Forget the brochure. We modelled the real 5-year cost of three popular EVs against their petrol equivalents. Two win. One doesn’t.
Assumptions
- 15,000 km/year (50% city @ 6 km/kWh or 14 km/L, 50% highway @ 5 km/kWh or 16 km/L)
- Electricity: ₹9/kWh (Maharashtra residential blended, 80% home / 20% DC fast at ₹18/kWh)
- Petrol: ₹104.7/L (Pune, June 2026)
- Service: EV ₹4,000/yr avg; petrol ₹9,000/yr avg
- Insurance: comprehensive, +12% on EV due to battery cover
- Resale: 45% at year 5 for petrol; 35% for EV (battery uncertainty discount)
Tata Punch EV vs Tata Punch petrol
| 5-year cost | Punch EV (LR) | Punch petrol (top) |
|---|---|---|
| On-road price | ₹14.5 L | ₹10.8 L |
| Fuel/electricity | ₹1.1 L | ₹4.9 L |
| Service | ₹0.2 L | ₹0.45 L |
| Insurance | ₹1.4 L | ₹1.25 L |
| Less: resale | -₹5.1 L | -₹4.9 L |
| Total 5-yr cost | ₹12.1 L | ₹12.5 L |
EV wins by ₹40,000. Tight, but the EV gets you there cheaper.
MG ZS EV vs Hyundai Creta petrol
EV wins by ₹2.3 lakh over 5 years. The higher upfront pays back at month 41.
Mahindra XUV400 EV vs Mahindra XUV700 petrol
Petrol wins by ₹1.8 lakh. The XUV400’s price premium over a comparable petrol XUV700 base trim is too steep, and resale is brutal because the model already feels dated.
The rule of thumb
EV beats petrol when: annual driving ≥ 12,000 km, you have home charging, AND the EV variant’s price premium is < ₹4 lakh. Below 12,000 km/year, petrol still wins for most use cases — the maths simply doesn’t catch up.
[This is a developing piece — full review coming June 2026. Updated as we gather more data from Indian roads.]
By Gagan Thakur. Independent. No manufacturer money. See the methodology or the about page.