$1,523 to Fuel Toyota C-HR vs. $205 to Energize Kia EV6
May 23, 20261 hour
Zachary Shahan
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A few days ago, I looked into how much it would cost to fuel a Hyundai Santa Fe versus how much it would cost to “fuel” a Hyundai IONIQ 5. (There’s a backstory there — go ahead and catch up on it all if you’re curious and missed that.) I enjoyed doing the comparison, so I wanted to do it with more models. With news that Kia has just slashed pricing on the EV6 (my favorite vehicle on the market), this seemed like the obvious model to use next.
I tried to think of a good vehicle to compare the EV6 to, and I came up with two from Toyota, the C-HR and the RAV4. In each section, I’ll explain the reasons. At this point, I haven’t yet run the comparisons, so I don’t know how things will land. Let’s go through it together and see what we find!
In that previous article, reader William Fitch recommended using the term “energize” instead of “fuel” for EVs. I like that idea — “energize” is a fun word and it works.
Kia EV6 vs. Toyota C-HR
The Kia EV6 and Toyota C-HR have quite similar dimensions. The EV6 is longer and wider, but the C-HR has slightly more trunk space while the EV6 has much more passenger volume. Furthermore, pricing is almost the same — the C-HR starts at $37,000 while the EV6 now starts at $37,900. So, yeah, let’s go!
These are the assumptions I used:
- $4.42/gallon of gas — the average price of gas in Florida at the moment
- $0.07/kWh electricity — the price I pay to charge my EV overnight
- 10,000 miles and 15,000 miles (two scenarios) — which is about how much I drive and approximately the US average, respectively.
- 29 MPG — average fuel economy of the Toyota C-HR, per the EPA
- 3.4 miles/kWh — average energy efficiency of Kia EV6 RWD trims, per the EPA
At 10,000 miles, the result is that the Toyota C-HR costs $1,523 to fuel while the Kia EV6 costs $205 to energize. That means a savings of $1,318 by getting the EV6 instead.
At 15,000 miles, the result is that the Toyota C-HR costs $2,286 to fuel while the Kia EV6 costs $308 to energize. That means a savings of $1,977 by getting the EV6 instead.
Of course, multiply those savings across 10 years and you’d be at $13,180 or $19,770 in savings, assuming all of those parameters are the actual averages across those 10 years. One can make their own guesses for their own situations and regions.
Kia EV6 vs. Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is a somewhat bigger vehicle, but it’s still comparable. The EV6 is actually ~3 inches longer and one inch wider, but the RAV4 is significantly taller. The EV6 actually offers 4 more cubic feet of passenger volume and provides significantly more legroom. However, the RAV4 offers considerably more cargo space if that’s your thing.
Since the RAV4 is such a popular vehicle and is quite similar to the EV6 in many regards, I thought it would be fun to compare these two vehicles as well. I used the same assumptions as before, but used 42 MPG for the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
At 10,000 miles, the result is that the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid costs $1,052 to fuel while the Kia EV6 costs $205 to energize. That means a savings of $846 by getting the EV6 instead.
At 15,000 miles, the result is that the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid costs $1,578 to fuel while the Kia EV6 costs $308 to energize. That means a savings of $1,269 by getting the EV6 instead.
Of course, multiply those savings across 10 years and you’d be at $8,460 or $12,690 in savings, assuming all of those parameters are the actual averages across those 10 years.
Those are some big savings. I know what I’d be choosing!
Tip of the hat to the ChooseEV savings calculator.
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