Consumers misjudge the electricity costs of electric cars

Those who drive an electric car usually “fill up” much cheaper than drivers of cars with petrol engines. Many German vehicle owners are apparently not aware of this, as a survey for the Internet comparison portal Verivox showed. Most of the respondents (53%) wrongly estimate the relationship between electricity and gasoline costs when refueling.

Twenty-two percent of survey respondents believe average fuel costs for electricity and gasoline are about the same. 31% believe fuel costs for electricity are higher. About 47 percent said fuel costs for gasoline are higher than for electricity. “Many drivers in Germany keep an eye on fuel costs. However, the majority misjudge the relationship between electricity and gasoline costs. If you charge your electric car with electricity at home, you pay a lot less than for a comparable petrol engine, “says Thorsten Storck, energy expert at Verivox.

According to the Federal Association for eMobility (BEM), around 80% of electric car users charge their vehicles at home or at their employer. Verivox then used the average electricity price for households (28.65 cents / kWh in September 2020) for the cost comparison. Depending on the provider and the type of charging, significantly higher costs can arise in public charging stations.

The average energy consumption of the ten electric car models that were most frequently registered in 2019 and tested by the ADAC Ecotest is 20 kWh per 100 km, which corresponds to costs of 5.73 euros, according to Verivox. The average consumption of petrol vehicles is 7.8 liters per 100 km. With an average petrol price of 1.245 euros / liter in September 2020, it would cost 9.71 euros. The average consumption of cars with diesel is 7 liters per 100 km. With an average diesel price of 1,049 euros / liter in September 2020, this would cost 7.34 euros.

Three models compared

A comparison of similar car models shows that the costs of electricity for refueling are significantly lower than the costs of gasoline: according to a test by the ADAC, the VW e-Golf consumes about 17.3 kWh per 100 kilometers. If we take into account the average price of household electricity in September, this corresponds to costs of around € 4.96. According to the ADAC, the VW Golf 1.5 eTSI petrol engine consumes 6.1 liters of petrol per 100 kilometers, which corresponds to 7.59 euros.

“The difference in price increases the higher the annual mileage. If you drive 5,000 kilometers a year, you have to pay around 130 euros more for gasoline. With an annual mileage of 15,000 kilometers, that’s almost 400 euros more, ”explains Storck. The economical VW Golf 2.0 TDI diesel, which, according to ADAC Ecotest, has a consumption of 4.8 liters per 100 kilometers, costs 5.04 euros, which is only slightly higher than the electricity costs of the comparable model.

Consumers who drive an electric car and charge it at home can influence their electricity costs by choosing the electric tariff. Depending on the current electricity tariff, annual costs can be reduced by several hundred euros with a cheaper green electricity tariff, according to Verivox.