Electric Van vs Diesel Calculator
An electric van costs more to buy but far less to fuel. Enter your yearly mileage, fuel and electricity prices, and the purchase premium — the calculator shows your yearly fuel saving, how many years the premium takes to pay back, and the honest 5-year total.
Your numbers
Everything updates live as you type.
Yearly comparison
per yearMaintenance is not in the math — but it favours the EV: no oil changes, less brake wear, fewer moving parts. Fleet operators typically report 20–40% lower service costs, which shortens the real payback.
How the electric van vs diesel math works
Yearly fuel costs are distance-based, so both vans are compared over the same annual mileage:
diesel cost/year = (km ÷ 100) × L/100km × €/LEV cost/year = (km ÷ 100) × kWh/100km × €/kWh
The yearly fuel saving is diesel cost minus EV cost. With the defaults: 40,000 km at 9 L/100km and €1.70/L costs €6,120/year in diesel; the EV uses 28 kWh/100km at €0.30/kWh = €3,360/year — a saving of €2,760 per year.
The payback period is the purchase premium divided by the yearly saving: payback = premium ÷ yearly saving. €15,000 ÷ €2,760 = 5.4 years.
The honest 5-year total
The 5-year total is 5 × yearly saving − premium. With the defaults that's 5 × €2,760 − €15,000 = −€1,200: at these numbers the electric van is still €1,200 short of paying back its premium after 5 years. That honesty is the point — high mileage, cheap depot charging and falling EV prices are what push the total into the green.
Frequently asked questions
What is the payback period on an electric van?
Divide the purchase premium by the yearly fuel saving. With the default numbers (40,000 km/year, €15,000 premium) it's 5.4 years. Drive more kilometres per year or charge on a cheaper tariff and the payback gets shorter — try your own numbers above.
Why is the 5-year total negative in the example?
Because five years of fuel savings (€13,800) don't yet cover the €15,000 purchase premium — the van is €1,200 short. This is realistic for moderate mileage. At 60,000 km/year the same van pays back in about 3.6 years and the 5-year total turns positive.
Are maintenance savings included?
No — the math covers fuel/energy only, so the result is conservative. In practice EVs skip oil changes, wear brakes less (regenerative braking) and have fewer moving parts; fleets typically see 20–40% lower service costs, which shortens the real-world payback.
What about battery degradation and resale value?
Modern van batteries degrade slowly — roughly 1–2% of capacity per year — and most come with 8-year battery warranties. Resale values for used electric vans are still developing, so we leave them out rather than guess. If anything, lower running costs support stronger residual values for high-mileage vans.
Does mileage matter most for the decision?
Yes — it's the single biggest lever. Fuel savings scale directly with kilometres, while the purchase premium is fixed. Low-mileage vans may never pay back the premium on fuel alone; high-mileage fleet vans often do within 3–5 years, before maintenance savings are even counted.
Last updated: September 2026.
Disclaimer: True EV Cost tools are for information only and are not professional financial advice. Actual costs depend on your tariffs, driving patterns, incentives and vehicle prices.