Motoring, cost per mile
Cost per mile: petrol, diesel and electric in 2026
Cost per mile is almost always quoted as fuel alone, which is the smaller half of the truth and the half that flatters electric cars most. Both figures are here, separately, because the fuel one is what gets advertised and the other one is what leaves your account.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it never changes which option comes out cheapest here, because the ranking is arithmetic. How this works.
Fuel only, which is the figure everybody quotes
On fuel alone the ranking is not close. An electric car charged at home costs under 1.94p a mile. A diesel costs 15.8p, a petrol car 17p. And the same electric car charged on the public rapid network costs 22.2p, which is more than either of them.
That last line is the one worth sitting with. Whether you have a driveway changes the running cost of an electric car by more than a factor of eleven, and it changes it by more than choosing a different car does.
All in, which is the figure that leaves your account
| Option | Running | Cost per mile | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel55 mpg | 15.8p | 47.4p | |
| Petrol45 mpg | 17p | 55.3p | |
| Electric, charged at home3.6 miles per kWh at 7p | 1.94p | 63.5p | |
| Electric, public rapid charging only3.6 miles per kWh at 80p | 22.2p | 83.8p |
The ranking inverts completely. The car that was cheapest to fuel by a factor of eight is now the dearest of the three to run, because it costs roughly twice as much to buy and that has to be divided across the same miles. Diesel wins outright at 47.4p, petrol is 55.3p, and the home charged electric car is 63.5p despite fuel costing it almost nothing.
What we included and what we did not
Depreciation is handled as the whole purchase price divided across eight years and the mileage, which assumes the car is worth nothing at the end. That is harsh on every option equally. Upkeep is servicing, tyres, insurance and tax, and it is lower for the electric car because there is less to service and no fuel duty to pay. We have not counted the cost of installing a home charger, typically a few hundred pounds, which would add well under a penny a mile across eight years.
Annual mileage. Depreciation per mile falls as you drive further, so a car driven 15,000 miles a year has a much lower cost per mile than the same car driven 5,000. That is why the diesel is credited with 10,000 miles here and the petrol with 7,500, and it is why anybody driving very little should be looking hard at whether they need the car rather than which car to have.
Where diesel still wins
High mileage, long journeys, no home charger. A diesel returning 55 mpg on a motorway run is genuinely cheap to fuel, does not care about the weather, and does not need a plan. If your driving is mostly short urban trips it is the worst option on the list, because it is dirtier, the exhaust filter needs long runs to clear, and none of the efficiency advantage shows up.
The verdict
If you can charge at home, an electric car is dramatically cheaper to fuel and, at these prices, still more expensive to run once the purchase price is divided in. That is not an argument against buying one, it is an argument against the 1.94p a mile figure being quoted as though it were the whole answer. The fuel saving is real and large, and at 8,000 miles a year it is not large enough to cover a £35,000 car. Drive more, or buy a cheaper one, and it is. Anybody quoting 1.94p a mile without asking your annual mileage or where you park is quoting the best case as though it were the only case.
Put your own numbers in
Prefilled with a petrol car. Put your own miles per gallon, your own annual mileage and your own upkeep in.
Cost per meal
Set the purchase price to zero for the running cost alone.
Questions
How much does a mile cost in a petrol car in the UK?
About 17p in fuel at 45 mpg and 168.14p per litre a litre, or roughly 55.3p a mile all in once depreciation, insurance, servicing and tax are divided across eight years.
Is an electric car cheaper to run than petrol?
On fuel, hugely: under 1.94p a mile on an overnight rate against 17p for petrol. All in the gap is much smaller, because the car costs about twice as much to buy.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car per mile?
About 1.94p a mile at a 7p per kWh overnight rate and about 22.2p a mile on the public rapid network at 80p per kWh per kWh, both at 3.6 miles per kWh.
Is public rapid charging more expensive than petrol?
Yes, on fuel cost per mile. At the July 2026 weighted average of 80p per kWh per kWh a rapid charged electric car costs about 22.2p a mile against 17p for petrol.
Is diesel still worth it in 2026?
For high annual mileage and long runs, yes. Diesel is dearer per litre but 55 mpg against 45 more than covers it. For short urban trips it is the weakest choice on the list.
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More motoring costs, or read how we work these out.
Prices used on this page
- Petrol, E10 unleaded, 168.14p per litre. UK average pump price, ultra low sulphur unleaded.. Weekly road fuel prices, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Checked 16 September 2026.
- Diesel, B7, 190.72p per litre. UK average pump price, ultra low sulphur diesel.. Weekly road fuel prices, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Checked 16 September 2026.
- Off-peak EV electricity, 7p per kWh. A dedicated overnight EV rate. Not capped, varies by supplier, and normally requires a smart meter.. Typical UK EV night tariff. Checked 22 August 2026.
- Public rapid charging, 80p per kWh. Weighted average pay-as-you-go price on 50kW and above chargers.. Zapmap EV charging price index. Checked 22 August 2026.