Electric or petrol: what 100 km actually costs in Georgia

Updated July 2026

Where these numbers come from

The two sides come from two different sources and both can be checked.

The charging tariff is the median of Georgia's catalogue of 624 public chargers: 0.78 GEL per kWh on fast DC and 0.65 on slow AC. It is the same data the app runs on.

The fuel price is the median across Georgia's 8 chains as of 2026-08-31: regular at 3.64 GEL a litre and diesel at 4.21. The median, because the cheapest station in the country is not where an ordinary driver fills up.

Consumption is taken as 18 kWh per 100 km for the EV and 8 litres for the petrol car, both mixed driving averages.

What 100 km costs

The 0.25 GEL on the home row is an illustration, not a quoted tariff. Household electricity is tiered and an EV will normally push you into the top band, so take the exact figure from your own bill and multiply it by 18.

For your battery and your tariff, the same sum takes two seconds in the calculator.

What changes the picture

• Winter. In cold weather an EV uses 20 to 35 percent more, so 18 kWh becomes about 23. Petrol cars also get worse in winter, but less so. The gap narrows without closing.
• City against highway. Here it works the other way. In traffic a petrol car burns litres while an EV uses almost nothing and recovers part of what it does use when braking. The gap is widest in town.
• How full the battery is. It does not change the cost, only the time. Above 80 percent a fast charger slows down sharply.
• Free charging. Some of Georgia's 624 chargers belong to hotels and shopping centres, where charging is often free for customers. None of that is in the table.

What this calculation leaves out

Fuel is not the whole cost, and it is only honest to say so.

• Servicing. An EV has no oil, filters, plugs or exhaust. Brake pads last far longer because the motor does most of the slowing.
• Tyres. The other way round: an EV is heavier and goes through tyres faster.
• The battery. Pack wear belongs in any long term figure. That is its own subject and has its own guide.
• Import duty. Here the EV has a large advantage: excise and import duty are both zero. The figures and the comparison.

When it does not pay off

There are two cases where this arithmetic stops working.

First, if you drive less than 5000 km a year. The fuel saving is then so small that it never covers the difference in purchase price.

Second, if you have no way to charge at home and use only fast chargers. At 14.04 GEL per 100 km that is still cheaper than petrol, but three times what home charging costs. Anyone living in a flat should work that out before buying, not after. The options are covered in home charger installation.

Frequently asked questions