Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
EV savings vs diesel over period
$13,920
Total EV cost
$72,160
Total diesel cost
$86,080
Breakeven miles
66,667
Breakeven at your annual mileage
2.78
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How to use this
- 1Enter ev van price (after incentives) ($).
- 2Enter diesel van price ($).
- 3Enter ev energy + maintenance cpm ($/mi).
- 4Enter diesel fuel + maintenance cpm ($/mi).
- 5Enter annual miles (mi/yr).
- 6Enter holding period (years).
- 7Read your ev savings vs diesel over period on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Electric delivery vans cost more upfront but save on fuel and maintenance, so the right comparison isn't sticker price — it's total cost of ownership over your expected holding period and mileage. This calculator takes purchase price, any tax incentive, energy or fuel cost per mile, and maintenance cost per mile for both an EV and diesel van, and computes the total cost over your specified years and annual mileage. It also shows the mileage breakeven point where the EV's higher upfront cost is paid back through lower running cost, which is the number fleet managers actually need to justify the switch to finance.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- EV van price (after incentives): 52000 $
- Diesel van price: 40000 $
- EV energy + maintenance CPM: 0.14 $/mi
- Diesel fuel + maintenance CPM: 0.32 $/mi
- Annual miles: 24000 mi/yr
- Holding period: 6 years
Results
- EV savings vs diesel over period: $13,920
- Total EV cost: $72,160
- Total diesel cost: $86,080
- Breakeven miles: 66,667
- Breakeven at your annual mileage: 2.78
What each field means
Inputs
- EV van price (after incentives) ($)
- The ev van price (after incentives) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 52000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Diesel van price ($)
- The diesel van price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 40000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- EV energy + maintenance CPM ($/mi)
- The ev energy + maintenance cpm used in the calculation, measured in $/mi. Starts at 0.14 $/mi so you have a working example on load.
- Diesel fuel + maintenance CPM ($/mi)
- The diesel fuel + maintenance cpm used in the calculation, measured in $/mi. Starts at 0.32 $/mi so you have a working example on load.
- Annual miles (mi/yr)
- The annual miles used in the calculation, measured in mi/yr. Starts at 24000 mi/yr so you have a working example on load.
- Holding period (years)
- The holding period used in the calculation, measured in years. Starts at 6 years so you have a working example on load.
Results
- EV savings vs diesel over period
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total EV cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total diesel cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Breakeven miles
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Breakeven at your annual mileage
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's typically cheaper per mile for EVs — is 0.14 realistic?
It depends heavily on electricity rates and route type. Depot charging on off-peak commercial rates often lands EV energy cost at $0.06-0.10/mile, and EV maintenance (no oil changes, fewer brake jobs, fewer moving parts) commonly runs $0.03-0.06/mile, so a combined $0.10-0.16/mile total is a reasonable range.
Does this include charging infrastructure cost?
No — depot charger installation (often $10,000-$50,000+ per site depending on electrical service upgrades needed) is a separate fleet-level capital cost, not a per-van cost, and should be amortized across your whole EV fleet separately from this per-van comparison.
What if my routes exceed EV van range?
Then TCO doesn't matter if the van physically can't complete the route without a mid-shift charge that isn't operationally feasible — verify route range fits comfortably within the van's real-world range (accounting for cold weather range loss, often 20-30%) before running the cost comparison.
Are incentives already baked into the EV price I should enter?
Yes, enter the net price after any federal commercial clean vehicle credit, state grants, or utility incentives you actually qualify for and expect to receive — using the gross MSRP without incentives will make the EV look worse than the real economics.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). EV Delivery Van TCO vs Diesel Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-van-tco-vs-diesel
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-van-tco-vs-diesel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EV Delivery Van TCO vs Diesel Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [EV Delivery Van TCO vs Diesel Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-van-tco-vs-diesel) (2026).