“Are EVs cheaper than petrol cars?” In Singapore, the honest answer is: it depends on how you drive and where you can charge. EVs can be cheaper per kilometre, but you still need to budget for the Singapore-specific realities: charging access, road tax structure, and whether you’re comparing like-for-like vehicle sizes.
Start here (fast path)
For most Singapore drivers, the cleanest EV vs petrol comparison is to split costs into:
This page focuses on the EV vs petrol running-cost side. For the full “Singapore car ownership” picture, use the 5-year pillar above.
You don’t need perfect precision to make a good decision — you need a realistic range. A simple way to think about it:
In practice, EV charging costs swing wildly based on where you charge (home, workplace, public fast chargers) and how often you use fast charging. If you mostly rely on public fast chargers, your EV running cost can look much closer to petrol than you expected.
Road tax in Singapore is not “one number”. It depends on the vehicle’s specifications and the prevailing framework. EVs may look attractive on running cost but can surprise you on recurring charges depending on the model and category.
Practical budgeting rule: treat road tax as a fixed monthly line item (annual road tax ÷ 12) so you don’t ignore it in your cashflow model.
EVs generally have fewer moving parts and can reduce some maintenance items — but they are not “maintenance free”. In Singapore, the bigger driver of maintenance cost is often: age, mileage, tyres, and repair events rather than whether the drivetrain is EV or petrol.
If you’re comparing a new EV against an older used petrol car, you might be accidentally comparing “new vs old” rather than “EV vs petrol”.
For a realistic buffer model, see: Maintenance & repair cost in Singapore.
A clean way to budget is to split your monthly running costs into:
If you want a quick fuel-side model (cost per km × mileage), use the fuel guide: Fuel cost in Singapore (cost per km + scenarios). For EVs, you can mirror the same approach using your charging cost and typical consumption.
In Singapore, EVs become financially compelling when two conditions are true:
If your monthly mileage is low, you might not realise enough running-cost savings to offset higher purchase/depreciation costs (if any). That’s why the correct way to decide is to run both: running cost and total ownership cost.
Not always. It depends on the charging price you have access to and how often you rely on fast chargers. Treat “cheap charging” as an assumption you must verify, not a guarantee.
Choose EV for cost reasons only if your numbers work in your actual driving pattern and charging access. If you’re doing it for convenience or preference, that’s valid — just budget honestly.