Compare what it costs to run an electric bike and a petrol bike, per km, per month and per year. Enter your petrol bike’s mileage and the petrol price, your electric bike’s battery size, range and electricity price, and how far you ride each month. If you enter both purchase prices, the calculator also estimates how long a higher purchase price takes to pay back.
You supply every figure. This tool does not suggest a mileage, range, battery size or price for any bike.
Petrol bike
Electric bike
Your riding
Purchase prices (optional, for the payback estimate)
Use your own figures: the mileage and range from your own riding, today’s petrol price at the pump, and the unit price on your own electricity bill. This tool does not suggest any value.
Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere. Results are calculated from the numbers you enter.
Where to find each number
- Petrol bike mileage: measure your own with the full-tank method on our petrol cost and mileage calculator.
- Petrol price: the price per litre you pay at the pump today.
- Battery energy and range: from the maker’s specification or your own riding records. Real range depends on load, speed and road conditions.
- Electricity price per unit: the price per kWh (unit) on your own electricity bill. Check whether your bill’s rate depends on how many units you use.
- Charging loss: optional. Some of the electricity drawn from the socket is lost as heat while charging. If you do not know it, leave it empty and the tool assumes none.
- Purchase prices: optional. See current bike prices in our electric bike price list.
How the results are worked out
- Petrol cost per km = petrol price ÷ mileage
- Electricity drawn per full charge = battery energy ÷ (1 − charging loss ÷ 100)
- Electric cost per km = electricity drawn ÷ range × price per unit
- Monthly cost = cost per km × km ridden per month, and the same × 12 for the year
- Payback = extra purchase price ÷ monthly saving in running cost
What this calculator does not include
- Battery wear and replacement, servicing, tyres, insurance, registration or resale value.
- Changes in petrol or electricity prices over time. Prices change, so enter today’s figures and run the comparison again later.
- Any mileage, range, battery size or price for a particular bike. We have not verified such figures for this page, so it shows none, and the result is only as good as the numbers you enter.
More tools for bike owners
Add up all your monthly costs with the vehicle ownership cost calculator, and plan a purchase with the bike installment calculator.
Electric vs petrol bike running cost FAQs
Is an electric bike cheaper to run than a petrol bike?
It depends on your own figures: the petrol price, your bike’s mileage, the electricity price, and the electric bike’s battery size and range. Enter them and the calculator shows the cost per km for each.
How do I work out electricity cost per km?
Divide the battery energy in kWh by the range in km to get the units used per km, then multiply by your price per unit. The calculator does this for you.
What is the charging loss?
It is the share of the electricity drawn from the socket that is lost while charging. It is optional here. If you leave it empty, the tool assumes none, which makes the electric bike look slightly cheaper.
Does the payback estimate include the battery?
No. It uses only purchase prices and running costs. A battery that needs replacing would lengthen the payback.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is sent to our servers.