EV vs Petrol Calculator London: Formula, Tables and What Is Left Out
If you want a straight answer on ev vs petrol calculator london, start with the maths, not a headline figure. This page works through the formula step by step, runs a worked example with every assumption stated in full, and gives you tables you can read your own numbers off. Nothing here is presented as a current price or a measured efficiency: every figure is labelled as an assumption or an example, and the method works with whatever numbers you substitute.
The short answer is that the comparison comes down to cost per mile: the petrol car burns imperial gallons, so its cost per mile is the price per imperial gallon divided by its MPG, while the EV uses kilowatt-hours, so its cost per mile is the electricity price per kWh divided by its miles per kWh. With the example assumptions on this page — petrol at £6.60 per imperial gallon, 45 imperial MPG, electricity at 33p per kWh and 4.0 miles per kWh — the petrol car costs about £0.15 per mile and the EV about £0.08 per mile. Those are example figures, not prices you should quote, and the rest of this page shows how they were reached and what would change them.
Assumptions used on this page for ev vs petrol calculator london
Every figure in the tables below comes from this assumptions table. Each one is an assumption or an example, not a measured fact about any particular car or a current price. Substitute your own numbers and the method still works. That is the point this page works through for ev vs petrol calculator london.
| Input | Value used | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol price | £6.60 per imperial gallon | Example price |
| Petrol efficiency | 45 imperial MPG | Assumption |
| Electricity price | 33p per kWh | Example price |
| EV efficiency | 4.0 miles per kWh | Assumption |
| Annual mileage | 12,000 miles | Example |
Because this page is about london, the units above match how drivers there usually measure fuel and electricity. The method itself does not change with location — only the units and the example prices do — so a driver anywhere else can use the same steps with local figures. Do not treat the example prices as current prices for London: they are placeholders chosen to make the arithmetic easy to follow, and real prices move constantly.
How the EV versus petrol comparison works for ev vs petrol calculator london
Hold the mileage constant and price the energy each car actually uses. For the petrol car, cost per mile equals the price per gallon divided by its MPG. For the EV, cost per mile equals the price per kWh divided by its miles per kWh. Multiply each cost per mile by the annual mileage and you have the annual fuel and charging bill for each car; subtract one from the other and you have the saving, or the extra cost, under those assumptions. The method is deliberately simple, because a simple method with honest inputs beats a complicated model built on guessed ones. The two numbers that matter most are the electricity price and the petrol car's MPG: a driver who charges at home on a cheap overnight rate will see a very different answer from a driver who relies on public rapid chargers, and a thirsty petrol car widens the gap while an efficient one narrows it. That is the point this page works through for ev vs petrol calculator london.
Worked example: the same distance, two energy bills for ev vs petrol calculator london
Take a driver covering 12,000 miles a year. The petrol car does 45 MPG and petrol costs £6.60 per gallon as an example price, so its cost per mile is £6.60 ÷ 45 = £0.15, and 12,000 miles cost £1,760.00 a year. The EV does 4.0 miles per kWh and electricity costs 33p per kWh as an example price, so its cost per mile is £0.33 ÷ 4.0 = £0.08, and 12,000 miles cost £990.00 a year. The difference on fuel and charging alone is £770.00 a year in the EV’s favour under these assumptions. Now change one input and watch the answer move: if the EV is charged mostly at a public rapid charger at, say, double the home electricity price used here, its annual charging cost doubles and most of the saving disappears. If the petrol car is driven mainly in town at lower MPG, the petrol bill rises and the saving grows. That sensitivity is the real lesson — the answer is only as solid as the assumptions, so write yours down before you believe the result.
ev vs petrol calculator london: Cost at different annual mileages
The table uses the worked-example assumptions above — petrol at £6.60 per gallon (example), 45 MPG, electricity at 33p per kWh (example), 4.0 miles per kWh. The gap grows with mileage, which is why high-mileage drivers see the biggest fuel-cost difference and low-mileage drivers see the smallest.
