At 12,000 km a year, a typical electric car costs about $836.20 a year to charge on a mostly-home mix, against $2,271.36 for petrol, so it saves about $1,435.16 a year in energy. The saving grows with every kilometre, but it has to pay back a higher purchase price first.
Checked 9 October 2026. Examples use the default figures in the EV charging cost calculator. Put in your own prices to get your own answer.
The petrol car uses 8 L/100 km at 236.6 c/L, the Sydney price on 5 October 2026. The electric car uses 17 kWh/100 km. Home charging is 33 c/kWh and public DC fast charging 65 c/kWh. The “mostly home” mix is 80% home, 5% public AC and 15% public DC fast. These prices are examples. Yours will differ.
| Distance a year | Petrol | Electric, home only | Electric, mostly home | Electric, public DC only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 km | $946.40 | $308.55 | $348.42 | $552.50 |
| 10,000 km | $1,892.80 | $617.10 | $696.83 | $1,105 |
| 15,000 km | $2,839.20 | $925.65 | $1,045.25 | $1,657.50 |
| 20,000 km | $3,785.60 | $1,234.20 | $1,393.66 | $2,210 |
Per 100 km: petrol $18.93, electric at home $6.17, mostly home $6.97, public DC only $11.05.
With these figures, even charging only at public DC fast chargers (65 c/kWh) costs less than petrol. Public DC charging would have to reach about 111 c/kWh before the electric car costs the same to run as the petrol car. Tesla and other networks change prices by site and time of day, so check your own app.
Rego is not the same in every state, so the full yearly running cost changes with where you live. The electric car here weighs 1,800 kg and the petrol car 1,400 kg. Rego includes CTP, with example amounts in NSW, Queensland and the ACT. Energy is the “mostly home” mix above.
| State | Petrol: rego + fuel | Electric: rego + charging | Electric saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | $3,120.61 | $1,459.45 | $1,661.16 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $3,307.46 | $1,772.20 | $1,535.26 |
| Queensland | $3,124.06 | $1,606.55 | $1,517.51 |
| South Australia | $2,976.36 | $1,541.20 | $1,435.16 |
| Tasmania | $2,914.13 | $1,478.97 | $1,435.16 |
| Victoria | $3,230.16 | $1,795.00 | $1,435.16 |
| Western Australia | $3,224.80 | $1,908.68 | $1,316.12 |
| New South Wales | $3,104.36 | $1,874.20 | $1,230.16 |
Electric cars often cost more to buy. This shows how many years the yearly saving above takes to cover a price difference of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. It ignores servicing, insurance, tyres, resale value and the interest on a bigger loan, all of which can move the answer.
| State | Yearly saving | $5,000 higher | $10,000 higher | $15,000 higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | $1,661.16 | 3.0 years | 6.0 years | 9.0 years |
| Australian Capital Territory | $1,535.26 | 3.3 years | 6.5 years | 9.8 years |
| Queensland | $1,517.51 | 3.3 years | 6.6 years | 9.9 years |
| South Australia | $1,435.16 | 3.5 years | 7.0 years | 10.5 years |
| Tasmania | $1,435.16 | 3.5 years | 7.0 years | 10.5 years |
| Victoria | $1,435.16 | 3.5 years | 7.0 years | 10.5 years |
| Western Australia | $1,316.12 | 3.8 years | 7.6 years | 11.4 years |
| New South Wales | $1,230.16 | 4.1 years | 8.1 years | 12.2 years |
Drive less and the payback stretches. At 5,000 km a year the energy saving is about $597.98 a year before rego.
| State | Road user charge for electric cars |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | Planned from 1 July 2027, uncertain |
| Queensland | None found |
| South Australia | None (repealed 2023) |
| Tasmania | None |
| Australian Capital Territory | None found |
| Western Australia | Announced for 1 July 2027, not confirmed |
| Northern Territory | None found |
| Victoria | Struck down by High Court (2023) |
See what popular cars cost to register and run in every state: Tesla Model Y, Toyota RAV4 hybrid, Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, BYD Sealion 7, Mazda CX-5.
Charging cost uses the same calculation as the EV charging calculator, with a 10% charging loss on home and public AC. Rego uses the same fee tables as the compare every state calculator. CTP examples: NSW $458, Queensland $400, ACT $397. These are estimates for a typical car, not a quote. You are welcome to quote these figures with a link back to this page.