> ## 📊 THE COMPARISON > Complete from fleet logs. Total cost of ownership per mile, including depreciation — not just fuel.
The comparison everyone gets wrong
Powertrain cost comparisons almost always compare fuel against electricity and stop there. That's the least useful version of the calculation, because fuel is rarely the largest cost of running a car.
Our fleet lets us do it properly: four powertrains, a year each, every expense logged — including the two that usually get omitted and that frequently dominate.
What we include — and why it matters
| Cost | Usually included? | Why it matters | |---|---|---| | Fuel / electricity | ✅ always | the headline, and often not the biggest | | Servicing | sometimes | differs enormously by powertrain | | Tyres | rarely | heavy EVs wear them faster | | Insurance | rarely | differs by powertrain and value | | Repairs | rarely | | | ⭐ Depreciation | almost never | usually the LARGEST single cost |
Depreciation is the omission that invalidates most comparisons. As our real-depreciation report established, it typically exceeds fuel by a wide margin — and EV residuals have been genuinely volatile. A comparison excluding it can reach the opposite conclusion from an honest one.
The table
| | EV | Hybrid | Petrol | CNG | |---|---|---|---|---| | Car | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Distance covered | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Energy/fuel cost | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Servicing | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Tyres | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Insurance | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Repairs | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Depreciation | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | ⭐ TOTAL PER MILE/KM | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] | | Per mile excl. depreciation | [log] | [log] | [log] | [log] |
We publish both figures — with and without depreciation — because they answer different questions. Excluding depreciation tells you your monthly outgoings; including it tells you what the car actually cost you.
What we expect the data to show
1. EVs should lead on running costs — if charged at home. Our public-charging diary found the advantage narrows considerably, and can substantially disappear, on public rapid charging alone. The home-charging assumption must be stated explicitly, because it changes everything.
2. EV servicing should be dramatically cheaper. No oil, no filters, no exhaust, far less brake wear thanks to regeneration. This advantage is genuinely under-quantified, and our fleet can put a number on it.
3. EV tyres should cost more. Heavier cars with instant torque wear tyres faster. This partially offsets the servicing saving, and it's rarely mentioned.
4. Depreciation may reverse the ranking. This is the finding most likely to surprise. If EV residuals underperform, an EV that's cheapest to run can still be the most expensive to own. We should report that plainly if it's what the data shows.
5. CNG should be the running-cost champion in India. Our CNG comparison found the payback maths favours it strongly above 60 km/day — with the caveats of station queueing, spark plugs every 15,000–20,000 km, and mandatory three-yearly hydro-testing.
6. Full hybrids should be the consistent middle. Reliable gains, no infrastructure requirement, no residual volatility.
The costs nobody counts
Worth noting alongside the money:
Time. As our public-charging diary found, public-only EV charging costs hours that never appear in any table. CNG station queueing is the Indian equivalent. Home-charged EVs and petrol cars cost the least time; public-charged EVs the most.
Convenience. Refuelling in five minutes anywhere versus planning around charging.
Certainty. Depreciation is a forecast until you sell. EV residual volatility is a risk, not just a number.
What this means for buyers
1. Calculate total cost of ownership, not fuel cost. The single most valuable habit in car buying, and almost nobody does it.
2. Your charging situation changes the EV answer completely. Home charging: EV likely wins. Public-only: seriously consider a hybrid.
3. Annual mileage changes everything. High mileage amplifies running-cost differences and dilutes depreciation per mile. Low mileage does the reverse — at 5,000 miles a year, depreciation dominates and fuel barely matters.
4. In India, CNG is exceptionally strong above 60 km/day — provided you can tolerate the queueing.
5. Don't buy a powertrain for savings you won't realise. An uncharged PHEV is the clearest example: worse than the equivalent petrol car, carrying hundreds of kilograms of dead weight for no benefit.
The bottom line
Most powertrain cost comparisons compare fuel and stop — which omits depreciation, usually the largest cost of all. Ours includes everything, logged across a year.
The likely headline: EVs win on running costs when charged at home, and depreciation may reverse that on total cost. Both figures are published, because they answer different questions.
And the honest framing remains what our powertrain comparison concluded: the right answer depends on your charging access, your annual mileage and your market. Calculate it for your own life rather than accepting a general verdict — including ours.
- Most powertrain comparisons omit depreciation — usually the largest single cost — which can reverse the conclusion entirely
- We publish two figures: total cost per mile, and cost excluding depreciation, because they answer different questions
- EVs should lead on running costs if charged at home; our public-charging diary found that advantage can substantially disappear otherwise
- EV servicing is dramatically cheaper but EV tyres cost more — a partial offset that's rarely mentioned
- Annual mileage changes everything: high mileage amplifies running-cost gaps; at low mileage, depreciation dominates and fuel barely matters
Key takeaways
- Most powertrain comparisons omit depreciation — usually the largest single cost — which can reverse the conclusion entirely
- We publish two figures: total cost per mile, and cost excluding depreciation, because they answer different questions
- EVs should lead on running costs if charged at home; our public-charging diary found that advantage can substantially disappear otherwise
- EV servicing is dramatically cheaper but EV tyres cost more — a partial offset that's rarely mentioned
- Annual mileage changes everything: high mileage amplifies running-cost gaps; at low mileage, depreciation dominates and fuel barely matters
Sources & further reading
- True Motion Auto long-term fleet logbooks
- depreciation report and public-charging diary (Batch 20)
- CNG comparison (Batch 19). *Populate from fleet data before publication. Verified July 2026.*
Figures, prices and policy details were current at the last-updated date above. Automotive pricing, incentives and regulations change frequently — verify time-sensitive details with the linked primary sources. Read our editorial policy and fact-checking standards.
