Fuel and charging cost calculator
What a trip or a month of driving costs in petrol or diesel, per person, and what the same kilometres cost in an electric car.
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The trip costs €68.58 in petrol, €34.29 each for 2 people.
An electric car would cost €39.24 (€29.34 less) at 18.0 kWh/100 km and €0.44/kWh (70% charged at home). Fuel: 32.5 litres.
- Petrol, whole trip
- €68.58
- Electric car, whole trip
- €39.24
- Each person pays
- €34.29
- The EV is cheaper above a fuel price of
- 1.207 €/l
By EV €19.62
What if… per person
See the figures
| Petrol | Electric car | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy used | 32.5 l | 90.0 kWh |
| Price | 2.110 €/l | 0.436 €/kWh |
| Per 100 km | €13.72 | €7.85 |
| Whole trip | €68.58 | €39.24 |
| Per person | €34.29 | €19.62 |
Next step
How the calculator works
Fuel cost is one multiplication:
Cost = km × consumption ÷ 100 × price
For a trip you enter the distance, whether you drive there and back, and how many people share the cost. For a month you enter the kilometres; the year is twelve such months.
The electric car next to it uses the same kilometres with its consumption in kWh per 100 km and a mixed electricity price: the share you charge at home at your household tariff, the rest at public chargers. Use the consumption the car really shows, not the brochure figure: petrol cars usually use 10–20 % more than their WLTP value, and an EV’s consumption should include charging losses.
Prices start at the ADAC national averages of 21 October 2026 (€2.110 for E10, €2.255 for diesel), the BDEW 2026 household electricity average (€0.37 per kWh) and €0.59 for public charging. ADAC notes that on the road prices below 50 ct per kWh are rare and ad hoc charging can cost much more.
Example: a 500 km trip for two
A petrol car using 6.5 l/100 km needs 32.5 litres for 500 km. At €2.110 that is €68.58, or €34.29 each for two people.
An electric car using 18 kWh/100 km needs 90 kWh. Charged 70 % at home, that costs €39.24. On a long trip, though, most of the energy comes from fast chargers; charged only on the road the same trip costs €53.10.
Petrol or electric per month
At 1,250 km a month (15,000 km a year), the petrol car costs €171 a month, €2,057 a year. The electric car costs:
| Charging | per 100 km | a month | a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| only at home | €6.66 | €83 | €999 |
| 70 % at home | €7.85 | €98 | €1,177 |
| only public | €10.62 | €133 | €1,593 |
| petrol, for comparison | €13.72 | €171 | €2,057 |
Where you charge matters as much as which car you drive. With a home charger the EV’s energy costs about half as much as petrol; without one the gap shrinks to about a quarter. The break-even point is shown under the result: the fuel price below which petrol would be cheaper per kilometre.
Diesel or petrol, and your real consumption
Diesel costs more per litre than E10 at the moment, but diesel cars usually need less of it. A diesel using 5.5 l/100 km costs €12.40 per 100 km at €2.255, against €13.72 for the petrol car at 6.5 l. Per kilometre the diesel comes out a little cheaper here; its Kfz-Steuer is higher, though, as the car tax calculator shows.
The number that matters most is your own consumption. The simplest way to measure it: fill the tank, reset the trip counter, drive as usual, fill up again. Litres ÷ kilometres × 100 is your real consumption. For an electric car, the charging app or wallbox shows the kWh that went in, losses included. One litre per 100 km more or less changes the monthly bill at 1,250 km by about €26.
Splitting fuel costs fairly
For shared rides the calculator divides the fuel cost evenly between everyone in the car, driver included. That covers fuel only. A fair share of what the driver’s car really costs per kilometre – wear, depreciation, insurance – is several times higher, as the car cost comparison shows.
What it can’t see
Fuel prices change from day to day and with the CO₂ price; a month of driving sees many prices. Cold weather and short trips raise consumption, for electric cars especially. And energy is only part of what a car costs: depreciation, insurance, Kfz-Steuer and servicing usually add up to more. The car cost comparison puts all of it together for two options, and Zenarios shows how a car decision fits next to your home, family and retirement.
Common questions
How do I calculate the fuel cost of a trip?
Distance × consumption ÷ 100 × price per litre. 500 km at 6.5 l/100 km and €2.11 a litre is 32.5 litres, €68.58. Shared by two people, that is €34.29 each.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car compared with petrol?
At 18 kWh/100 km an EV costs €6.66 per 100 km charged only at home (37 ct/kWh) and €10.62 only at public chargers (59 ct). A petrol car at 6.5 l/100 km and €2.11 costs €13.72. With 70 % home charging the EV costs €7.85 per 100 km.
At what fuel price is the EV cheaper to run?
Divide the EV's cost per 100 km by the petrol car's litres per 100 km. With 70 % home charging that is about €1.21 a litre, without a home charger about €1.63. Petrol has cost more than that in 2026, so per kilometre the EV wins in this example either way.
Which fuel prices does it start with?
The ADAC national averages of 21 October 2026: €2.110 for Super E10 and €2.255 for diesel. Electricity starts at the BDEW 2026 household average of 37.0 ct/kWh. Type in the prices you actually pay.