Cost guide

Electric car cost of ownership

Owning an electric car costs a lot more than charging it: depreciation, insurance, servicing, tyres, road tax and finance all come on top of the electricity. Across the 10 electric cars 73 Auto has analysed, the estimated total cost of ownership has a median of £5,254 a year (£438 a month), against £5,303 for the 24 petrol and £5,774 for the 16 diesel examples under the same scenario. Those are 73 Auto's own worked examples, not a UK-wide average.

Check what a specific car really costs to own

Published 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto

At a glance

Electric car ownership cost across the electric vehicles 73 Auto has analysed
Figure	Value	Basis
Median annual cost (electric)	£5,254	n = 10 electric cars analysed by 73 Auto
Median monthly cost (electric)	£438	n = 10
Lowest to highest annual cost (electric)	£4,515 – £5,839	n = 10
Average cost per mile (electric)	£0.70	n = 10

Road tax is missing from every one of these electric source reports, so these electric totals leave it out and understate the true cost by that amount. See EV road tax 2026 for what electric cars pay now.

Work out what an electric car will cost you

Enter a UK registration, your mileage and your own electricity price for that electric car's full ownership cost. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

Where the money goes with an electric car

Depreciation. Usually the largest cost for a newer electric car, as for any newer car. 73 Auto estimates it from UK asking prices for comparable electric cars of the same model and generation; see the depreciation calculator.

Electricity. Miles × consumption × price per kWh, at your own tariff if you enter one. The electric car running cost calculator shows the formula and a worked table.

Road tax. Electric cars pay Vehicle Excise Duty, including the expensive car supplement above the list-price threshold; see electric car tax.

Servicing, repairs and tyres. Costed for the systems the car actually has, so no engine oil, clutch or exhaust; tyre life is estimated from the car's weight and power as well as your mileage.

Insurance and finance. Estimated the same way as for any car: an expected premium for the car and driver, and interest and fees if you borrow.

Electric against petrol and diesel

Median ownership cost for each fuel type in 73 Auto's examples, under one scenario.

Only fuel types with at least 5 examples are summarised.

Electric against petrol and diesel
Fuel type	Median per year	Median per mile	Examples
Electric	£5,254	£0.71	10
Petrol	£5,303	£0.72	24
Diesel	£5,774	£0.78	16

Not summarised because the sample is too small: hybrid (3 examples).

The groups differ in more than fuel: age, size and price differ too, so this is not a like-for-like test of electric against combustion. 73 Auto's electric vs petrol and diesel study compares the groups category by category and sets out its limitations.

Every electric car in 73 Auto's examples

Each links to its full breakdown.

Every electric car in 73 Auto's examples
Vehicle	Fuel	Per year	Per month	Per mile
Nissan Leaf 2018	Electricity	£4,515	£376	£0.61
Peugeot 208 Allure EV 2020	Electricity	£4,662	£389	£0.63
Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD 2019	Electricity	£4,722	£393	£0.64
Volkswagen ID.3 Life 2021	Electricity	£4,875	£406	£0.66
Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 2022	Electricity	£5,177	£431	£0.70
Kia Niro 2 EV 2023	Electricity	£5,331	£444	£0.72
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate EV 2023	Electricity	£5,333	£444	£0.72
MG 4 Trophy 2023	Electricity	£5,339	£445	£0.72
Peugeot 2008 Allure EV 2024	Electricity	£5,817	£485	£0.79
BMW i4 eDrive35 M Sport 2024	Electricity	£5,839	£487	£0.79

About these examples. All 10 were calculated under one standard scenario: 7,400 miles a year, 3-year ownership, finance purchase. They describe the specific vehicles 73 Auto has analysed, not every car of that type in the UK. They were calculated on 21 Jul 2026. Since then, 73 Auto has rebuilt its fuel prices and VED rules, tyres, servicing, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and insurance models, so a new report for the same car today can give different figures from its example.

Limitations

None of the electric examples had a vehicle-specific consumption figure, so each one's electricity line uses a generic 20 kWh per 100 km. Differences between them come from the other categories.

Every figure is a modelled estimate for a specific car under one scenario, not a quote and not a UK average. Electricity prices, charging habits and future tax changes all move the real cost.

How 73 Auto works this out

Every category is explained in the methodology, and the data sources page lists which inputs are official data and which are 73 Auto estimates. How pages are written and kept up to date is set out in the editorial policy; to report a factual error, see corrections.