Driving an EV becomes FREE for the rest of the year from today
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With running costs of electric cars typically cheaper than those for a petrol model, there's an inevitable date each year when they technically become comparably ‘free’ to drive. And this year, it’s two weeks earlier than last...
This is Money reveals that today (3 July) is when it becomes effectively free to run an EV – beating last year’s milestone by 12 days.
Today is the 'crossover day' when a petrol driver spends more on fuel than an electric driver will for an entire year, according to calculations by the Electric Car Scheme in what it's dubbed ‘Electric Car Day’.
By scrutinising the annual fuel costs for the average UK driver travelling 7,400 miles a year, it estimated that petrol drivers will spend £1,161 while EV drivers will pay £592.
But it’s even better news for electric car drivers on special energy tariffs or utilising a salary sacrifice charging set up, as this date could come as early as 9 March – based on drivers being able to access the cheapest 3p per mile charging on an EV dedicated tariff.
This comes after all public charging speeds held steady or fell during May, making it cheaper to charge your car before summer holidays begin.
EV drivers will effectively be driving for ‘free’ compared to petrol drivers is 3 July – beating last year’s date of 15 July - This is Money can exclusively reveal
Electric Car Day underlines just how much more affordable electric cars are to run, with the average EV driver getting essentially six months of free driving.
The date for when driving an electric car essentially becomes ‘free’ is getting earlier and earlier, falling on 1 August in 2023, and 15 July in 2024.
This is because fuel and energy prices fluctuate and the efficiency of EVs improves. So, EV owners are seeing their savings increase each year.
But it’s not just higher money savings that EV are delivering; the amount of CO2 saved by drivers of electric cars has also increased as the share of electricity being generated by renewable sources has increased in the past year, meaning fewer total emissions, and pollution, compared to petrol cars.
The Electric Car Scheme CEO and co-founder Thom Groot commented: ‘EV drivers will be pleased to hear that from now on, their driving is effectively free compared to the average petrol driver. That is before you think of the reduced emissions and pollution taken out of villages, towns and cities and the improved health of those who live there.
‘While free driving for nearly half the year is impressive, there are some EV drivers that have been effectively doing so for three months already.’
Electric Car Day is getting earlier because fuel and energy prices fluctuate and the efficiency of EVs improves. Savings are increasing each year as a result
The Electric Car Scheme used the average miles travelled per car from DfT 2019 data (7,400), NimbleFins average petrol miles per gallon (38.8) and the average price per gallon of petrol in 2025 (£6.64 or £1.34 a litre) from Government figures to calculate Electric Car Day. The average price per mile for electric driving (£0.08) was taken from EcoExperts.
The annual cost of petrol is therefore £1,161 and £592 for annual EV charging cost. This means that the average petrol car costs £3.18 a day in 2025, with the £592 spent by 3 July.
Carbon emissions were worked out using National Grid figures for 2023 (149g of CO2e/kWh) and the EV Database’s average EV consumption figure of 0.32kWh per mile, emitting 47.7 grams of CO2e per mile for power consumption.
As the average petrol car emits 274.4 grams of CO2 per mile then over a year that will amount to 2030kg of CO2, compared to just 325kg for an EV.
AA President Edmund King commented: ‘The data shows a clear delineation in the relative costs and environmental impacts of driving a petrol car, which is hard to ignore, especially as the date when a petrol driver spends more on fuel than an electric driver will over an entire year creeps ever earlier.’
Peak and off-peak ultra-rapid charging fell 2p per kWh in May while the Middle East crisis pushed the price at the pumps up by 2p a litre in the past week alone
EV affordability has further extended over petrol in the last weeks as the cost of rapid charging falls.
Peak and off-peak ultra-rapid charging fell 2p per kWh in May while the Middle East crisis pushed the price at the pumps up by 2p a litre in the past week alone, the AA EV Recharge Report for May shows.
Even before the Middle East crisis the electric advantage over petrol was 5.5p/mile for domestic charging and 1.4p/mile for off-peak ultra charges.
Slow, fast and rapid charging prices held or saw reductions throughout May – better news still for EV owners who rely on the public charging network.
The OFGEM energy price cap fall brings charging costs down further, and increases EV savings before the summer holidays fall.
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