Gas vs Hybrid vs Electric: What Each Costs to Fuel
Same miles, three powertrains. From EPA efficiency medians and your state's electricity rate, a typical car costs $2,800/year to fuel on gas, $1,430 as a full hybrid, and $881 as an EV charged at home. Your state and segment move those numbers a lot — run yours:
By the CarWhere Research Team · Updated 2026-10-24 · EPA + EIA data
Gas
$2,800/yr
$14,000 over 5 years
Hybrid
$1,430/yr
saves $1,370/yr vs gas · $6,851 over 5 years
Electric (home charging)
$918/yr
saves $1,882/yr vs gas · $9,410 over 5 years
Annual fuel cost by segment, all three powertrains
EPA median efficiency per segment at 15,000 mi/yr, $4.48/gal gas, and the median state electricity rate (16.3¢/kWh). Pick your state above for local numbers.
| Segment | Gas | Hybrid | Electric (home) | EV saves vs gas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car (sedan / hatchback) | $2,800/yr | $1,430/yr | $881/yr | $1,919/yr |
| Small SUV / crossover | $2,688/yr | $1,768/yr | $799/yr | $1,889/yr |
| Large SUV | $3,537/yr | $1,920/yr | $977/yr | $2,560/yr |
| Pickup truck | $3,733/yr | $3,055/yr | $1,092/yr | $2,641/yr |
Fuel is the easy math — the purchase price decides it.
A fuel gap of $1,919/yr disappears fast if you overpay by $5,000 on the car. See what buyers actually paid for the models you're cross-shopping, and work the out-the-door numbers on each before weighing fuel savings.
Methodology
Efficiency is the median EPA combined rating per segment across model-year 2024+ vehicles (fueleconomy.gov): combined MPG for gas and full hybrids (mild 48V hybrids and plug-ins excluded from the hybrid median), kWh/100 miles for EVs. Gas defaults to the EPA's national fuel-price assumption ($4.48/gal); electricity is each state's average residential rate from the EIA's Electric Power Monthly. Annual cost = miles ÷ MPG × price, or miles ÷ 100 × kWh/100mi × rate. Charging losses and off-peak EV tariffs are not modeled — many utilities price EV charging below the average rate. Federal public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy a gas, hybrid, or electric car?
On fuel alone, electric wins almost everywhere, hybrid second, gas third. For a typical car at 15,000 mi/yr: $2,800/yr gas, $1,430/yr hybrid, $881/yr EV home-charged at the median state rate. But fuel is only part of the decision — purchase price, incentives, home-charging access, and resale matter. The calculator on this page runs the fuel math for your state, segment, and mileage.
How much cheaper is an EV than a hybrid to run?
For a typical car, home-charged EV fuel runs $881/yr vs $1,430/yr for a full hybrid — the EV saves about $549/yr more. The gap narrows in expensive-electricity states (Hawaii, New England) and if you rely on public DC fast charging, which costs 2-4x home rates; there a strong hybrid can match or beat an EV on fuel.
When is a hybrid the better choice than an EV?
No reliable home charging (apartment, street parking), frequent long trips in sparse-charger regions, very high electricity prices, or when the EV price premium outweighs the fuel gap. A full hybrid needs no charging and still cuts fuel cost roughly 30-50% vs gas in the same segment.
What efficiency numbers does the calculator use?
Median EPA combined efficiency across model-year 2024+ vehicles in each segment — for example cars: 24 MPG gas, 47 MPG full hybrid, 36 kWh/100mi electric. Every field is editable, so you can enter your exact vehicles. Hybrid medians use full (city-advantaged) hybrids; plug-in hybrids are excluded.
Where do the gas and electricity prices come from?
Gas defaults to the EPA's current national fuel-price assumption ($4.48/gal); electricity comes from each state's average residential rate in the EIA's Electric Power Monthly. Both are editable. Public-domain federal data — republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).
Related: hybrid break-even calculator · EV charging cost by state · annual fuel cost by model