Methodology & sources

The Tesla vs Gas Cost Calculator runs entirely in your browser on a transparent, year-by-year model. Every default is sourced; nothing is invented. Inputs are fully editable — these are starting points, not claims about your situation.

The model

For each vehicle we compute annual cost across the ownership horizon and accumulate a true net cost of ownership:

• Net cost to date = depreciation + financing interest paid + running costs (energy, maintenance, insurance, EV fees, FSD) + one-time costs (sales tax, charger install, minus incentives), measured against resale value.
• Financing uses standard loan amortization (PMT) with editable APR and term.
• Depreciation is front-loaded: a larger first-year drop, then a gentler decline calibrated to the 5-year retention figure.
• Energy: EV kWh = miles × efficiency × (1 + charging loss), split between home and Supercharger rates; gas = miles ÷ MPG × gas price. Both can be inflated forward each year. Electricity is your single all-in rate ($/kWh) straight off your bill.
• Maintenance is itemized, not a flat per-mile guess: 15 real services (oil, air/cabin filters, spark plugs, transmission, coolant, brake fluid, brake pads & rotors, tire rotation, tire replacement, alignment, 12V battery, inspection) each modeled by its own interval and real 2026 cost (RepairPal/KBB, sanity-checked against AAA Your Driving Costs). EVs correctly skip oil, spark plugs, transmission, accessory belts and coolant — and because regenerative braking and one-pedal driving do most of the stopping, a Tesla typically needs no brake pad or rotor replacement in a normal 8-year hold (friction pads commonly last 100k–150k+ miles), while a comparable gas car needs at least one full brake job. We count scheduled services only; real-world unscheduled repairs add more and hit gas cars harder, so this is conservative for the EV. Tire wear is modeled per trim: a mainstream Model 3/Y goes ~32k miles a set vs ~45k for a comparable gas car (heavier + instant torque), while Performance (~19k), Plaid (~17k) and Cybertruck (~21k) wear faster still — and the gas comparable carries its own tire life, so a Corvette Z06 on Cup 2 R tires (~12k) or a Raptor R on 37s correctly costs more on tires than a Plaid. Both are editable in the advanced tab.
• EV fees & incentives are state-specific: pick your state and the annual EV registration surcharge, any one-time fee, and current state incentive auto-fill (all 50 states + DC). Federal credit defaults to $0 (terminated 9/30/2025).
• Break-even year is the first year the Tesla's net cost falls at or below the gas car's.

Default values & sources (June 2026)

• Vehicle efficiency & range — fueleconomy.gov (EPA), pulled live per trim.
• Tesla MSRPs, FSD ($99/mo), financing promos — manufacturer pricing, June 2026.
• Gas & Supercharger prices — gas is live from the EIA (with an AAA fallback), auto-set to your state; Supercharging defaults to your state average (~$0.43/kWh nationally; varies by site and time of day). Electricity — EIA state-average residential (US average ~$0.17/kWh), auto-set to your state.
• Maintenance intervals & costs — AAA "Your Driving Costs", Consumer Reports, and 2026 service-cost data; EV tire-wear premium from Michelin/Bridgestone/J.D. Power.
• Insurance — real owner-paid full coverage on a clean record (not the inflated all-driver quote-site averages): Model 3 ~$2,300, Model Y ~$2,200 (about $185/mo), premium Model S/X/Cybertruck ~$2,900–3,000, vs a comparable gas SUV ~$2,000. Per Insurify, newer (2024+) EVs run only ~18% more than gas, not the 40%+ the quote aggregators imply. All editable in the calculator.
• Depreciation — Recharged / CarEdge 2026 (Tesla ~40% / gas ~45% over 5 years, front-loaded).
• EV fees & incentives — NCSL / AFDC EV registration-fee tables (all 50 states + DC, ~$0–$267/yr) and state energy offices; IRS (federal 30D credit terminated 9/30/2025).

What we don't do

We don't apply incentives that no longer exist, we don't assume free Supercharging, and we don't hide depreciation or insurance to make the EV look better. If the gas car is cheaper for your inputs, the calculator says so.

Estimates for general information only — not financial advice. Verify current prices, rates, and tax rules for your situation before purchasing.