ICE (petrol / diesel / CNG)
EV (electric)
Shared assumptions
How the break-even is computed
Both sides use the same TCO skeleton as our 5-year cost calculator, run in parallel: cost = purchase + fuel + insurance + maintenance − resale. The calculator computes cumulative cost year by year for 10 years on each side.
Break-even year = the first year where cumulative ICE cost exceeds cumulative EV cost, interpolated linearly between the bracketing years for a decimal answer like "3.8". If EV is cheaper from day one (unusual in India currently), break-even is "Year 0". If EV never overtakes within 10 years, we label it "Beyond 10 yrs" and the verdict flips.
Fuel / electricity: (annual km ÷ efficiency) × price × years. The equation is the same for both — "efficiency" is km/L or km/kg for ICE and km/kWh for EV, "price" is per-litre, per-kg, or per-kWh. Home charging is assumed; public fast-charging at ₹18-25/kWh would compress the break-even by ~1-2 years on typical usage.
Insurance: ICE defaults to 3.5% yr 1 / 3.0% rollover. EV defaults to 3.8% / 3.2% — slightly higher, reflecting costlier part replacement (battery-adjacent components). Both decline year-over-year against the depreciating IDV.
Maintenance taper: ICE schedule ramps from 0.5× to 3.5× of the entered baseline over 10 years (reflecting real Indian repair cadence). EV schedule runs softer, 0.2× to 1.9×, reflecting fewer moving parts and zero oil service — but with a small risk premium built into years 8-10 for post-warranty battery / motor concerns.
Depreciation: ICE retention 85 / 76 / 68 / 61 / 55 / 50 / 46 / 42 / 38 / 35 (IBB / Orange Book / Cars24 consensus). EV retention 78 / 65 / 55 / 47 / 40 / 35 / 30 / 26 / 22 / 19 — softer, reflecting thin used-EV demand and battery-generation uncertainty. Both are applied to ex-showroom price to compute resale at the end of your chosen horizon.
What's excluded: EMI interest, road tax (already in on-road price, varies state to state), charger install / upgrade costs for EVs, public fast-charging premium, accessories, and any claim-related hikes. Excluding variable-by-user items keeps the two sides comparable.
FAQ
When does an EV become cheaper than petrol or diesel in India?
For typical 2026 pricing — ₹15L petrol hatchback at 15 km/L vs ₹17L EV at 6 km/kWh — the break-even sits between year 3 and year 5 at 12,000 km/year, and earlier (year 2 to 3) at 20,000+ km/year. Diesel vs EV break-even is longer because diesel fuel cost per km is lower; CNG vs EV can push past year 7. Every input is editable on this page — change the numbers to match your situation and the break-even recomputes live.
What break-even point does this calculator use?
The first year where cumulative EV spend (purchase + electricity + insurance + maintenance, net of resale) falls below cumulative ICE spend. We interpolate between years for a fractional answer like "3.8 years", since the crossover rarely lands exactly on an anniversary.
Why do EVs depreciate faster in India?
Thin used-EV buyer pool, battery-generation uncertainty, and a market where petrol resale networks are mature while EV ones aren't. Our default EV retention curve (78 / 65 / 55 / 47 / 40 / 35 …) is softer than the ICE curve (85 / 76 / 68 / 61 / 55 / 50 …) to reflect this. Both are editable via the depreciation inputs.
What about EV battery replacement?
Most Indian EV makers warranty the battery for 8 years or 1.6 lakh km, whichever comes first. Before that, battery failure is covered. Beyond it, replacement cost is significant — ₹3L-₹8L depending on pack size — and many owners choose to sell the vehicle before that horizon. Our default 10-year maintenance taper already bakes in a small post-warranty risk premium for the EV side, but you can raise the maintenance % on the EV column to model a more conservative view.
Can I share my result?
Yes — every input change rewrites the URL. Copy the address bar and the recipient sees the identical comparison.