Electric or combustion car: which costs less overall in Brazil
Enter how far you drive, how many years you plan to keep the car and your own prices, and the calculator compares the total cost of ownership of an electric and a combustion car, with cost per month, cost per km and how long the price gap takes to pay back.
| Electric | Combustion | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | R$160,000.00 | R$120,000.00 |
| (−) Estimated resale value | R$84,437.11 | R$70,858.80 |
| Electricity / fuel | R$9,720.00 | R$40,581.82 |
| IPVA (vehicle tax) | R$0.00 | R$19,656.48 |
| Insurance | R$30,000.00 | R$22,500.00 |
| Maintenance | R$4,000.00 | R$9,000.00 |
| Total cost over the period | R$119,282.89 | R$140,879.50 |
| Cost per month | R$1,988.05 | R$2,347.99 |
| Cost per km | R$1.66 | R$1.96 |
- Total distance (km)
- 72000
- Energy per km — electric
- R$0.14
- Fuel per km — combustion
- R$0.56
- Months for the price gap to pay back
- 50
- Defaults are only examples: enter your own prices, IPVA (varies by state) and insurance.
Estimate only; it does not replace an accountant, an employment lawyer or the official calculation by the employer/Receita Federal.
No official table: you enter the rate from your contract.all tables and sources
How it is calculated
1. Total cost of ownership
For each car, the calculator adds up everything you spend over the period and subtracts what you get back when you sell:
total cost = purchase price − resale value + electricity or fuel + IPVA + insurance + maintenance
2. Resale and depreciation
Depreciation is a compound annual percentage: each year the car is worth (1 − depreciation) of the year before. At the end of the period the estimated resale value is price × (1 − depreciation)^years. Electric and combustion cars can lose value at different speeds, so each has its own field.
3. Electricity and fuel
Total distance is km per month × 12 × years. For the electric car, cost per km is consumption (kWh/100 km) ÷ 100 × price per kWh; for the combustion car, price per litre ÷ km per litre. Multiply by total distance to get the spend for the period. Use the rate on your power bill if you charge at home, or the public charger price if you don't.
4. IPVA, insurance and maintenance
IPVA (imposto sobre a propriedade de veículos automotores) is Brazil's annual state vehicle tax. The calculator charges it every year on the car's value at the start of that year, already depreciated; in year one, on the purchase price. Rates vary by state, and some states exempt or reduce IPVA for electric cars — check your state's law and enter the percentage. Insurance and maintenance are annual amounts multiplied by the number of years, with no inflation adjustment.
5. Cost per month, per km and payback
Cost per month is total cost divided by months of use; cost per km, by total kilometres. Payback is how many months the electric car's lower running costs (energy, IPVA, insurance and maintenance) take to cover the difference in purchase price. It ignores resale; if it runs past the chosen period, the calculator says the gap does not pay back.
6. What is left out
Every default is an example, not an official price for any model. The calculation excludes home charger installation, financing interest, battery warranty or replacement, tyres, tolls, parking and future changes in energy and fuel prices. If you will borrow, model the instalments in the loan calculator; to see what the price gap would earn if invested, try the compound interest calculator. Results are estimates for comparing scenarios, not a quote.
Worked example
In the example, the driver covers 1,500 km a month for 5 years — 90,000 km. The electric car costs R$150,000.00 and uses 15 kWh per 100 km at R$0.85 per kWh, about R$0.13 per km: R$11,475.00 of electricity in total. The combustion car costs R$110,000.00 and does 12 km/l with fuel at R$6.00 a litre, R$0.50 per km: R$45,000.00 of fuel. With 4% IPVA on the combustion car only, that is R$18,018.44 of tax. After the estimated resale values (R$79,159.79 and R$64,953.90), total cost is R$116,315.21 for the electric and R$139,564.54 for the combustion car: R$23,249.33 saved, or R$1.29 against R$1.55 per km. The price gap pays back in 49 months. Use “Copy simulation link” to keep the scenario.
- Kilometres per month
- 1500
- Years of use
- 5
- Electric car price
- R$150,000.00
- Electric consumption (kWh/100 km)
- 15
- Electricity price (R$/kWh)
- 0.85
- Combustion car price
- R$110,000.00
- Combustion consumption (km/l)
- 12
- Fuel price (R$/l)
- 6
- Electric IPVA (% a year)
- 0
- Combustion IPVA (% a year)
- 4
- Electric insurance (R$/year)
- R$6,000.00
- Combustion insurance (R$/year)
- R$4,500.00
- Electric maintenance (R$/year)
- R$800.00
- Combustion maintenance (R$/year)
- R$1,800.00
- Electric depreciation (% a year)
- 12
- Combustion depreciation (% a year)
- 10
| Electric | Combustion | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | R$150,000.00 | R$110,000.00 |
| (−) Estimated resale value | R$79,159.79 | R$64,953.90 |
| Electricity / fuel | R$11,475.00 | R$45,000.00 |
| IPVA (vehicle tax) | R$0.00 | R$18,018.44 |
| Insurance | R$30,000.00 | R$22,500.00 |
| Maintenance | R$4,000.00 | R$9,000.00 |
| Total cost over the period | R$116,315.21 | R$139,564.54 |
| Cost per month | R$1,938.59 | R$2,326.08 |
| Cost per km | R$1.29 | R$1.55 |
- Total distance (km)
- 90000
- Energy per km — electric
- R$0.13
- Fuel per km — combustion
- R$0.50
- Months for the price gap to pay back
- 49
- Defaults are only examples: enter your own prices, IPVA (varies by state) and insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Are the prices in the calculator official?
No. Car prices, consumption, electricity and fuel prices, insurance, maintenance and depreciation are pre-filled only as examples so the page does not start empty. Replace each field with your own numbers: the dealer's quote, your power bill, the fuel station you use and your insurer's offer.
Do electric cars pay IPVA?
It depends on the state. IPVA is a state tax, and each state sets its rate and any exemption or reduction for electric cars, which is why the calculator has a separate IPVA field for each car. It varies by state; check your state's law before filling it in, and remember these rules can change from one year to the next.
Why does payback ignore resale value?
Because it answers a simpler question: how many months of lower running costs it takes to recover the extra money paid up front for the electric car. Resale is already part of the total cost for the period, which is the fuller comparison. If payback exceeds the chosen period, the calculator says the gap does not pay back.
Where do I find my car's consumption?
For an electric car, use the kWh per 100 km shown on the dashboard or in the manufacturer's specification; for a combustion car, the km per litre you actually get. Real-world figures often differ from brochure numbers, especially in heavy traffic or at motorway speeds.
What does the calculator leave out?
Home charger installation, financing interest, battery warranty or replacement, tyres, tolls, parking and price changes over the years. If the car is financed, interest can outweigh any energy saving: model the instalments in the loan calculator and add them to the result. Results are estimates, not a quote.
Is it better to pay cash and invest the difference?
The calculator does not do that sum, but you can estimate it: check what the price gap between the two cars would earn over the same period in the compound interest calculator and compare it with the saving shown here. Returns and prices change over time, so treat both as estimates.
Legal basis
- Federal Constitution, art. 155, III (IPVA is a state tax)
- Central Bank of Brazil — interest rates and total effective cost (CET) of loans
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Updated Nov 13, 2026 · by Juliana Costa