TL;DR:
- The gas vs electric cars debate centers around cost, performance, convenience, lifestyle considerations, and environmental impact.
- Factors like driving habits, charging infrastructure availability, and environmental policies influence the choice between gas and electric vehicles.
- Advancements in renewable energy, battery technology, and the used EV market are driving the shift towards EV adoption.
The biggest question in the gas vs electric cars debate often comes down to cost. Which is cheaper? Well, the answer isn’t straightforward. Yes, the prices of EVs are a lot lower than they were a few years ago — prices have dropped by over $11,000 from peak prices in mid-2022. But at the end of the day, electric cars are seen as vehicles with a more premium price tag.
Their increasing adoption is being pushed for primarily by environmental concerns. So, it’s only reasonable to expect pushback toward this shift if there’s skepticism toward the environmental benefits of EVs.
We want to address this skepticism by simplifying some research on electric car emissions to inform consumers making their next vehicle purchase as well as businesses and developers looking to build the most impactful mobility solutions. We hope this provides a more nuanced evaluation of electric cars vs gas cars so readers can determine the factors that best influence the lifetime value of a vehicle purchase.
What to consider when evaluating gas vs electric cars
Our cars aren’t just a small purchase that we make on a whim. This decision takes the shape of many different factors — whether it’s our budget, family priorities, or values and beliefs. Upfront costs are rarely the sole deciding factor for any purchase, let alone one that’s going to influence our ability to get to the places we need to go.
When deciding between gas and electric vehicles, here are some common consideration factors.
Cost
When we mean cost, we mean lifetime costs. This includes:
- Purchase price: Electric vehicles have higher upfront costs, but government incentives like tax credits, declining battery prices, and more diverse financing options are improving affordability.
- Fuel vs. charging costs: Depending on your average daily or weekly mileage, EVs can often be cheaper to refuel, especially when charged at home. One caveat is that electricity prices do vary by region. Although there is this lack of standardization, calculations by CNET show that the average monthly cost of charging an EV can be three times less expensive than the cost of gas.
- Maintenance: Electric vehicles require less maintenance cost due to fewer moving parts than gas cars, leading to long-term savings.
Performance and convenience
We think of the performance of a vehicle, we think of how it responds to different driving situations. It’s closely tied to convenience. For instance, how does the vehicle’s performance impact your ability to comfortably and conveniently get from one place to another. Some factors that drivers evaluate when comparing EVs vs gas cars is: You can evaluate:
- Acceleration: Electric vehicles have faster, smoother acceleration due to their instant torque delivery, whereas gas cars have a more gradual power buildup. But high-performance gas cars are still preferred by many car enthusiasts for their engine power and responsiveness at high speeds.
- Vehicle handling: Factors like weight distribution and center of gravity impact how a car maneuvers. EVs tend to be more stable because of their battery placement and lower center of gravity. Some drivers do still prefer the traditional feel of a gas-powered engine — like in high-performance sports cars, for example.
- Range: Electric vehicle range has improved significantly, with some models exceeding 300 miles per charge. But gas cars generally have longer ranges and can travel further without needing to refuel, making them more convenient for longer trips.
Lifestyle considerations
The type of car you drive will be very dependent on what makes the most sense for your daily routine. Do you use your car to commute to work every day or is your mileage lower due to remote or hybrid work? Do you live in a multi-unit dwelling or a house with your own garage? Do you live in an urban or rural area? The answer to these questions makes a difference.
- Driving habits: Commuters with consistent daily routes may find EVs more convenient, while long-distance travelers may still prefer gas cars.
- Availability of nearby charge stations: While concerns exist about charger availability, infrastructure is expanding, and smart charging applications are mitigating range anxiety. You can use EV charging apps to locate charge stations or even rent unused chargers from other drivers.
Environmental impact
If sustainability is a core value for you and the city or state you live in, the lifetime emissions of a vehicle become an influencing factor. Geographic locations with higher EV adoption levels tend to emphasize environmental impact with more policies and regulations encouraging emission reduction. Higher levels of awareness and interest in climate issues are also more prevalent in these regions.
- Scandinavian countries: Norway achieved almost 90% EV market share for new car sales in 2024, spurred by policies pushing the country toward 100% vehicle electrification by 2025 — a whopping 10 years ahead of other targets in Europe. Other countries like Sweden and Denmark strongly followed suit, with over 50% EV market share (combining both plug-in hybrids and battery EVs) last year.
- The European Union: Many countries in the EU provide attractive tax credits and incentives for electric vehicle drivers as part of their game plan to reach emission targets. These policies also increase investment in charging infrastructure, enabling a faster climb toward 20% in new EV car sales.
- The Western and Northeast regions of the US: EV adoption in the US is spread across a few key regions, influenced by factors like state regulations, weather, driver demographics, and infrastructure availability. EV market share is over 20% in states like Colorado and California, with Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and New Jersey following behind.
