Total cost of ownership: gas vs hybrid vs plug-in vs electric

Each bar is the cost of buying and running a vehicle over the ownership period. Vehicle prices are the median base MSRP plus destination across the nameplates on sale in the segment (entry trim or mid trim), from our model availability data; efficiency is the median EPA combined rating of the same nameplates. Depreciation is price minus resale value, with resale scaled from a five-year residual by powertrain. Financing is loan interest paid during the ownership period (zero when paying cash). Fuel and charging uses EPA efficiency, which for electric vehicles includes charging losses, with home and public fast-charging prices blended by the share of charging done at home; plug-in hybrids use EPA's utility factor for the share of miles on electricity unless you override it. Insurance is a national average full-coverage premium by powertrain, adjusted by body type. Maintenance follows the service schedule: every item in Argonne National Laboratory's schedule table, built from automakers' recommended maintenance, is counted each time its interval is reached for the miles driven (oil and filters, tires, brakes, spark plugs, timing belt, coolant and so on, separately for each powertrain), priced in today's dollars using the consumer price index for vehicle maintenance and repair. Because engines need more services, and more expensive ones at high mileage, the gap widens the longer the vehicle is kept. A per-mile option based on AAA's measured five-year costs (which include tires and repairs, and show a much smaller electric advantage) is available as an alternative. Taxes and fees are sales tax on the purchase and annual EV or hybrid registration surcharges.

• Sports and performance cars (Corvette, Mustang, GR86 and similar) are left out of the segment medians but can be compared with Pick models. Pickups are split into compact and midsize versus full-size so electric full-size trucks are compared with gas full-size trucks.
• Mild hybrids are counted as gas vehicles and extended-range EVs as plug-in hybrids. Heavy-duty pickups, commercial vans and a few heavy electric SUVs (such as the Cadillac Escalade IQ) are excluded because EPA does not rate their efficiency. SUVs include electric SUVs built on a pickup platform (Rivian R1S, GMC Hummer EV SUV).
• The federal clean vehicle tax credit ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, so incentives default to zero. Enter a state, utility or future federal incentive under Purchase incentives; it is treated as received at purchase, lowering the net price paid (shown in depreciation) and the amount financed.
• Unscheduled repairs, home charger installation and battery replacement are not modeled. Resale value beyond five years extends the five-year residual at the same yearly rate; at full life (15 years) most of the price has depreciated.
• Segment medians mix very different vehicles. Use Mainstream or Luxury to compare like with like, or Pick models to compare specific nameplates.
• This calculator is for general information and is not financial advice.

• Gasoline price, U.S. regular, week of 2026-10-26 ($4.269): U.S. EIA weekly retail prices
• Residential electricity, August 2026 (18.16 c/kWh): U.S. EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A
• Public DC fast charging price, Q1 2026 ($0.53/kWh): Paren, U.S. EV fast charging report
• Share of charging at home (about 80%): U.S. DOE / Idaho National Laboratory EV Project
• Average annual miles per vehicle: FHWA Highway Statistics 2024, Table VM-1
• Insurance by body type, maintenance per mile: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026
• EV vs. gas insurance premiums: Insurify
• Scheduled maintenance by powertrain, from OEM schedules: Argonne National Laboratory, Comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership Quantification (Burnham et al., 2021)
• Maintenance and repair price index, 2020 to Sep 2026 (+53%): BLS CPI-U Motor vehicle maintenance and repair, via FRED
• EV vs. gas maintenance and repair, owner-reported (about half): Consumer Reports (2020)
• Five-year depreciation by powertrain: iSeeCars, Cars That Hold Their Value study (2026)
• State EV and hybrid registration fees: ARTBA Transportation Investment Advocacy Center, April 2026
• Average new-vehicle APR, term and down payment, Q3 2026: Edmunds (via Ford Authority)
• Federal clean vehicle credit ended after 2025-09-30: IRS Fact Sheet FS-2025-05