Real math for real decisions
Case Studies.
Every case here starts with a real driver, a real ZIP code, and real vehicles they'd actually cross-shop. We do the 5-year math — depreciation, fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance, incentives — and let the numbers land where they land. Some cases favor the EV. Some don't. That's the point.
Case study library · 24 studies live
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Tesla Model Y vs. Toyota RAV4
A family of four with an 18K-mile-a-year driving habit runs the numbers. Xcel's EV rate helps, Colorado's $5,000 tax credit helps more — but Tesla's higher sticker price makes it close.
18,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Ford F-150 Lightning vs. Gas F-150
A residential contractor asks whether the Lightning saves him money at 22,000 miles a year with occasional towing. Cheap Texas overnight power isn't enough to close the $20K sticker gap plus steeper depreciation.
22,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Tesla Model 3 vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid
A retired teacher drives 6,500 miles a year in Eversource territory. High Massachusetts electricity rates plus low mileage tilts the math toward the 51-MPG hybrid — the "quiet default" that beats an EV at these usage levels.
6,500 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs. Hyundai Tucson
A Seattle software engineer runs the same-brand cross-shop at 12,000 mi/yr. Seattle City Light's cheap flat rate, Washington's EV sales tax exemption, and moderate mileage produce a coin-flip result — Ioniq 5 wins by $370.
12,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Chevrolet Equinox EV vs. Chevrolet Equinox
Same-name, same-brand cross-shop with SRP's $0.045/kWh super off-peak overnight rate. Cheap electricity delivers over $8,000 in fuel savings — enough to overcome higher MSRP and conservative new-model depreciation.
14,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Ford Mustang Mach-E vs. Ford Escape
A Ford supplier engineer runs the same-brand cross-shop in Ford's home market. DTE Energy's Time-of-Day EV rate cuts fuel cost by $11,365 over 5 years, and Mach-E's stabilized depreciation lets it win by $4,000+.
18,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Kia EV6 vs. Kia Sportage
An Atlanta school district administrator runs the same-brand cross-shop at 18,000 mi/yr. Georgia Power's exceptional Plug-In EV rate barely tips the outcome to the EV — without it, gas would win. EV6 wins by $567.
18,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Volkswagen ID.4 vs. Volkswagen Tiguan
A Portland software engineer looks at his own brand's EV option. High Oregon gas prices, PGE's cheap EV rate, and Oregon's $2,500 state rebate stack against gas simultaneously — producing the most decisive EV win in the library. ID.4 wins by $8,935.
14,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Nissan Ariya vs. Nissan Rogue
A Chicago insurance underwriter runs Nissan's electric flagship against Nissan's mainstream crossover at 14,000 mi/yr. Cold-weather range loss, weak Ariya retention, and a $7,000 sticker premium overwhelm Illinois's $2,500 EV rebate and ComEd's cheap overnight rates. Rogue wins by $1,031.
14,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Subaru Solterra vs. Subaru Forester Wilderness
A Golden-based outdoor writer weighs Subaru's first EV against Subaru's most capable off-roader at 18,000 mi/yr. Colorado's $5,000 state EV credit does the heavy lifting — without it, the Forester would win. Solterra wins by $5,604.
18,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Chevrolet Silverado EV vs. Chevrolet Silverado
A Franklin contractor weighs Chevy's electric truck against the gas 2.7L Turbo LT. No state or federal EV credits in Tennessee. Even with verified Nashville gasoline at $3.71/gal, the gas Silverado wins by $9,172. The $19,000 MSRP gap creates depreciation the fuel savings can't overcome.
18,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Kia EV9 vs. Kia Telluride
A Waxhaw family weighs Kia's new three-row electric SUV against the gas Telluride. No state EV credit in North Carolina, federal expired. Charlotte gas at verified $3.77/gal, Duke Energy standard residential. Telluride wins by $5,750 — the $17,000 MSRP gap creates depreciation the fuel savings can't overcome.
15,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Chevy Equinox EV vs. Chevy Equinox
A Kendall family weighs Chevy's Equinox EV against its gas twin — same brand, same class, $3,500 apart at sticker. No Florida state EV credit, federal expired. But FPL EVolution Home bundles unlimited off-peak charging into a $12/mo subscription, dropping 5-year electricity to $750 against $11,820 in gas. EV wins by $6,040.
15,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Rivian R1T vs. Ford F-150 Platinum
A Boulder environmental engineer weighs the premium EV pickup against the F-150 Platinum — the trim Rivian actually competes with. Boulder gas at verified $4.33/gal, Xcel EV Accelerate at ~$0.03/kWh, Colorado's phased-down $1,500 truck credit (was $5,000 through 2024). Rivian wins by $14,528 — largest EV win in library. Compare instead to a cheaper F-150 XLT and the math becomes a near-tie.
15,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Honda Prologue vs. Honda Passport
A Carmel Valley biotech scientist weighs Honda's first EV against the gas Passport TrailSport — same brand, same class, $2,700 apart at sticker. California CVRP closed to market-rate buyers, federal expired. But San Diego gas at verified $5.69/gal and SDG&E's EV-TOU-5 at 12.3¢/kWh Super Off-Peak deliver a $8,012 Prologue win — entirely dependent on charging discipline given SDG&E's 6× rate spread.