| Annual miles | Petrol cost per year | EV charging cost per year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6,000 | £880.00 | £495.00 | £385.00 |
| 8,000 | £1,173.33 | £660.00 | £513.33 |
| 10,000 | £1,466.67 | £825.00 | £641.67 |
| 12,000 | £1,760.00 | £990.00 | £770.00 |
| 15,000 | £2,200.00 | £1,237.50 | £962.50 |
| 20,000 | £2,933.33 | £1,650.00 | £1,283.33 |
Cost per mile and per 100 miles for ev vs petrol calculator london
At the example assumptions, the petrol car costs £0.15 per mile (£14.67 per 100 miles) and the EV costs £0.08 per mile (£8.25 per 100 miles). Per 100 miles is often the easier figure to compare with a fuel receipt or a charging bill, because both are usually priced in round numbers per hundred miles of driving. If you know your own MPG and your own prices, the same two divisions give your own figures: fuel price per gallon divided by MPG, and electricity price per kWh divided by miles per kWh.
ev vs petrol calculator london: What the comparison leaves out — and why it matters
Taking ev vs petrol calculator london as the case in point: The fuel and charging maths on this page is only one slice of the real cost. Left out, by design, are the purchase-price gap between the two cars, depreciation, insurance, servicing, tyre wear and tax — every one of them differs between an EV and a petrol car and every one of them moves the true answer. The page also prices electricity at a single rate, while real life mixes cheap overnight home charging with dear public rapid charging; that mix usually matters more than the headline rate. Price your own mix honestly before deciding which car is cheaper for you.
ev vs petrol calculator london: Common mistakes
- On this page, ev vs petrol calculator london is the case in point: Using one tank or one charge instead of an average is next — a single fill is noisy, and a pump that clicks off early can add a phantom gallon, while a single charge says nothing about your usual mix of home and public charging.
- For ev vs petrol calculator london, the point is this: Comparing a laboratory test figure against a real-world figure tells you nothing about the car and everything about the methods. Keep the method constant — real-world against real-world — and the comparisons become meaningful.
- On this page, ev vs petrol calculator london is the case in point: Comparing a car's best-case efficiency with another's everyday figure is another trap. Brochure efficiency is measured in controlled conditions; your real miles per kWh or MPG will be lower, and the comparison only works when both cars are measured the same way.
- Using the same electricity price for every charge hides the real cost. A driver who mixes home and public charging has two different prices, and averaging them into one number without weighting by how much energy comes from each is a common error. That is the point this page works through for ev vs petrol calculator london.
ev vs petrol calculator london: Related calculations
On this page, ev vs petrol calculator london is the case in point: These pages continue from here: the same method on a neighbouring question, or the calculator that runs the arithmetic for you.
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Putting your figure to work for ev vs petrol calculator london
On this page, ev vs petrol calculator london is the case in point: The method earns its keep when you run it on your own numbers. Measure your real cost per mile for each car — your prices, your efficiency, your charging mix — and you can price a journey before you leave and compare two cars on equal terms instead of brochure claims. Keep a small log of date, miles, energy and price, and look at it monthly: a winter efficiency dip, a change in your charging mix and a slow cost creep all show up fast, and each one is something you can act on.
Frequently asked questions
What does miles per kWh mean?
Taking ev vs petrol calculator london as the case in point: It is the EV equivalent of MPG: how many miles the car travels on one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Higher is more efficient. Divide the electricity price per kWh by miles per kWh to get the EV's cost per mile, in the same way you divide the fuel price per gallon by MPG for a petrol car.
Does an EV cost more to insure?
Insurance is not part of the fuel-and-charging maths on this page, and it can differ between an EV and a petrol car for reasons that have nothing to do with energy: repair costs, parts availability and the car's value all play a part. Get a quote for both cars before comparing total costs. That is the point this page works through for ev vs petrol calculator london.
Why do EV running-cost figures disagree so much?
For ev vs petrol calculator london, the point is this: Because the inputs differ. Two honest calculations can give very different answers if one assumes cheap home charging and the other assumes public rapid charging, or if one uses a high-mileage year and the other a low one. Always ask what electricity price, what MPG and what mileage a figure was calculated with before comparing it with another.
Can I use the same method for a diesel car?
Yes. A diesel car uses the same petrol-side formula — fuel price per gallon divided by MPG — with diesel prices and diesel MPG. The EV side is unchanged. Compare the two cost-per-mile figures the same way, and remember the same exclusions apply. That is the point this page works through for ev vs petrol calculator london.
How do I work out my own EV versus petrol saving?
On this page, ev vs petrol calculator london is the case in point: Use the same mileage for both cars. For the petrol car, divide the fuel price per gallon by its MPG to get cost per mile. For the EV, divide the electricity price per kWh by its miles per kWh. Multiply each by your annual miles and subtract. Use your own prices — especially your real charging mix of home and public charging — rather than the example prices on this page.