Gasoline, hybrid, or electric? Here’s what it costs to travel 15,000 km per year with each technology
Gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric. Not too long ago, buying a new car meant mainly choosing between gasoline and diesel, but electrification has expanded the options—and with them, the doubts. While we can discuss range, power, performance, or the DGT fuel efficiency rating, there’s a much simpler question that directly affects your wallet: Which technology will cost me less money each year?
To answer this, we’ll use a driver who travels 15,000 kilometers per year as a reference and calculate how much it would cost them to cover exactly that same distance using four different technologies. For this purpose, we’ll use various SUVs from OMODA and JAECOO, two brands that make this comparison possible since they offer gasoline engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles in their ranges.
The prices start at 1.94 €/l for gasoline and 0.16 €/kWh for household electricity. However, since not everyone has a garage or an outlet at home, we will also consider what happens when using fast charging, in which case the price is 0.46 €/kWh.
We start with the well-known scenario. A gasoline-powered JAECOO 5, with an approved fuel consumption of 7 l/100 km, requires about 13.58 euros to travel 100 kilometers. This amount may seem relatively small, but after 15,000 kilometers—our reference point—it amounts to approximately 2,037 euros per year just in fuel costs.
To start reducing that bill, you don’t even need an outlet. The OMODA 5 hybrid has a fuel consumption of 5.3 l/100 km, which reduces the energy cost to approximately 10.28 euros per 100 kilometers. After traveling the same 15,000 kilometers, the expense would be around 1,542 euros, meaning 495 euros less per year compared to a gasoline SUV, without the need to worry about charging a battery.
The difference may not seem huge if we consider it only over twelve months, but it takes on a different significance when we think about the typical lifespan of a car. Keeping both mileage and prices constant for this comparison, after five years the energy difference between the two would be around 2,475 euros.
The big leap comes with the availability of charging stations
Things start to change significantly when electricity plays a more prominent role. Here, a key factor emerges in understanding the true cost of using a plug-in hybrid: where and at what price we charge its battery.
In this case, the JAECOO 7 SHS plug-in hybrid is an ideal vehicle to test this. To make these calculations, we assume a scenario where most trips are completed using electric power, which is crucial for understanding the figures and implies frequent charging of the vehicle.
If we can charge it regularly at home, the estimated energy cost is only about 2.44 euros per 100 kilometers. After traveling 15,000 kilometers, we would have spent approximately 366 euros, compared to 2,037 euros required to cover the same distance with a gasoline-powered JAECOO 5. The difference amounts to as much as 1,671 euros in just one year.
But changing just one variable can significantly alter the costs. If we have no home charging and rely mainly on fast chargers, using the price of 0.46 €/kWh in these calculations, the energy cost rises to 7.01 euros per 100 kilometers. After covering those same 15,000 kilometers, the annual expense would be approximately 1,052 euros.
A plug-in hybrid would still save money compared to a gasoline car, specifically 985 euros per year, but this difference is far smaller than the over 1,600 euros saved when the battery is charged mainly at home. Here we find one of the most interesting conclusions of this comparison: in a plug-in car, where we charge it can end up being almost as important for our wallet as the technology itself we purchase.
Another good example can be found in the OMODA 9 SHS, a larger plug-in hybrid SUV. By relying mainly on its electric operation and home charging, the estimated energy cost is 2.93 €/100 km, which would amount to around 440 euros after traveling 15,000 kilometers. Compared to our gasoline reference vehicle, this is 1,597 euros less per year.
However, when using fast charging, the cost for the OMODA 9 SHS rises to 8.41 €/100 km and 1,262 euros annually. The car and mileage remain exactly the same, but the difference between charging mainly at home or using fast chargers amounts to over 800 euros per year, highlighting just how much the cost of electricity can affect the final outcome.
What if we eliminate gasoline altogether?
We finally arrive at the electric car, a technology that completely eliminates the need for an internal combustion engine and, thus, gasoline costs as well. But just like with plug-in hybrids, having a home charging station makes a significant difference.
The JAECOO 5 electric model has an energy consumption of 16.5 kWh/100 km. Using the domestic electricity price as a reference for this comparison, driving 100 kilometers costs approximately 2.67 euros.
This means that covering the 15,000 kilometers with our electric vehicle would cost around 401 euros per year in electricity. Compared to the 2,037 euros required to travel the same distance with a gasoline-powered JAECOO 5, that’s 1,636 euros less per year.
The difference becomes even more striking when we look at a longer time frame. Keeping the mileage and energy prices constant in these calculations, after five years we’d be talking about a difference of over 8,100 euros solely in energy costs.
But let’s unplug our driver from home charging again. If those 15,000 kilometers were covered mainly through fast charging, the energy cost for the JAECOO 5 electric vehicle would rise to 7.66 €/100 km, amounting to approximately 1,149 euros per year. The savings compared to gasoline would still exist, though it would decrease to 888 euros annually.
At this point, the figures give us a pretty clear idea of the differences. Driving 15,000 kilometers would cost approximately 2,037 euros with a gasoline SUV and 1,542 euros with a hybrid vehicle. If we can take advantage of home charging, the plug-in hybrid used primarily in electric vehicles reduces this figure to 366 euros, while the electric vehicle stays around 401 euros.
The difference between the 2,037 euros for gasoline and the 366 euros in the most economical scenario of this comparison is 1,671 euros per year. This is a sufficiently large amount to make energy costs another factor to consider when deciding which technology best fits our needs.
It is clear, then, that there is no single solution suitable for all drivers. Hybrids allow us to start reducing expenses without needing a charging outlet, while plug-in hybrids can cut costs even further if we have a place to charge regularly and make use of their electric range. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, achieve some of the lowest energy costs when we can rely mainly on home electricity.
Therefore, before deciding which technology interests us the most, we might need to ask another question besides how many kilometers we drive each year: where will we charge the car? For someone who drives 15,000 kilometers per year, the answer could mean a difference of nearly 1,700 euros per year.
Cost of driving 15,000 km per year by technology
Technology / Model
Cost per 100 km
Annual cost (15,000 km)
Annual savings compared to gasoline
Gasoline – JAECOO 5
13.58 €
2,037 €
-----
Hybrid – OMODA 5
10.28 €
1,542 €
495 €
Plug-in hybrid – JAECOO 7 SHS, home charging
2.44 €
366 €
1,671 €
Plug-in hybrid – OMODA 9 SHS, home charging
2.93 €
440 €
1,597 €
Electric – JAECOO 5, home charging
2.67 €
401 €
1.636 €
How much does the annual cost vary depending on where we charge the car
Plug-in model
Charging at home
Fast charging
Annual difference
JAECOO 7 SHS
366 €/year
1.052 €/year
686 €
OMODA 9 SHS
440 €/year
1.262 €/year
822 €
JAECOO 5 electric
401 €/year
1.149 €/year
748 €