According to the ADAC, an electric car often costs less than petrol or diesel vehicles – if you include government subsidies and consumption. However, the price advantage only applies from the middle class upwards.
The differences in the cost of electric cars and vehicles that run on petrol or diesel have narrowed. Depending on the vehicle category, battery-powered cars have actually become cheaper for buyers, according to the ADAC.
Maintenance as a cost factor
In its calculations, the automobile club compared the full costs for the vehicle models currently available on the German market. In addition to the costs for fuel or electricity, the depreciation of the vehicle and items such as maintenance costs, taxes and insurance were also included.
Basically, the following currently applies: the more expensive a vehicle is, the lower the price and also the full cost differences between electric cars and combustion engines. The e-vehicle even has cost advantages, especially in the mid-range category.
E middle class is almost always worthwhile
On average for the mid-range vehicles evaluated, the e-car was still minimally cheaper with an assumed annual mileage of 15,000 kilometers and a vehicle ownership period of five years, even if a very high 80 cents per kilowatt hour and 1.50 euros for diesel comparatively low fuel prices.
According to ADAC, even in the lower middle class, a VW ID.3 is 2000 euros cheaper than the comparison vehicle from the Wolfsburg manufacturer, the Golf 1.5 eTSI Liufe DSG, after deducting the maximum subsidy amount of currently 6750 euros. In the full cost calculation, too, the kilometer price of 56.0 cents for the e-car is below that of the combustion vehicle with 59.2 cents.
According to ADAC, the trend that e-vehicles are cheaper than their combustion engine counterparts given the current costs and subsidies can also be observed in the classic middle class. In the case of vehicles in the upper middle class, a diesel vehicle tends to be even cheaper. And in the upper class of vehicles, things are looking better again for electric cars.
Small and micro cars still expensive in the E version
However, the cost comparison still looks very unfavorable for small and micro cars. With an electricity price of 40 cents, the combustion engines are cheaper on average, even with fuel prices of two euros. According to the ADAC, the prices for electric cars are simply too much higher than for combustion engines. For example, an Opel Corsa in the combustion variant costs 18,280 euros according to the list price, but as an electric car it costs 36,395 euros. The reason for the drastic deviations is above all the high price of the e-car battery, which is relatively more important in cheaper vehicles.
According to the ADAC, however, the individual values could differ significantly – depending on the vehicle or the amount of the discount granted on individual models.