Thinking about making the jump to an electric vehicle in India? It's a question a lot of people are asking these days with more EVs hitting the roads and fuel prices staying stubbornly high. At EV Electree, we get tons of queries about what it really costs to own an EV versus a traditional petrol car. To give you a straight-up look, we're sharing a first-year breakdown from a BYD Atto 3 owner who put 24,000 km on the clock. We'll use this as a window into EV running costs generally, then compare it to something like the Hyundai Tucson petrol which sits in a similar price range around ₹28-35 lakh ex-showroom.
EVs shine when it comes to keeping costs down over time, especially if you're driving a fair bit. This Atto 3 owner's data breaks it out clearly for the first year:
Over those 24,000 km, that's about ₹3.72 per km overall. Strip it down to just the charging bits and you're at ₹1.41 per km. Not bad, right? The bulk of the savings comes from cheap electricity—mostly home charging via Maharashtra State Electricity Board, with some DC top-ups for longer trips. Maintenance stays low because EVs skip a lot of the usual hassle like oil changes or engine tune-ups.
This isn't unique to the Atto 3; it's the kind of pattern you see across many EVs in India. Once you're past the buy-in price, the day-to-day stuff adds up way less than you'd think.
To see the difference, let's line this up against a comparable ICE SUV. The Hyundai Tucson petrol makes sense here—it's in the same ballpark price-wise, starting around ₹27 lakh ex-showroom, much like the Atto 3's ₹25-34 lakh range. Both offer premium features, space for the family and that SUV vibe for Indian roads.
We'll keep insurance, servicing and those other bits the same at ₹55,522 to focus on the big differentiator: fuel versus charging. Real-world mileage for the Tucson petrol tends to hover around 8-13 kmpl depending on city or highway driving. Being conservative, let's go with 11 kmpl for a mix of conditions. The cost of Petrol in Maharashtra is around ₹104. Let us be conservative in that as well and choose ₹100. Let us now crunch some numbers:
An owner saves over ₹1,84,200 in the first year. Remember we are being conservative here. The actual number will rise above ₹2 Lakh. That's the EV advantage in a nutshell: lower energy costs that really stack up if you're putting on the miles.
Stories like this of Mr Pushpraj's Atto 3 ownership experience show how EVs can flip the script on ownership costs in India. Sure, the upfront tag might sting a bit more sometimes (not in this comparison though), but the running expenses make up for it quick—especially with petrol refusing to dip below ₹100. If you're eyeing an EV, factor in your driving habits; high mileage means bigger payoffs.
At EV Electree, we're here to cut through the noise on electric mobility. Got questions on models, charging or costs? Leave a comment below or contact us through the contact form.
Suhail Gulati
Suhail Gulati is the founder of ElecTree and an economist by training, with a passion for electric vehicles that goes far beyond numbers and analysis. A former banker turned EV enthusiast, Suhail writes to share the latest insights, trends, and future possibilities in the world of electric mobility. Through ElecTree, he hopes to connect with fellow enthusiasts and anyone curious about the shift toward sustainable transportation. Outside of his work in the EV space, Suhail has a deep love for music, good food, and the thrill of a football match. Whether he’s analyzing market trends or discovering the newest electric innovations, he’s always excited to bring readers along for the journey.