How Much Does It Cost to Charge an EV vs Gas in Ontario?

For most Ontario drivers with reliable home charging, electricity costs roughly $1.50 to $3.50 per 100 km. A gasoline vehicle commonly costs about $10 to $18 per 100 km, depending on fuel economy and the pump price. The gap is substantial, but it narrows when an EV relies heavily on public fast chargers.

Home charging on Ontario rate plans

Ontario’s regulated electricity prices changed after figures often repeated online. The Ontario Energy Board lists the rates effective November 1, 2025 as 3.9¢/kWh during Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) hours and 9.8¢/kWh for weekend off-peak on that plan. The regular Time-of-Use off-peak rate is also 9.8¢/kWh. ULO runs from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

For clarity, the familiar 2.8¢ ULO and 7.6¢ off-peak figures were the rates effective November 1, 2024—not the current 2026 rates. Electricity-line prices are not the whole bill: delivery, regulatory charges, charging losses, HST and the Ontario Electricity Rebate can change the marginal cost you actually see.

The per-100-km math

The clean comparison is consumption multiplied by unit price. For an EV, use energy drawn from the wall—not only the dashboard number—so charging losses are included. For gas, multiply litres per 100 km by the pump price.

Those assumptions reproduce the 20,000-km example: 200 blocks of 100 km cost about $371 for electricity and $2,744 for gasoline. Ontario reported regular gasoline at 181¢/L for September 21, 2026. Gas prices move weekly, so treat this as a dated snapshot, not a guarantee. To change mileage, efficiency, fuel price or charging mix, run your own numbers with our free EV vs gas cost calculator.

Annual and five-year savings

In the worked example, fuel savings are about $2,373 a year, or $11,865 over five years if prices and driving stay constant. A cautious all-in operating advantage of roughly $11,000 to $14,000 over five years is plausible for a home-charging driver after allowing for a charger installation or some higher-cost public charging. It is not a universal promise.

Maintenance widens the gap. Consumer Reports found EV owners spent about half as much on maintenance and repair over a vehicle’s life; a U.S. Department of Energy analysis put scheduled maintenance about 40% lower. EVs avoid oil changes, spark plugs, exhaust systems and many transmission services, while regenerative braking can reduce brake wear.

The often-used $800–$1,200 annual maintenance saving should be treated as a scenario, not a fixed Ontario average: it assumes the comparable gas vehicle would otherwise cost roughly $1,600–$2,400 a year to maintain and repair. Tires, suspension, cabin filters and occasional repairs still apply to an EV.

Public charging can change the result

Public Level 2 and DC fast-charging prices vary by network, location, speed, membership and time. In CAA’s September 2026 Ontario road test, 22 EVs used between 11.43 and 28.91 kWh/100 km. At the premium fast chargers used in the test, charging cost ranged from $7.28 to $24.39 per 100 km, averaging $13.45. CAA emphasized that this was a higher-cost road-trip scenario, not typical everyday charging; its survey found fast charging represents only 8%–18% of charging for most EV drivers.

Rebates in Ontario in 2026

Ontario has no provincial EV purchase rebate in 2026. The old federal iZEV program paused in January 2025, but that is not the end of the federal story: Transport Canada launched the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP) in 2026. Eligible battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles can receive up to $5,000, and eligible plug-in hybrids up to $2,500. Vehicle origin, transaction value and lease length rules apply, and funding is first-come, first-served.

When does an EV break even?

A three-to-five-year break-even window is a useful planning range when the EV has a moderate purchase-price premium, qualifies for the federal incentive, travels enough kilometres and charges mainly at home. A 2026 Clean Energy Canada comparison cited by Electric Autonomy moved one vehicle’s break-even from about five years to just over two after the new incentive and higher gas prices—but model-to-model results vary sharply.

Compare the actual purchase price after incentives, borrowing cost, insurance quotes, expected resale value, winter efficiency and home-charger installation. A typical Level 2 setup may add roughly $1,000–$2,600, with panel upgrades potentially costing more. Low-mileage drivers and apartment dwellers dependent on public charging generally take longer to break even.