Electric truck TCO calculator: electric vs diesel
Compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a battery-electric truck and a diesel truck at your country's diesel and electricity prices: what each costs to buy and run, how much the electric truck saves each year and how many months it takes to pay back its higher price.
Electric truck savings by country
A 42-tonne battery-electric truck against its diesel counterpart, 450 km a day for 300 days a year, at diesel prices of 19 October 2026 and business electricity rates of March 2026, before any charging fee. Running cost covers energy and maintenance.
| Country | Diesel, USD/L | Electricity, USD/kWh | Saving per km | Saving per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 3.00 | 0.184 | $0.93 | $126,058 |
| Netherlands | 2.79 | 0.190 | $0.84 | $113,243 |
| France | 2.64 | 0.164 | $0.82 | $110,673 |
| Belgium | 2.66 | 0.240 | $0.71 | $95,251 |
| Spain | 2.12 | 0.104 | $0.71 | $95,213 |
| Sweden | 2.32 | 0.184 | $0.66 | $88,787 |
| Türkiye | 1.95 | 0.096 | $0.65 | $87,634 |
| South Africa | 2.12 | 0.140 | $0.65 | $87,388 |
| Canada | 1.91 | 0.119 | $0.60 | $80,442 |
| Germany | 2.55 | 0.283 | $0.59 | $79,875 |
| Sri Lanka | 1.59 | 0.057 | $0.57 | $76,379 |
| Poland | 2.03 | 0.173 | $0.56 | $75,283 |
| Indonesia | 1.41 | 0.062 | $0.48 | $65,426 |
| Nigeria | 1.35 | 0.049 | $0.48 | $64,963 |
| Uzbekistan | 1.45 | 0.075 | $0.48 | $64,519 |
| Italy | 2.52 | 0.355 | $0.46 | $62,582 |
| Kenya | 1.74 | 0.168 | $0.45 | $60,475 |
| United States | 1.66 | 0.151 | $0.44 | $59,785 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.31 | 0.110 | $0.37 | $49,513 |
| Australia | 1.84 | 0.244 | $0.37 | $49,437 |
| Philippines | 1.45 | 0.152 | $0.36 | $48,057 |
| Pakistan | 1.41 | 0.143 | $0.35 | $47,821 |
| Malaysia | 1.27 | 0.116 | $0.34 | $46,016 |
| Thailand | 1.28 | 0.119 | $0.34 | $45,912 |
| Vietnam | 1.12 | 0.081 | $0.34 | $45,402 |
| United Kingdom | 2.67 | 0.472 | $0.34 | $45,373 |
| China | 1.24 | 0.118 | $0.33 | $43,937 |
| Brazil | 1.35 | 0.146 | $0.33 | $43,880 |
| Chile | 1.49 | 0.200 | $0.29 | $39,817 |
| Bangladesh | 1.09 | 0.100 | $0.29 | $39,628 |
| Mexico | 1.46 | 0.202 | $0.28 | $37,738 |
| India | 1.04 | 0.108 | $0.26 | $35,149 |
| Kazakhstan | 0.79 | 0.096 | $0.18 | $23,835 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0.48 | 0.074 | $0.09 | $11,845 |
How the calculator works
Running cost per kilometre is the energy cost (fuel use times the diesel price, or energy use times the electricity price plus any charging or swap fee) plus maintenance. The yearly saving is the difference times the distance driven in a year. Insurance, road tax, tolls and other fees enter as yearly costs for each truck. The total cost of ownership is the purchase price plus every year's running and other costs over the years compared, and payback is the electric truck's extra purchase price divided by the monthly saving. Financing, subsidies, battery replacement and resale value depend on the deal and the market, and are best added from the quotes a fleet receives.
Truck classes
| Class | Diesel, L/100 km | Electric, kWh/km | Maintenance, USD/km | km per day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid truck, 12 t | 19.6 | 0.68 | 0.021 / 0.015 | 250 | ICCT: Total cost of ownership parity between battery electric trucks and diesel trucks in India (2024) |
| Rigid truck, 16 t | 21.7 | 0.77 | 0.032 / 0.022 | 300 | ICCT: Total cost of ownership parity between battery electric trucks and diesel trucks in India (2024) |
| Heavy rigid or dump truck, 28 t | 38.9 | 1.26 | 0.042 / 0.030 | 350 | ICCT: Total cost of ownership parity between battery electric trucks and diesel trucks in India (2024) |
| Heavy truck or tractor, 42 t | 40.6 | 1.61 | 0.042 / 0.030 | 450 | ICCT: Total cost of ownership parity between battery electric trucks and diesel trucks in India (2024) |
| Concrete mixer truck, 31 t | 45 | 1.6 | 0.049 / 0.033 | 200 | ICCT: Electrifying on-road freight in China, Hainan (2024) SANY 31 t mixers in Hainan: CNY 350,000 diesel, CNY 850,000 battery-electric with a 282 kWh battery |
| Port tractor, 70 t GCW | 55 | 2.1 | 0.049 / 0.033 | 117 | ICCT: Electrifying on-road freight in China, Hainan (2024) Sinotruk HOWO diesel at CNY 350,000 and SANY battery-electric (141 kWh) at CNY 600,000 for in-port container haulage |
The rigid and 42 t figures are ICCT's simulations on real-world duty cycles at full load, with battery-electric maintenance 30% below diesel; the mixer and port tractor figures are the midpoints of ICCT's empty and full-load measurements in Hainan, China. Rupee and renminbi amounts are converted at the rates of the GlobalPetrolPrices.com quotes (CNY 6.694, INR 94.33 to the dollar).
Energy prices
Diesel: retail prices from GlobalPetrolPrices.com, 19 October 2026, at the pump and with taxes; in Europe businesses can usually recover the VAT, and several countries refund part of the fuel duty to hauliers, which can be entered as a lower diesel price. Electricity: prices for businesses, including power, distribution, transmission, taxes and fees, from GlobalPetrolPrices.com, collected in March 2026; for Sweden, Eurostat's price for non-household consumers using 20–499 MWh a year, all taxes included, first half of 2026. Checked 28 October 2026. Fleets that charge at public stations or swap batteries pay a service fee on top: in Hainan, swap stations charge CNY 0.45 per kWh (about $0.067).
Electric truck costs: questions
How much does an electric truck save compared with diesel?
At 19 October 2026 diesel prices and business electricity rates, a 42-tonne battery-electric truck covering 450 km a day for 300 days a year saves about $45,402 a year in energy and maintenance in Vietnam, from $11,845 in Saudi Arabia to $126,058 in Norway. The saving grows with daily distance and with the gap between diesel and electricity prices.
How long does an electric truck take to pay back?
Payback is the extra purchase price of the electric truck divided by its monthly running-cost saving. ICCT found SANY's battery-electric 31-tonne mixer selling in China at CNY 850,000 with its battery against CNY 350,000 for the diesel model; at Chinese prices and 200 km a day, the calculator puts that gap at 39 months. Trucks that run long days on cheap electricity, at ports, mines and on fixed routes, pay back fastest.
What energy use does the calculator assume?
Heavy trucks: 1.61 kWh/km for a 42-tonne battery-electric truck against 40.6 L/100 km for its diesel counterpart, from ICCT's simulations on real-world duty cycles at full load. Every figure can be changed to match your trucks and routes.
Related
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How heavy electric trucks charge: CCS and dual-gun DC charging, the Megawatt Charging System, depot and opportunity charging, and the charging times makers state. - Battery swapping for electric trucks
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