Calculator
Electric or combustion?
What each one really costs you with your mileage: today's electricity (at home or on public chargers) against petrol, the grants, road tax, servicing and what it's worth when you sell it. And from which year the electric car works out cheaper.
Electricity price
Asking Red Eléctrica…With the average PVPC for September 2026, 0,234 €/kWh, and from 0 to 8 h, 0,256 €/kWh, charging at night costs 4,97 € per 100 km.
Cheapest: 13 to 17 h, at 0,073 €/kWh (1,42 € per 100 km). Most expensive, at 20 h: 0,437 €/kWh.
With so much solar, night isn't always the cheapest any more: if you can charge around midday (at home or at work), even better.
Price per kWh with everything: energy, network tolls and charges of the PVPC 2.0TD (mainland), electricity tax of 5,11% and VAT of 21% (October 2026). Not including the standing charge or the meter, which you pay anyway, electric car or not.
Source: Red Eléctrica (REData).
- From 0 to 8 h
- Rest of the day
- Daily average: 0,234 €/kWh
- The 4 cheapest hours in a row
See all 24 hours
| Hour | €/kWh incl. taxes | 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 h | 0,256 | 4,98 € |
| 1 to 2 h | 0,248 | 4,82 € |
| 2 to 3 h | 0,240 | 4,67 € |
| 3 to 4 h | 0,237 | 4,61 € |
| 4 to 5 h | 0,236 | 4,58 € |
| 5 to 6 h | 0,242 | 4,70 € |
| 6 to 7 h | 0,268 | 5,20 € |
| 7 to 8 h | 0,317 | 6,17 € |
| 8 to 9 h | 0,331 | 6,44 € |
| 9 to 10 h | 0,227 | 4,42 € |
| 10 to 11 h | 0,192 | 3,72 € |
| 11 to 12 h | 0,137 | 2,67 € |
| 12 to 13 h | 0,120 | 2,34 € |
| 13 to 14 h | 0,111 | 2,16 € |
| 14 to 15 h | 0,051 | 0,99 € |
| 15 to 16 h | 0,057 | 1,10 € |
| 16 to 17 h | 0,074 | 1,43 € |
| 17 to 18 h | 0,125 | 2,43 € |
| 18 to 19 h | 0,274 | 5,33 € |
| 19 to 20 h | 0,384 | 7,47 € |
| 20 to 21 h | 0,437 | 8,49 € |
| 21 to 22 h | 0,424 | 8,24 € |
| 22 to 23 h | 0,326 | 6,33 € |
| 23 to 24 h | 0,302 | 5,86 € |
The two cars
Typical electric car
Median of 23 versions of 17 models (family hatchbacks) registered in 2025
19,4 kWh per 100 km in real driving
Typical petrol car
Median of 60 versions of 29 models (family hatchbacks) registered in 2025
7,1 litres per 100 km in real driving
How you'll use it
Where you charge the electric car
Grants and insurance
By default, extended third-party cover for both. If you have quotes, enter them: electric cars usually come out a bit dearer.
Cheaper over 5 years
The electric car
You save 4.791 € (80 € a month)
The electric car works out cheaper from the first year.
Over your 5 years it pays off whatever your mileage.
What it costs you if you sell it that year
- Electric
- Petrol
- Your 5 years
See the figures year by year
| Year | km | Electric | Petrol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15.000 | 3.621 € | 5.109 € |
| 2 | 30.000 | 5.844 € | 9.517 € |
| 3 | 45.000 | 11.125 € | 13.925 € |
| 4 | 60.000 | 14.310 € | 18.108 € |
| 5 | 75.000 | 17.185 € | 21.976 € |
| 6 | 90.000 | 19.983 € | 25.772 € |
| 7 | 105.000 | 22.613 € | 29.407 € |
| 8 | 120.000 | 25.300 € | 33.104 € |
| 9 | 135.000 | 27.819 € | 36.639 € |
| 10 | 150.000 | 30.395 € | 40.238 € |
| 11 | 165.000 | 32.915 € | 43.787 € |
| 12 | 180.000 | 35.446 € | 47.354 € |
| 13 | 195.000 | 37.921 € | 50.871 € |
| 14 | 210.000 | 40.407 € | 54.407 € |
| 15 | 225.000 | 42.904 € | 57.960 € |
Per 100 km
Electric
5,92 €
at home 4,97 €, public 9,72 €
Petrol
12,58 €
7,1 l at 1,78 €/l
On energy, per year: 887 € for the electric car and 1.887 € for the petrol car.
