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EV vs petrol: what it costs to run
An electric car's running cost depends more on where you charge it than on which one you buy. Charged at home off-peak at Rs 23.57 per kWh, a typical EV costs about Rs 401 per 100 km; a petrol car at 12 km/l costs about Rs 3,257 at Rs 390.79 a litre. Below is the same sum for every EV on sale in Pakistan, and a calculator for your own numbers.
Your numbers
Work out your own month
Starts at 1,500 km a month, 80 percent charged at home off-peak and the rest at the middle listed DC price of PKR 120 per kWh, in the BYD Atto 3. Charging losses between the wall and the battery add roughly a tenth to the electric figure.
Every EV on sale
Cost per 100 km, model by model
| Model | Uses | Home off-peak | Public DC | Saving a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alektra Metro 2-Door | 11.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 259 | Rs 1,320 | Rs 41,778 |
| Alektra Metro 4-Door | 11.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 259 | Rs 1,320 | Rs 41,778 |
| Honri Ve | 11.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 275 | Rs 1,400 | Rs 41,328 |
| Changan Lumin | 15.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 353 | Rs 1,799 | Rs 39,206 |
| MG Binguo | 15.4 kWh/100 km | Rs 364 | Rs 1,852 | Rs 38,949 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 15.8 kWh/100 km | Rs 371 | Rs 1,891 | Rs 38,692 |
| Dongfeng Box | 17.1 kWh/100 km | Rs 402 | Rs 2,049 | Rs 37,856 |
| Omoda E5 | 17.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 417 | Rs 2,125 | Rs 37,471 |
| BYD Dolphin | 17.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 418 | Rs 2,128 | Rs 37,471 |
| Deepal S05 EV | 17.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 418 | Rs 2,127 | Rs 37,471 |
| MG4 EV | 17.8 kWh/100 km | Rs 419 | Rs 2,133 | Rs 37,406 |
| BYD Atto 2 | 18.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 425 | Rs 2,165 | Rs 37,278 |
| BYD Atto 3 | 18.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 425 | Rs 2,163 | Rs 37,278 |
| BYD Seal | 18.1 kWh/100 km | Rs 427 | Rs 2,173 | Rs 37,214 |
| GAC Aion V | 18.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 440 | Rs 2,240 | Rs 36,828 |
| Ora 03 | 18.8 kWh/100 km | Rs 443 | Rs 2,253 | Rs 36,764 |
| MG5 EV | 19.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 447 | Rs 2,275 | Rs 36,635 |
| XPeng G6 | 19.2 kWh/100 km | Rs 453 | Rs 2,305 | Rs 36,506 |
| Deepal L07 | 20.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 471 | Rs 2,397 | Rs 35,992 |
| Zeekr 7X | 20.3 kWh/100 km | Rs 479 | Rs 2,438 | Rs 35,799 |
| Seres 3 | 20.4 kWh/100 km | Rs 480 | Rs 2,443 | Rs 35,735 |
| Deepal S07 EV | 20.6 kWh/100 km | Rs 486 | Rs 2,475 | Rs 35,606 |
| MG ZS EV | 20.6 kWh/100 km | Rs 486 | Rs 2,473 | Rs 35,606 |
| Deepal E07 | 20.6 kWh/100 km | Rs 486 | Rs 2,473 | Rs 35,606 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 20.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 488 | Rs 2,485 | Rs 35,542 |
| BYD M6 | 20.8 kWh/100 km | Rs 491 | Rs 2,501 | Rs 35,478 |
| Kia EV5 | 20.8 kWh/100 km | Rs 489 | Rs 2,491 | Rs 35,478 |
| BYD Sealion 7 | 21.4 kWh/100 km | Rs 505 | Rs 2,570 | Rs 35,092 |
| Avatr 07 | 22.0 kWh/100 km | Rs 519 | Rs 2,641 | Rs 34,707 |
| Kia EV9 | 22.2 kWh/100 km | Rs 523 | Rs 2,661 | Rs 34,578 |
| Jaecoo J6 | 22.4 kWh/100 km | Rs 529 | Rs 2,691 | Rs 34,449 |
| Avatr 11 | 25.7 kWh/100 km | Rs 605 | Rs 3,078 | Rs 32,328 |
| Riddara RD6 | 26.9 kWh/100 km | Rs 633 | Rs 3,225 | Rs 31,557 |
Per 100 km. "Saving a month" is against a petrol car at 12 km/l over 1,500 km, with 80 percent of charging at home off-peak and the rest at public DC. Each car's consumption is worked out from its usable battery and the real range the model page plans with, so it already allows for heat, air conditioning and motorway speed.
How to read it
What moves the number
Where you charge matters most. The same car costs about 5.1 times as much per kilometre on a public DC charger as it does at home off-peak. A driver who charges at home almost every night saves most of what petrol would cost; one who can only use public fast chargers still saves, but much less. The home charging guide covers the meter and the wiring.
The car matters less than you would think. Between the most and least efficient EVs on sale, the difference is about Rs 374 per 100 km at home. Over a year that is real money, but it is small next to the gap between home and public charging.
Petrol moves every fortnight. OGRA revises the price twice a month, so the petrol column is this fortnight's number. Type the current price into the calculator to update it.
For the full arithmetic, including standard-slab home rates and the station tariff cap, see what it costs to charge an EV in Pakistan.
Questions
Questions about running costs
Is an electric car cheaper to run than petrol in Pakistan?
Yes. Charged at home on the off-peak rate of Rs 23.57 per kWh, a typical EV costs about Rs 401 per 100 km, against about Rs 3,257 for a petrol car at 12 km/l. At public DC chargers it costs about Rs 2,040 per 100 km, which is still less than petrol but a much smaller saving.
How much does an EV save a month in Pakistan?
At 1,500 km a month, charged 80 percent at home off-peak and the rest at public DC chargers, a typical EV saves about Rs 37,921 a month against a petrol car at 12 km/l. The calculator on this page works it out for a specific car and your own distance.
What does it cost to charge an EV per kilometre?
About Rs 4.0 per km at home off-peak and about Rs 20.4 per km at a public DC charger, for a typical EV using 17 kWh per 100 km. A petrol car at 12 km/l costs about Rs 32.6 per km.
See the price before you plug in
Every public charger on the map shows its rate, and the app works out what a charge costs for your car.