The purchase price of an electric vehicle is typically higher than a comparable gas vehicle, but lower fuel and maintenance costs change the picture over time. How quickly an EV reaches total cost parity depends on your province’s electricity rate, local gas prices, how far you drive each year, and what rebates you qualify for.
This calculator compares the full cost of owning an EV against a gas vehicle over your chosen ownership period. It accounts for the federal EVAP rebate, any provincial rebate, annual fuel costs using real Canadian electricity and gas prices, and typical maintenance costs for each vehicle type. The year-by-year table shows exactly when the EV breaks even.
Your driving and province
| Year | EV cumulative cost | Gas cumulative cost | Difference |
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Calculator FAQ
What exactly counts as “total cost of ownership” here?
For each vehicle: the purchase price (after rebates for the EV), plus fuel or electricity cost, maintenance, and insurance, totalled over your chosen ownership period. It does not include depreciation, financing costs, registration fees, or provincial sales tax differences, since those vary too much by individual circumstance and by province to estimate reliably in a general calculator.
Are rebates factored in automatically?
The federal EVAP rebate is selected from a dropdown reflecting the current rate schedule (2026 and 2027 rates) and gets deducted from the EV’s purchase price. Provincial rebates vary widely and change often, so you’ll need to enter your province’s amount manually. Check the Rebates and Incentives page for your province’s current figure before running the numbers.
Why does the gas vehicle’s maintenance cost default to more than the EV’s?
The defaults reflect typical ranges: roughly $400 to $700 a year for an EV and $900 to $1,500 a year for a comparable gas vehicle, mainly because EVs have fewer moving parts and skip oil changes. Both fields are editable, so adjust them if your own situation runs differently.
What if I don’t know my current vehicle’s exact fuel consumption?
Use the combined L/100 km rating from your vehicle’s window sticker, or look up the specific model year on NRCan’s fuel consumption ratings. A close estimate is fine, small differences here won’t meaningfully shift when the break-even year lands.
Does the year-by-year table account for resale value?
No. It tracks cumulative cost only, purchase price plus running costs added up year by year for each vehicle, so you can see exactly when the lines cross. It doesn’t project resale or trade-in value at the end of the period, since that’s highly model-specific and best checked closer to the actual time of sale.