Electric car vs petrol: running costs in Europe
How much does 100 km cost in an electric car charged at home compared with a petrol or diesel car? A country-by-country comparison using official household electricity prices and current pump prices.
Cost per 100 km by country
Sorted by the saving of an electric car against petrol. Click a country for details and a calculator with your own figures.
| # | Country | Electricity €/kWh | EV, 100 km | Petrol, 100 km | Diesel, 100 km | EV saving vs petrol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | €0.114 | €1.94 | €11.38 | €10.88 | −83% |
| 2 | Bulgaria | €0.134 | €2.28 | €10.43 | €10.41 | −78% |
| 3 | Malta | €0.127 | €2.16 | €8.71 | €6.66 | −75% |
| 4 | Denmark | €0.238 | €4.04 | €16.24 | €13.91 | −75% |
| 5 | Croatia | €0.182 | €3.09 | €11.37 | €11.08 | −73% |
| 6 | Netherlands | €0.244 | €4.15 | €14.85 | €13.57 | −72% |
| 7 | Slovakia | €0.199 | €3.37 | €11.60 | €10.88 | −71% |
| 8 | Greece | €0.240 | €4.08 | €13.81 | €11.76 | −70% |
| 9 | Estonia | €0.212 | €3.60 | €12.11 | €11.62 | −70% |
| 10 | Luxembourg | €0.202 | €3.44 | €11.43 | €11.61 | −70% |
| 11 | France | €0.249 | €4.22 | €14.03 | €13.04 | −70% |
| 12 | Lithuania | €0.216 | €3.68 | €12.16 | €12.23 | −70% |
| 13 | Portugal | €0.237 | €4.02 | €13.04 | €12.13 | −69% |
| 14 | Finland | €0.269 | €4.58 | €14.33 | €13.38 | −68% |
| 15 | Slovenia | €0.212 | €3.60 | €10.89 | €10.68 | −67% |
| 16 | Latvia | €0.242 | €4.11 | €12.14 | €11.54 | −66% |
| 17 | Spain | €0.251 | €4.27 | €11.25 | €10.44 | −62% |
| 18 | Romania | €0.284 | €4.82 | €12.23 | €11.39 | −61% |
| 19 | Cyprus | €0.269 | €4.57 | €11.15 | €11.01 | −59% |
| 20 | Italy | €0.314 | €5.34 | €13.01 | €12.31 | −59% |
| 21 | Czech Republic | €0.288 | €4.90 | €11.47 | €10.90 | −57% |
| 22 | Germany | €0.362 | €6.15 | €13.83 | €12.55 | −56% |
| 23 | Austria | €0.326 | €5.54 | €11.36 | €11.81 | −51% |
| 24 | Belgium | €0.358 | €6.08 | €12.44 | €13.19 | −51% |
| 25 | Ireland | €0.387 | €6.58 | €12.78 | €11.67 | −49% |
| 26 | Sweden | €0.306 | €5.21 | €10.11 | €11.34 | −48% |
| 27 | Poland | €0.300 | €5.10 | €9.46 | €9.97 | −46% |
FAQ
Is it cheaper to drive an electric car than a petrol car in Europe?
Charging at home is cheaper than petrol in 27 of 27 EU countries in our comparison. The saving is largest in Hungary (83% less per 100 km) and smallest in Poland (46%).
Does fast charging change the result?
Yes. Public rapid chargers often cost several times more per kWh than household electricity. If you mostly charge at public fast chargers, use the calculator on each country page with your own price per kWh.
Assumptions: a compact electric car using 17 kWh per 100 km from the wall (charging losses included), a petrol car using 6.5 l/100 km and a diesel car using 5.5 l/100 km; 15,000 km a year. Sources: electricity – Eurostat, household prices for 2,500–4,999 kWh a year incl. all taxes (first half of 2026); fuel – European Commission Weekly Oil Bulletin, week of 2 Nov 2026. Insurance, maintenance, purchase price and depreciation are not included.