How far will $1 get you in a diesel car and an EV, and which cars are cheapest to drive?

Rising fuel prices have intensified the cost gap between internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs), prompting a surge in EV sales and related services such as insurance and rentals. Despite government efforts to reduce fuel excise charges, the expense of running petrol and diesel cars remains significantly higher than powering EVs. This disparity is highlighted by a new online resource, e-litre, created by energy analyst Simon Holmes à Court, which compares the distance each type of vehicle can travel on the equivalent of one dollar’s worth of fuel or electricity. According to e-litre’s calculations, an EV can cover approximately 41.2 kilometres on a dollar of electricity, whereas a petrol car manages just 4.9 kilometres on the same amount of fuel. The difference is even starker when considering diesel prices, which are currently higher than petrol, and more favourable electricity tariffs such as Amber Electric’s Smartshift plan, where the cost per kilowatt-hour drops to 4 cents. Under this tariff, an EV could travel nearly 160 kilometres for a single dollar, and for those charging exclusively from rooftop solar panels, the cost effectively becomes negligible. The website also provides a detailed comparison of running costs per kilometre for the most popular petrol, diesel, and electric vehicles. EVs dominate the rankings, with the BYD Dolphin emerging as the cheapest to run at just 2.0 cents per kilometre, followed closely by the MG4 and Tesla Model 3. These figures reflect the superior energy efficiency of EVs as measured by official WLTP standards. In contrast, many popular ICE models cost up to ten times more per kilometre, underscoring the economic advantage of electric motoring. Further analysis on the e-litre site reveals that the cost of driving an EV the equivalent distance of one litre of fuel is around 33 cents, compared to an average of $2.81 for petrol and diesel vehicles. These numbers are updated daily and provide a transparent, data-driven insight into the ongoing cost benefits of EV ownership. As fuel prices continue to fluctuate, tools like e-litre offer valuable guidance for consumers considering the financial implications of switching to electric transport.