Featured calculator

EV Cost.

Pick any electric vehicle and see the true 5-year cost to own it. Depreciation, financing, electricity, insurance, maintenance, and incentives — every line item, honest math, priced to your ZIP.

California

Electric vehicle

Your EV

$

Auto-fills when you pick a trim. Editable.

−$

US federal EV tax credit ended Sept 30, 2025. Enter your country's national or federal EV subsidy if applicable.

−$

Auto-fills based on your ZIP and vehicle type. Editable.

$

Auto-fills when you pick a vehicle. Editable.

$

Auto-fills when you pick a vehicle. Editable.

Choose a year to begin.

Purchase & financing

Cash vs. loan changes the true cost by thousands. Interest paid over the loan is a real ownership expense.

Depreciation

The loss in your vehicle's value over time — usually the single biggest ownership cost. We use geometric depreciation: Residual = MSRP × (1 − r)ⁿ.

% / yr

Mainstream EV — default 18% / yr. Editable.

Residual value after 5 years $—
Total depreciation loss $—

5-year true cost to own

$—

Pick a vehicle to begin

Cost breakdown

Depreciation loss$—
Electricity (over horizon)$—
Insurance (over horizon)$—
Maintenance (over horizon)$—
National EV incentive−$—
State & utility incentives−$—
True cost to own$—

Data & assumptions

  • Electricity rate loading…
  • EV fuel economy —
  • Depreciation model Geometric — MSRP × (1 − r)ⁿ
  • National EV incentive User-entered — US federal credit ended Sept 30, 2025

Sources: U.S. EIA (electricity rates), EPA fueleconomy.gov (vehicle specs), Drive Economics curated MSRP + incentive data. Depreciation is modeled geometrically — real-world depreciation is typically steeper in year 1 and flatter thereafter, so 5-year totals are directionally accurate but year-1 loss may exceed the modeled value. The US federal EV tax credit expired for vehicles purchased after September 30, 2025, so the "National EV incentive" field defaults to $0; enter your country's national or federal EV subsidy if you're outside the US or the credit was applied at point of sale before expiration. State- and utility-level incentives (below) still apply regardless of where you live. Insurance and maintenance defaults are sector averages — edit them to match your driving profile and provider.