Analysts note that maintaining premium electric vehicles costs only slightly more than operating similar cars with internal combustion engines. In the cheaper price range, this difference becomes much more noticeable.

Over five years of ownership, the average cost of a premium electric car exceeds the cost of a comparable ICE vehicle by $287. In the case of budget models, this gap reaches $9,529. The study explains that this picture is primarily due to the difference in prices between electric and gasoline vehicles. At the same time, about 76% of electric vehicles sold in the US are expensive options.

Five-year ownership of the electric crossover Mercedes-Benz EQB costs an average of $72,107. A similar car with an internal combustion engine requires only $71,420. Owning a more affordable electric crossover Ford Mustang Mach-E over the same period costs about $67,719. A similar model with a gasoline engine turns out to be $16,000 cheaper.

According to experts, this trend may change in the future. Leading automakers around the world are already working on creating inexpensive electric cars, which should bring their cost closer to the level of traditional fuel vehicles.