Total cost of ownership
EV vs gas cost calculator for Canada
Compare a gas or hybrid car against an EV, or two EVs head to head, over 10 years. Pick your province for local electricity rates and provincial rebates; sourced defaults are dated, and you can override every one. Prefer a walkthrough first? See the Mach-E vs RAV4 worked example, the cheapest EVs after EVAP, the monthly cost view, or the eligible-vehicle list.
How this is calculated
For each vehicle the model starts from its net purchase price, then adds energy, maintenance and insurance every month. It compares the two running totals and reports the gap at the end and the first month the EV is level or cheaper.
Inputs (all editable)
- Vehicle all-in price: MSRP plus freight and standard fees, before sales tax
- Federal, provincial and dealer incentives you enter or the province applies
- Annual distance and years of ownership; energy cost per 100 km from each vehicle's own rated consumption and your electricity or fuel price
- Annual maintenance (40-50% lower for EVs, CAA estimate) and annual insurance
Not included
- Depreciation and resale value (it matters most if you sell within five years)
- Financing or lease interest
- HST, GST and PST, licensing, registration and dealer fees
- Tires, home charger installation, and public charging mixes unless you set them
Worked example with the defaults
Ford Mustang Mach-E ($48,640 all-in less a $5,000 EVAP rebate = $43,640) against a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid ($40,080), 20,000 km a year in Ontario. Running costs, including insurance, come to about $3,783/yr for the EV and $5,379/yr for the gas car. Over 10 years the EV saves $12,400, and it breaks even at about 2.3 years. Change any input above and every figure updates.
Insurance. Insurance defaults are a national broker average. BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan use public basic auto insurance (ICBC, MPI, SGI), and Quebec's public plan (SAAQ) covers bodily injury, so a national average built from private-market quotes is less reliable there. Get a quote for your province. The defaults are Surex's national averages ($3,131 EV, $2,289 gas); Surex's Ontario-only sample shows a smaller gap ($469 a year versus $842 nationally).
Ontario electricity rates valid until Oct 31, 2026 (OEB prices effective Nov 1, 2025). New OEB prices start Nov 1, 2026: Ultra-Low Overnight 3.7¢, Time-of-Use off-peak 9.1¢.
Calculator questions
What does this EV vs gas calculator include?
Net purchase price (all-in price minus the federal EVAP rebate, any provincial rebate and any dealer incentive you enter), home or public energy cost, annual maintenance, and annual insurance, month by month over 10 years by default. It does not include depreciation or resale value, financing interest, sales tax, licensing and registration, or tires.
How is break-even calculated?
The model adds each vehicle's running costs to its net purchase price every month and finds the first month the EV's running total is at or below the gas car's. With the defaults (Ford Mustang Mach-E vs Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, 20,000 km a year) that happens at about 2.3 years, shown as a fraction of a year rather than rounded to a calendar year. If the lines never cross inside your chosen horizon it says so.
Which electricity and gas prices does it use?
In Ontario it uses the Ontario Energy Board's Ultra-Low Overnight plan (3.9¢/kWh overnight, about 5.7¢ blended with some daytime use) and an Ontario average pump price of $1.789/L. The OEB prices are valid until Oct 31, 2026; the OEB resets them every November 1. Other provinces start from that province's own default home rate, and you can override any value.
Does it include the federal and provincial EV rebates?
Yes. It applies the federal EVAP amount ($5,000 for a battery-electric vehicle) and the provincial rebate for the province you pick, but only where the vehicle qualifies: EVAP requires a final transaction value of $50,000 or less unless the vehicle is built in Canada, and the vehicle must be built in Canada or a free-trade-agreement country. Confirm eligibility with the program before you buy.
What if I can't charge at home?
The default assumes home overnight charging, which is the cheapest way to run an EV. Condo, apartment or public-only charging costs much more per kilometre and can remove most of the savings. Raise the EV energy cost slider toward public prices to see the effect, and read the condo and public charging guides first.
More: condo charging, EV insurance costs and all sourced data.
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