Well-to-wheel · EPA eGRID state data · Free

EV vs Gas: Driving Emissions Compared

This calculator compares the CO2 from driving an EV with the CO2 from driving a gas car over the years you own them. It counts gasoline production and delivery, not just the tailpipe, and it uses your state’s power-plant emissions for the EV. Pick your vehicles, your state, and how long you’ll drive them.

Well-to-wheel, not tailpipe onlyAll 50 states and DCNothing stored

CO2 avoided by driving the EV

39,130 lbs

Over 5 years and 60,000 miles, about 17.7 metric tons

Gas carEV

Cumulative lbs of CO2 by year of driving.

Gas car total

52,473 lbs

EV total

13,344 lbs

CO2 per mile, gas

0.875 lbs

CO2 per mile, EV

0.222 lbs

Adjust your vehicles, state, and years to see the difference.

Methodology

Why Well-to-Wheel, Not Just Tailpipe

A gas car’s tailpipe isn’t the whole story. Drilling, refining, and delivering gasoline add emissions before it reaches the tank. An EV has no tailpipe, but the power plants that make its electricity do emit CO2, and how much depends on your state’s grid. This calculator counts both sides.

Stage	Gas car	EV
Burning the fuel	19.59 lb CO2 per gallon	No tailpipe emissions
Making the fuel	+25% for production and delivery	Power-plant CO2 for your state (eGRID)
Getting it to you	Included above	+5.1% for grid losses
Building the car	Not included (see below)

Tailpipe factor: EPA, 8,887 grams of CO2 per gallon of gasoline. Upstream gasoline: lifecycle models such as Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET put fuel production and delivery at roughly a quarter of tailpipe emissions; this calculator uses 25%. Electricity: EPA eGRID2022 state CO2 output emission rates plus eGRID’s 5.1% grid gross loss. eGRID counts power-plant emissions only, not the upstream emissions of producing the fuel those plants burn, so the EV figure is slightly on the low side.

What about building the car?

Manufacturing isn’t included. EVs usually start with higher manufacturing emissions than a comparable gas car, mostly because of the battery. After that, every mile driven on a cleaner-than-gasoline grid narrows the gap, so the longer and further you drive, the more the EV’s lower per-mile emissions count. Because this page shows driving emissions only, treat the result as the savings from driving, not a full lifecycle total.

By State

How Your State’s Grid Changes the Answer

The same EV produces very different emissions depending on where it charges. These are a few examples, using an efficient sedan at 3.9 mi/kWh against a 28 MPG gas car at 0.875 lb of CO2 per mile.

State	Grid CO2 (lb/MWh)	EV lb CO2 per mile	vs 28 MPG gas car

Grid figures are for electricity generated in each state. States that import a lot of power, such as California or DC, can have a real consumption mix that differs from their generation mix.

Now compare the running costs

See what the same miles cost in electricity versus gasoline, using your state’s rate.

EV vs Gas Cost →Cost by State

Common Questions

EV vs Gas Emissions Questions

Well-to-wheel counts emissions from the whole fuel chain, not just the tailpipe. For gasoline, that means producing and delivering the fuel, which this calculator puts at 25% on top of tailpipe emissions. For electricity, it means the emissions from power plants that generate it, plus power lost on the grid on the way to your charger.

Usually, yes. An electric pickup at 1.9 mi/kWh on the average U.S. grid produces about 0.46 lb of CO2 per mile, compared with about 0.64 lb for a 38 MPG compact car. The gap is much smaller than between an EV sedan and a gas sedan, and on the most coal-heavy grids the pickup can come out behind.

No. This calculator covers driving emissions only. EVs usually start with higher manufacturing emissions because of the battery, and driving on a cleaner grid pays that back over time. The more miles you drive, the more the EV’s lower per-mile emissions add up.

Because the EV’s emissions come from the power plants that feed your grid. In EPA’s data, Vermont’s generation emits about 36 lb of CO2 per MWh, while West Virginia’s emits about 1,959. The same EV can be many times cleaner in one state than in another.

It scales it. Both cars’ emissions grow with every mile, so the gap between them grows too. High-mileage drivers see the biggest difference, in whichever direction their grid points.

Data sources: EPA, Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle (8,887 g CO2 per gallon of gasoline); EPA eGRID2022 Summary Tables, state CO2 output emission rates and grid gross loss; Argonne National Laboratory GREET model for the scale of upstream gasoline emissions; EPA ratings via fueleconomy.gov for vehicle efficiency.

EVRatio’s emission figures are estimates based on EPA data and the values you enter. Real emissions vary with the specific vehicle, driving conditions, and the exact power mix when you charge. These are planning estimates, not certified environmental data.