How much does it cost to run a car in 2026?
Fuel, electricity and car tax for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars at today's prices, and what changed in Budget 2026.
By the CarComparison team · Updated · How we research
Fuel or electricity is the biggest cost you control week to week, and car tax is the one you can't avoid. Here's what each costs at today's prices for a typical 7,500 miles a year, using 171.5p a litre for unleaded, 198.4p for diesel (today's UK average) and 26.3p a kWh for home electricity on a standard tariff.
Fuel and electricity
| Car | Economy | Cost per mile | A year at 7,500 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol family car | 45 mpg | 17.3p | £1,299 |
| Diesel family car | 55 mpg | 16.4p | £1,230 |
| Self-charging hybrid | 60 mpg | 13.0p | £975 |
| Electric, charged at home | 3.5 miles/kWh | 7.5p | £564 |
Charged at home on a standard tariff, an electric car costs about £736 a year less to run than the petrol car. On an off-peak EV tariff the gap is usually much bigger; public rapid chargers can cost more per mile than petrol. Our EV charging calculator works it out for your tariff.
Economy figures are typical real-world figures for a recent family car of each type; your car's may differ. The fuel cost calculator uses your car's official figure.
Car tax
Most cars registered since April 2017 pay a flat £200 a year from their second year, and electric cars have paid the same since April 2025. Cars with a list price over £40,000 (£50,000 for electric cars) pay an extra £440 a year in years two to six; electric cars registered before April 2025 don't pay it. Older cars are taxed on their CO2 emissions. Budget 2026 confirmed rates will rise with inflation from April 2027.
What Budget 2026 changed
- Fuel duty: the 5p-a-litre cut stays until 1 July 2027, so there's no duty rise at the pumps before then.
- Home electricity: VAT stays at 0% instead of 5% until 1 July 2027, which trims the cost of charging at home.
- Public charging: £100 million to bring down the cost of local, lower-powered public chargers from spring 2027.
- From April 2028: electric cars will also pay eVED, 3p a mile, or about £225 a year at 7,500 miles. Plug-in hybrids pay 1.5p a mile.
All the Budget changes for drivers, with sources, are on our Budget 2026 page.
The costs that aren't on this page
Depreciation is usually the biggest cost of owning a newer car, followed by insurance, servicing and tyres. They vary too much from car to car to average usefully. Our reliability ratings show which models fail their MOT most often, a good guide to which will cost more to keep on the road.