15,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Cadillac Lyriq vs. Cadillac XT5
A retired Naples financial executive weighs Cadillac's flagship EV against Cadillac's traditional gas SUV — same brand, $13,000 apart at sticker. No Florida state credit, federal expired. FPL EVolution Home at $12.50/mo bundles unlimited off-peak charging. Result: XT5 wins by $706 over 5 years — essentially tied. Second such outcome in our library; luxury EV economics work differently than mainstream EV economics.
12,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Toyota bZ4X vs. Toyota RAV4 XLE Hybrid
A North Austin software engineer weighs Toyota's first EV against Toyota's most refined hybrid — same brand, $1,255 apart at sticker. No Texas state credit, federal expired. Austin Energy TOU at 9¢/kWh off-peak plus $75/yr Power Partner credit. Result: RAV4 Hybrid wins by $2,505 — second hybrid win in library. When gas alternative is efficient hybrid, EV math changes fundamentally.
14,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Hyundai Ioniq 6 vs. Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
A Westchester attorney weighs Hyundai's aerodynamic EV sedan against Hyundai's efficient hybrid sedan — same brand, $10,000 apart at sticker. Con Edison rates are among the highest in the country ($0.30/kWh standard, $0.13 with SmartCharge NY off-peak discipline), New York gas at $3.85/gal, and the state's $2,000 Drive Clean rebate helps at purchase. Under SmartCharge discipline the Ioniq 6 wins by $2,340 over 5 years; on standard Con Ed rates the Elantra Hybrid wins by $890.
11,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs. Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
A Naperville analytics manager weighs Hyundai's most efficient EV crossover against its most efficient hybrid — same brand, same footprint, $2,450 apart at sticker. Chicago combines ComEd Rate BEST (~4.5¢/kWh overnight, cheapest in our library), a $2,000 Illinois EPA rebate, and $4.39/gal retail gas. Under disciplined off-peak charging the Ioniq 5 comes out $5,540 lower over 5 years; on standard residential the gap narrows to $3,466.
12,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs. Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
A Pasadena product designer weighs Hyundai's compact EV crossover against Hyundai's efficient hybrid crossover — same brand, $2,450 apart at sticker before California's $2,000 CCVRP rebate. LA offers the highest gas prices in the library at $5.69/gallon plus three SCE rate pathways with counterintuitive economics. Under Default TOU the Ioniq 5 wins by $2,516 over 5 years; under the marketed TOU-D-PRIME EV rate the win narrows to $1,388 — SCE's plan for EV owners is actually the worst of the three.
12,000 mi/yr · 5-year horizon · Cash
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Nissan LEAF S+ vs. Toyota Corolla Hybrid
A Westerville elementary school teacher weighs Nissan's entry-level EV against Toyota's efficient compact hybrid — $5,015 apart at sticker, first case in the library at the affordability tier and first case at a 7-year horizon. Columbus offers moderate economics: $3.92 gas, ~22.5¢/kWh standard residential electricity, and AEP Ohio's PEV rate at ~12.84¢/kWh all-in with disciplined off-peak charging. Operating savings roughly cancel the MSRP premium, but a ~$7,000 depreciation delta produces a 7-year TCO gap of $4,072 to $6,669 in the Corolla's favor.
12,000 mi/yr · 7-year horizon · Cash
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Genesis GV60 vs. GV70 (AWD parity)
A Chesterfield orthopedic surgeon weighs Genesis's electric crossover against its established gas luxury SUV — same brand, $6,540 apart at sticker with AWD parity. Missouri charges a $150/year EV decal fee ($759 over 5 years) and Ameren's Overnight Savers rate drops all-in effective cost to ~$0.085/kWh. Under Overnight Savers the GV60 wins by $4,500 on cash — but the ~$10,000 luxury EV depreciation delta essentially eliminates that advantage on total cost of ownership. First case where cash flow and TCO diverge decisively.
15,000 mi/yr · 5 years · Cash
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Ioniq 6 vs. Accord LX and Elantra Hybrid
An Oak Park data engineer weighs Hyundai's aerodynamic EV sedan against two efficient gas alternatives — Honda's proven Accord LX and Hyundai's own Elantra Hybrid at premium trim. Chicago offers everything an EV needs: ComEd Rate BEST at ~$0.045/kWh overnight (cheapest in the library), $2,000 Illinois EPA rebate, and $4.50/gal gas. Even so, the Ioniq 6 essentially ties Accord LX on TCO and loses to Elantra Hybrid by $3,708. First case in the library where efficient hybrid competition beats the EV even in an EV-favorable market.
12,000 mi/yr · 5 years · Cash · Level 1
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Lucid Air Pure vs. BMW 540i xDrive
A Menlo Park VP of Engineering weighs the most efficient EV on the US market against BMW's established performance sedan — same price segment, both AWD-capable, both 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds. San Francisco brings expensive everything: gas at $5.15/gal, PG&E rates among the highest in the country. The Lucid's 24 kWh/100mi efficiency compounds with SF fuel costs to overcome even luxury EV depreciation. Under PG&E EV-2A: Lucid wins by $11,270 cash and $3,962 TCO. First case where efficiency-times-expensive-gas beats the depreciation penalty.
15,000 mi/yr · 5 years · Cash
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How to read a case study. Each one starts with the driver's situation (city, mileage, ownership horizon, purchase method), then walks through vehicle-by-vehicle economics: purchase price, depreciation loss, fuel or electricity cost, insurance, maintenance, and any incentives. Every dollar figure comes from published rate schedules, EPA fuel-economy data, and Drive Economics's own insurance and maintenance models. Numbers are dated snapshots — see each case's "last verified" line.