Everything it costs over 5 years
| Item | Electric | Petrol |
|---|---|---|
| Car price | 29.500 € | 23.100 € |
| Home charger | 1.200 € | — |
| Grants | -7.765 € | — |
| Energy | 4.437 € | 9.435 € |
| Insurance | 1.675 € | 1.675 € |
| Maintenance | 1.080 € | 1.800 € |
| Tyres | 1.313 € | 863 € |
| Road tax | 560 € | 170 € |
| ITV | 45 € | 45 € |
| What you get when you sell it | -14.860 € | -15.112 € |
| Total | 17.185 € | 21.976 € |
What we've counted
- Sure grants for an individual: dealer discount 1.210 €, Auto+ 3.375 €, IRPF deduction 3.000 €, charger deduction 180 €. It could be up to 1.125 € more if it's made in Europe or your region's grants come through. If you sell it within 2 years, you pay back the Auto+ grant. Work out your grants
- Selling it after 5 years with 75.000 km, you'd get about 14.860 € for the electric car and 15.112 € for the petrol car. How we calculate it
- The electric car spends less on servicing (no oil, filters, clutch or exhaust): 40% less by our estimate. Its tyres last a little less.
- We use today's electricity and fuel prices for every year. If they go up or down, the sums change: try other prices.
- We don't count what the money would earn if you didn't spend it on the car, nor low-emission zones, which electric cars can always enter. Check your label
How we calculate it
Both cars, with the same sums
Energy
Real consumption: the official figure (WLTP) plus 15% for electric cars and 24% for petrol ones, as on the rest of the site. Home electricity at today's PVPC from Red Eléctrica plus taxes (or your tariff); public charging at the price you enter, and fuel at your area's average.
Buying and selling
The price from the Tax Agency tables or the one you enter. For the electric car we add the charger and subtract only the sure grants: the dealer discount, Auto+ without the European extra if you don't know, and the IRPF deductions (if you sell it within 2 years, Auto+ has to be paid back). At the end, what you'd get when selling it, using our used-car market curve, which drops faster for electric cars.
The rest
Insurance, maintenance, tyres, road tax (with your council's discount) and your region's ITV, year by year and with the same calculation engine as each car's page. We don't count the electricity standing charge, which you pay anyway, or what the money would earn if you didn't spend it on the car.
Sources
- Red Eléctrica (REData)Hourly PVPC 2.0TD: energy, network tolls and charges, without taxes. It can be published citing Red Eléctrica and the date of the data.
- Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, de 29 de septiembre (BOE-A-2026-20265)Electricity taxes: 21% VAT and 5,11% electricity tax since October 2026.
- OCU: cuánto cuesta recargar un coche eléctricoPublic charging prices of the big networks (June 2023).
- Ministry for the Ecological TransitionPetrol and diesel prices at every filling station (geoportal), as of 15/10/2026.
- Real Decreto 609/2026 (BOE-A-2026-16010)Auto+ Programme: how much you get for an electric car depending on its price and where it's made.
- Índice Ganvam-DAT, cierre de 2025What a used car is worth after 3 years by engine type: a petrol one, 60,2% of its price; an electric one, 48%.
The typical cars are the registration-weighted median of the electric and petrol cars of each size registered in 2025. Catalogue prices are indicative: enter the ones from your offers.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?+
On the regulated tariff (PVPC), each kWh cost an average of 0,234 € including taxes in September 2026 and 0,256 € from 0 to 8 h. A typical electric family hatchback uses about 19,4 kWh per 100 km in real driving, so charging at night it costs about 4,97 € per 100 km. A typical petrol family hatchback, at 7,1 litres and 1,78 €/l, spends 12,58 €.
Is it cheaper to charge an electric car at night?+
With the PVPC, not any more. With so much solar, the cheapest hours tend to be around midday: in September 2026, from 13 to 17 h a kWh cost 0,073 € on average, and from 0 to 8 h, 0,256 €. If you have a time-of-use tariff on the free market, night is usually the cheapest. Above you'll find today's price for every hour.
How much does public charging cost?+
Much more than at home: the big networks charge 0,38 to 0,50 €/kWh on chargers up to 50 kW and 0,42 to 0,79 €/kWh on rapid and ultra-rapid ones, according to the OCU. Always charging away from home, an electric car can cost almost as much per 100 km as a petrol one, or more.
What grants are there for buying an electric car in 2026?+
The Auto+ Programme (up to 4.500 € for an individual, depending on the price and whether it's made in Europe) with a dealer discount of 1.000 € plus VAT, the 15% IRPF income tax deduction (up to 3.000 €) and another 15% for a home charger (up to 600 €). Only for cars up to 45.000 € before VAT.
Does an electric car lose more value?+
Yes. According to the Ganvam-DAT index for the end of 2025, after 3 years a petrol car keeps 60,2% of its price and an electric one 48%. That's why the calculator subtracts what you'll get when you sell it: if you change it soon, the electric car pays off less.
Does an electric car pay less road tax and servicing?+
The tax depends on your council: the law lets them cut it by up to 75% and many do, sometimes only for a few years. Choose your municipality and we'll work it out with its bylaw. As for servicing, with no oil, filters, clutch or exhaust, we estimate 40% less maintenance than a petrol car.