-even.
Electricity priced per kWh is generally cheaper per mile than gasoline priced per gallon, and that gap tends to hold even in states with higher electricity rates, since EVs convert a much larger share of that energy into actual motion. The exact savings depend on your commute distance, your vehicle's efficiency, and local rates — which is exactly what this tool calculates for you.
Where do the rates come from?
Electricity provider and rate data comes from a federal utility rate database; gas prices
come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly survey. Both are estimates —
use your own bill or a local pump price for the most accurate result.
Is there still a $7,500 federal EV tax credit?
No. It ended on September 30, 2025, along with the $4,000 used-EV credit. State and utility
rebates are what's left.
Does the break-even include maintenance or insurance?
No — purchase price and fuel only. EVs typically cost less to maintain but more to insure,
so treat the result as a fuel-and-price comparison rather than a full cost of ownership
figure.
Read the full FAQ → — charging costs per mile, what incentives still exist, time-of-use rates, cold weather efficiency, and more.