Running cost · electric vs petrol

EV vs petrol / what it costs to drive

Charging at home versus filling up at the bowser, on your own numbers. The defaults are based on a BYD Sealion 7 and Australian prices.

The EV saves you

$0 / year

EV /yr Petrol /yr km/yr

Your assumptions

Distance driven

km/yr

EV energy use

kWh/100km

Real-world tests of the Sealion 7 land around 18–21. City-only can dip lower.

Electricity price

c/kWh

A flat rate is around 28–30c. On an off-peak or EV plan, home charging can be 8–15c.

Petrol car use

L/100km

A comparable mid-size petrol SUV is about 8 L/100km.

Petrol price

$/L

Servicing & maintenance

Include yearly servicing in the totals

EV servicing

$/yr

Petrol servicing

$/yr

Cost per 100 km

Petrol car

Filling the bowser costs what it costs to charge the EV, per kilometre.

What you’ll have spent

EV Petrol car

How it’s worked out. Energy only, unless you switch on servicing. EV cost = kWh/100km × electricity price; petrol cost = L/100km × pump price; both scaled by distance. The lines assume prices hold steady. Fuel prices have historically climbed faster than off-peak electricity, so the real gap tends to widen. Defaults reflect the Sealion 7’s real-world energy use and Australian prices; charge off-peak or from solar and the EV side drops further. Tune every field to match your own situation.