Used EV Purchase Decision Calculator

Work out whether buying a used EV makes financial sense for you in the UK.

Your Details

Your Petrol Car ⛽

The car you're replacing or comparing against

Monthly miles MPG Fuel price (£/litre) Yearly insurance (£) Yearly servicing (£) Road tax (£/year)

Standard 2026/27 rate is £200. Pre-2017 cars may differ.

Original list price exceeded £40,000 — luxury supplement applies (+£440/yr) Car value today / expected sale or PX value (£)

This is assumed to be used as part exchange or sale to offset the EV purchase cost. Also used to calculate what your petrol car would have depreciated had you kept it.

EV Purchase 🔋

Used EV asking price (£) EV efficiency (miles per kWh)

Home Charger

Charger

Electricity Tariff

Day rate (£/kWh) Night rate (£/kWh) Charging done off-peak: 70%

EV Running Costs

Yearly insurance (£)

EVs can cost slightly more to insure due to higher repair costs

Yearly servicing (£) Road tax (£/year)

Standard 2026/27 rate is £200 for EVs registered after April 2017.

Original list price exceeded £50,000 — luxury supplement applies (+£440/yr)

Depreciation

Years you plan to own the EV EV depreciation rate (%/year)

Used EVs typically depreciate 12–20%/yr depending on age & model

Petrol car depreciation rate (%/year)

Shows how much your petrol car would have lost in value had you kept it — useful for comparing the real cost of each option.

Your Results

Monthly Running Costs

Petrol fuel

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EV charging

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Petrol insurance

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EV insurance

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Petrol road tax

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EV road tax

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Petrol servicing

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EV servicing

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Monthly saving switching to EV

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Upfront Cost

EV price

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Petrol car sale / part exchange

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Home charger

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Net cash outlay on day one

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Ongoing Ownership Cost (over ownership period)

Break-even on upfront cost (running savings only)

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EV value lost to depreciation

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Petrol would have lost (if kept)

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Depreciation difference

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Total running savings over period

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Summary

Ownership verdict — running costs & depreciation only

Hit Calculate to see results

All-in verdict — including net upfront outlay

Hit Calculate to see results

How this works

This calculator compares fuel, charging, insurance, road tax, servicing, charger setup and depreciation to give a full picture of whether switching to a used EV makes financial sense. Road tax uses 2026/27 UK VED rates: £200/year standard for both EV and petrol, with a £440/year luxury supplement for cars whose original list price exceeded £50,000 (EV) or £40,000 (petrol), applied for up to 5 years from second year of registration.

Your petrol car's current value is treated as the sale or part exchange amount offsetting the EV purchase cost. Depreciation shows what your petrol car would have lost in value had you kept it — this gives a fair comparison of where your money goes either way. The overall verdict accounts for upfront costs, monthly savings and depreciation difference over your chosen ownership period. Figures are estimates only.

About

The EV Calculator is a free UK-focused tool designed to help you decide whether switching to a used electric vehicle makes financial sense for your situation. Simply enter your driving costs and compare them against the estimated running costs of an EV — including charging, insurance, road tax, servicing and setup. No sign-up, no data collected, just a straightforward calculation.