What does the result include?

It compares the cost difference between two specified cars, including purchase and resale differences, energy, road tax, maintenance, insurance, charging access and setup. Shared costs cancel out.

What does the mileage threshold mean?

It is the annual distance where the two options tie under the entered holding period and exit values. The result may say above, below, every mileage or none.

Is a projected resale value a rebate?

No. Enter a realistic sale value difference for each car. If you plan to deregister, check the vehicle-specific PARF and COE rebate instead of assuming a fixed amount.

How do I use charging overhead?

Enter vehicle consumption in kWh per 100 km and an estimated percentage uplift to billed delivered energy. If consumption is already measured at the meter, set overhead to zero.

← Back to Ownership Guide

Compare an EV and Petrol Car Over the Same Hold

Use this calculator for a real pair of cars. Enter the EV's purchase-price premium and its expected resale advantage or shortfall, then add differences in energy and annual costs. Positive net savings means the EV is cheaper. The mileage threshold is conditional on those exit values.

Build an exit-value range →Read the full cost guide

This is a difference model, so shared costs cancel. It does not report each car's full running cost. It omits finance interest, parking/ERP shared by both, tax changes after purchase, and repairs unless you add a justified cost difference. Compare quotes for the same holding period and COE position. The figures below are illustrative defaults; replace them before relying on the result.

Usage and energy

Annual distance (km)

Holding period (years)

Petrol efficiency (km/L)

Petrol price (S$/L)

EV vehicle use (kWh/100 km)

Billed-energy uplift over vehicle use (%)

Blended delivered-electricity price (S$/kWh)

The uplift converts vehicle-displayed kWh to a planning estimate of billed kWh. If your energy figure is already measured at the charger, set it to 0%. Build the blended price from actual home/public use and fees with the charging guide.

Price, exit and other differences

EV purchase premium (EV − petrol, S$)

Exit sale-value difference (EV − petrol, S$)

Annual road-tax difference (EV − petrol, S$)

Annual maintenance difference (EV − petrol, S$)

Annual insurance difference (EV − petrol, S$)

Annual EV-only charging access/parking (S$)

EV-only one-time charging setup (S$)

A negative purchase premium means the EV costs less to buy. A negative resale difference means it sells for less. Use actual road-tax and insurance quotes. Count an EV-only parking charge here only when the petrol option would avoid it.

Results

EV electricity per month

—

Billed-energy estimate only

Petrol fuel per month

—

Fuel only

EV mileage threshold

—

At this holding period and exit assumption

EV net saving over hold

—

Positive = EV cheaper; negative = petrol cheaper

Component	EV − petrol	Basis

The difference rows reconcile to net extra EV cost. A negative row helps the EV. This compares economic ownership cost, not a loan cash-flow schedule. If you finance either car, compare the actual interest and exit debt separately.

What the mileage threshold means

The result solves for annual distance at which the two choices tie over your entered holding period. It includes your purchase and exit-value difference. It is not a prediction that a future resale price arrives gradually each year. If electricity is cheaper per kilometre but the EV has more fixed cost, it says the EV wins above the threshold. If electricity is dearer but the EV has less fixed cost, the EV may win below it. Some input combinations favour one car at every distance.

Make the exit assumption defensible

Obtain current dealer trade-in and direct-sale ranges for comparable cars, then adjust for the expected sale date, COE life and battery-warranty runway. Do not treat today's quote as a guaranteed future bid. Enter the difference between the two forecast sale prices, not a full car price. If you expect to deregister instead of sell, use LTA's vehicle-specific rebate enquiry for the relevant date and keep sale value and rebate mutually exclusive.

Run three scenarios

Base: realistic tariff mix and documented exit estimates.
Weak EV exit: lower the EV resale difference by S$5,000 or by a range justified by bids. This changes EV net savings by exactly the same amount.
Public-charging stress: use the delivered tariff you would actually face and include access/parking fees. If the winner flips, investigate charging access before paying a deposit.

Read the resale worksheet, battery evidence guide and warranty guide before assuming that a used EV will retain a particular value. The used-EV purchase gates combine these checks.

FAQ

Does this show each car's full cost?

No. It shows their difference; costs common to both cancel.

Does mileage threshold mean a year of payback?

No. It is annual distance needed to tie over the entered hold and exit values.

Can I enter an EV resale shortfall?

Yes. Enter a negative EV-minus-petrol sale-value difference.

What if there is no home charging?

Use a realistic blended public price, any access charges and a separate practicality test.

Next steps

Full five-year ledger · Build an exit range · Price delivered kWh

References

Last updated: 26 Sep 2026 · Editorial Policy · Advertising Disclosure · Corrections