Start with vehicle efficiency
An EV using 18 kWh per 100 km at a charger priced at a given rate has a straightforward energy cost. A petrol car’s cost depends on liters per 100 km and local fuel price.
Fast charging usually costs more than AC
High-power motorway sites charge for speed and convenience. Overnight hotel or municipal AC charging can lower the average trip cost significantly.
Memberships can change the tariff
Some networks offer lower per-kWh pricing through a subscription. That can make sense for a long road trip with repeated use, but not for one short charging stop.
Roaming can add a premium
The same charger may cost more through a third-party roaming card than through the operator’s own app. Convenience has value, but check the difference on expensive sessions.
Petrol prices vary just as much
Motorway fuel stations can be more expensive than town stations. A fair comparison should use realistic road-trip fuel prices, not the cheapest national average.
Driving speed affects both vehicles
High motorway speed increases energy use in an EV and fuel consumption in a combustion car. The EV penalty can feel more visible because the range estimate changes immediately.
Parking fees can distort a city charge
A cheap AC charger inside an expensive car park may not be cheap overall. Include parking or access fees when comparing costs.
Use a trip average
One costly fast charge does not determine the entire EV trip. Combine motorway DC, hotel AC and any free or included destination charging to calculate the real average.
A fair comparison uses cost per distance, not cost per unit
Drivers often compare a €0.60 kilowatt-hour with a €1.80 liter of petrol and conclude one is cheaper from the raw unit price. Those units contain different amounts of usable driving energy. Convert both to cost per 100 kilometers using realistic efficiency. An EV consuming 20 kWh/100 km at a given tariff can then be compared directly with a petrol car consuming 7 liters/100 km at the local pump price. This method also shows how much motorway speed, winter conditions or a less efficient SUV changes the result.
The cheapest trip usually mixes charging types
A road trip powered entirely by premium ultra-fast charging can cost substantially more than one combining hotel AC, supermarket charging and occasional motorway DC. The convenience of fast charging is valuable when moving, while slower charging is economical when parked anyway. Petrol has a similar pattern because motorway service stations can cost more than town fuel stations. Compare travel behavior, not ideal laboratory scenarios. If the hotel includes charging in the parking fee, that overnight energy should be part of the EV average even if no separate price appears on the receipt.
Currency and roaming can complicate cross-border comparisons
On a multi-country trip, tariffs may appear in different currencies and one roaming provider may convert them at its own rate. Card issuers can add foreign-exchange fees too. These small differences usually matter less than charger speed and convenience, but they can distort a detailed cost comparison. Keep the calculation simple: use the actual session receipt and distance driven. If the trip spans several countries, total the whole journey at the end and avoid guessing from memory which network was cheapest.
More travel planning
Search flights and browse more travel guides on SY.com.
Search flights