The research on emissions in gas vs electric cars
Compared to producing a gas vehicle of the same size, a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV) can release 1.3 to 2 times more GHG emissions because of the need to extract and refine materials for making batteries. But these upfront emissions are greatly offset when the vehicles are in use because EVs can travel further with energy produced by a battery.
Research by Auke Hoekstra, founder of the Master Automotive Technology at Eindhoven University of Technology, shows that recent strides in technology have made it possible for batteries to last over 500,000 km (a little over 310,000 miles), giving them a longer lifetime, higher energy efficiency, and as a result of that, significantly lower post-production emissions. In contrast, fuel is continuously produced and replenished to power a gas vehicle throughout the use phase.
The absence of tailpipe emissions is the biggest difference between EVs and gas cars.
Despite the higher emissions during manufacturing, EVs break even with ICEVs in about 1.5 years for sedans, 1.6 years for SUVs, and 1.9 years for pickup trucks. Breaking that down further, gas cars release 8,887 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per gallon of fuel burned, which is roughly 410 grams of CO2 per mile. In comparison, EVs release only 110 grams of C02 per mile with the average US electricity mix.
What about emissions from electricity?
We’ll see the biggest benefits in reducing lifetime EV emissions by equipping high-carbon grids with more reliance on renewable energy sources. 20% of electricity in the US came from renewable energy sources in 2022, primarily hydropower, wind, and solar energy.
More importantly, grids are becoming cleaner every year. In the US, over 80% of new capacity added to the grid in 2021 came from renewable energy sources.
A 30% decrease in grid carbon intensity is enough to reduce EV emissions from battery production by 17%. More importantly, it significantly lowers grid emissions when more energy is used to charge EVs during the use phase.
Addressing misconceptions about charging infrastructure
Early adopters of EVs were motivated by environmental benefits, but the next wave of EV buyers is focused on practical factors like:
- Longer ranges
- Faster charging times
- Lower costs
- More extensive public charging networks
Concerns about charging access remain a barrier to adoption, but the reality is different from the perception.
- 80% of EV drivers charge at home, reducing the need for an extensive public charging network.
- EV charging apps and smart grid solutions help drivers optimize when and where EVs charge, ensuring that the grid can handle electric cars andthat electricity rates remain low.
What to consider for increasing EV adoption
Regardless of what your choice is as a vehicle owner, EV adoption is a reality that’s rooted in both policy and growing interest from drivers. Governments, automakers, and energy providers need to consider both practical barriers that deter drivers from zero-emission vehicles and the need for further emission reductions from electricity generation. As EV adoption grows, several advances will further reduce carbon emissions:
Renewable energy
The ICCT reports that as the electricity mix continues to reduce carbon emissions in the coming years, we can expect EVs running on renewable energy to have up to 81% lower lifecycle emission production than ICEVs.
According to the California ISO, curtailing resources like solar energy is becoming common practice to manage the oversupply in the middle of the day when the sun is brightest. This results in much fewer opportunities for grids to reduce its carbon footprint.
The state found that enrolling 5 million EVs in managed charging programs in 2025 could reduce renewable energy curtailment by up to 40%. Smart charging apps and DERMS platforms use EV API platforms like Smartcar to actively control EV charging and optimize demand according to the availability of renewable energy sources.
Evolution of batteries
As electric vehicle demand and manufacturing investments grow, so will research and development initiatives to improve battery technology.
In the US, battery cell production is estimated to grow more than tenfold, from less than 60 GWh in 2021 to more than 700 GWh by 2030. Emerging Tech Brew reported that automakers and businesses are innovating to optimize production affordability and battery efficiency. Smaller and lighter batteries are one way to make this happen.
For example, research published in 2022 found that solid-state batteries have a higher energy density and hence need an average of 24% fewer materials to manufacture. These energy-dense batteries can decrease production-phase emissions by 24% to 39%.
The used EV market
Buying a used electric vehicle not only opens the door for more affordable ownership, but it also directly reduces emissions from manufacturing new EVs to keep up with growing demand.
Recurrent is a battery report software that helps electric car buyers and dealerships understand an EVs true range as the battery ages and informs decisions when purchasing used EVs. According to their research, the used EV market in the US has tripled in size in the last year and a half. The prices of used EVs have also dropped 17% from their peak in July 2022.
Are you building an app to help drivers understand and reduce their EV emissions?
As battery production advances, grid electricity becomes cleaner, and smarter charging applications emerge to fill infrastructure gaps, the debate of gas vs electric cars will be a lot easier to handle.
EV APIs empower businesses with a consent-based way to scale vehicle data collection and build solutions that actually make a difference for EV drivers.
Talk to our team to learn more about Smartcar’s EV API endpoints or download our free guide on the benefits of working with an API platform to scale integrations with 200+ EV models.
