Confused whether to buy a petrol or electric car? You’re not alone! Given the recent push for electric vehicles and the growing variety of options in the segment, it’s only natural the frenzy has caught up to you.
Yet, as a buyer, you’re probably scratching your head over all the information coming your way. Are electric motors better than combustion engines? Are petrol cars a thing of the past?
Only weighing the two options together will help you know. So, let us compare EV vs petrol cars in detail below.
What are petrol cars?
Petrol or gasoline cars run on a spark-ignited internal combustion engine, which mixes fuel and air after compression.
Pros of petrol cars
• They come with an economical price tag
• Petrol engines are easier to tune and tune-up
• They offer better agility – acceleration and speed – than EVs
• Because engines last longer than electric motors, petrol cars typically have a long service life.
Cons of petrol cars
• They consume gasoline which leads to overwhelming volumes of CO2 emissions, thus polluting the environment.
• Despite being affordable to purchase, petrol cars are overall heavy on the pockets due to high fuel prices and recurring maintenance costs.
What are electric cars?
An electric car is a vehicle propelled with electric motors that use energy stored in rechargeable batteries.
Pros of electric cars
• They feel lighter to drive.
• You can install EV charging units in your home garage to recharge your electric car instead of going to a gas station.
• They help reduce your carbon footprint as they do not emit harmful CO2 emissions.
• Since EVs have fewer mechanical parts, they don’t require maintenance and servicing as frequently as needed for petrol cars.
• Because electricity is cheaper than fuel, the running costs of EVs are less compared to petrol cars.
• They are also incredibly fast and make less noise.
• You can enjoy certain tax benefits if you buy an EV using a personal loan.
Cons of electric cars
• The range of EVs, or the distance a car can cover before needing a recharge, can be a problem. They can only cover a few km daily.
• Installation of Level 2 charging stations at home can be an added expense.
• There is less service availability for EVs than petrol cars.
• EV battery replacement costs can be hard on the pocket. However, a battery has a pretty long shelf life of 10 years.