In the latest edition of its annual ‘EV Transition Check’ report, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) demonstrates that clear progress is being made in Europe regarding zero-emission vehicles. One of the key findings: given falling battery costs and persistently high fuel prices, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are already significantly cheaper to operate daily than combustion engine cars.
“EV electric car drivers in Europe are paying about a third less than those with gasoline cars. Those savings are hard to ignore. They also explain why the car market keeps moving in one direction. We expect battery electric car adoption across Europe to scale up in the coming years if current policies are maintained,” explained Marie Rajon Bernard, lead researcher at the ICCT and lead author of the report.
Exclusively charging at public stations is still significantly cheaper
For its comparison, the ICCT analysed electric cars charged at both private and public charging points against petrol-engine cars in the EU. The result: in 2025, electric cars were 33 per cent cheaper to operate than their petrol-engine counterparts. Even electric cars that only charge at (generally more expensive) public charging stations were still 28 per cent cheaper than petrol cars. The oil crisis that began in February 2026 further widened this gap. At the start of 2026, energy costs for combustion engine cars rose by 12 to 36 per cent, while they remained largely unchanged for BEVs.
