CarOnPhone Car Blog EV Vs Hybrid Vs CNG Cars in India: Which Car is Cheapest to Run?
CarOnPhone Car Blog EV Vs Hybrid Vs CNG Cars in India: Which Car is Cheapest to Run?

EV Vs Hybrid Vs CNG Cars in India: Which Car is Cheapest to Run?

Dr. Supreena Narayanan

16 Jun 2025, 06:43 PM

EV Vs Hybrid Vs CNG Cars in India: Which Car is Cheapest to Run?

Which Car is Cheapest to Run? EV, Hybrid, or CNG Cars in India – A Simple Guide for Young Readers! explains running costs clearly. Hey everyone! Have you ever wondered what makes a car move? Or, more importantly, what it costs to make it go? It’s not just about the price tag when your family buys the car. It’s also about how much money you spend every time you drive it, just like how much money you spend on snacks every week!

In India, we have many kinds of cars that use different types of fuel. Today, we’re going to talk about three popular ones:

  1. EVs (Electric Vehicles): These are like giant remote-control cars that run on electricity, like your phone or tablet! 
  2. Hybrid Cars: These are clever cars that can use both petrol (or diesel) and electricity. They’re like having two engines in one! 
  3. CNG Cars: These cars run on a special kind of gas called Compressed Natural Gas. It’s like the gas used in some kitchen stoves, but for cars! 

Let’s find out which one is the cheapest to run, just like figuring out which snack gives you the yummiest goodness for your money! 

What Makes a Car Cost Money to Run?

Every time a car moves, it uses up some kind of energy. This energy costs money. Think of it like this: 

  • Fuel Cost: This is the money you pay for petrol, diesel, CNG, or electricity to make the car go. This is usually the biggest cost! 
  • Maintenance Cost: Just like you need to clean your toys and make sure they’re not broken, cars need to be checked and fixed sometimes. This is called maintenance. 
  • Other Costs: There are other small costs like getting your car cleaned or new tires sometimes, but we’ll focus on fuel and maintenance for now. 

Let’s dive into each type of car! 

1. EV Cars (Electric Vehicles): The Battery-Powered Wonders!

Imagine your favorite video game console or phone. You plug it in to charge, right? Electric cars work just like that! They have a big battery that stores electricity, and when you drive, the electricity powers the wheels. Young buyers find Which Car is Cheapest to Run? EV, Hybrid, or CNG Cars in India – A Simple Guide for Young Readers! useful. 

How Much Do They Cost to Run?

EVs are usually the cheapest to run when it comes to “fuel” cost.

  • Fuel (Electricity) Cost: 
  • If you change your EV at home, it’s like charging your phone overnight. The electricity is much cheaper than petrol or CNG. In India, charging at home can cost around ₹1 to ₹1.5 for every kilometer you drive! That’s super cheap!
  • If you charge at special public fast chargers, it might be a bit more expensive, maybe around ₹12 to ₹20 for every unit of electricity, which makes the cost per kilometer go up. But still, it’s often cheaper than petrol or diesel.
  • Maintenance Cost: 
  • EVs have fewer moving parts than cars that run on petrol or diesel. They don’t need oil changes, or spark plugs, or fuel filters! This means their maintenance is often much cheaper than other cars. You mostly need to check tires, brakes, and make sure the computer parts are working well.

Good Things about EVs (Pros for Buyers):

  • Super Quiet: EVs are almost silent when they drive! It’s like a ninja car. This means less noise pollution.
  • No Smelly Smoke: EVs don’t have an exhaust pipe, so they don’t release any smoky pollution from their tailpipe. This is great for cleaner air!
  • Quick and Smooth: EVs can go very fast from a standstill, like a rocket! They are also very smooth to drive.
  • Cheapest to Run (if you charge at home!): You save a lot of money on “fuel” every day.

Not-So-Good Things about EVs (Cons for Buyers):

  • More Expensive to Buy: Electric cars usually cost more money to buy in the first place compared to petrol or CNG cars.
  • Charging Time: It takes longer to “fill up” an EV (charge the battery) than to fill a petrol or CNG car. You can’t just stop for 5 minutes and go.
  • Finding Chargers: While more charging stations are coming up, they are not as many as petrol pumps everywhere, especially on very long journeys.
  • Battery Replacement: The battery is super expensive. If it needs to be replaced after many, many years (usually after the 8-year warranty is over), it can cost a lot of money (like ₹5 lakh to ₹8 lakh for a Tata Nexon EV battery!).

2. Hybrid Cars: The Best of Both Worlds!

Hybrid cars are really clever. They have a petrol (or sometimes diesel) engine just like a normal car, BUT they also have an electric motor and a small battery. They can switch between using petrol, using electricity, or using both at the same time! It’s like having a superhero car with two different powers! Save money by understanding Which Car is Cheapest to Run? EV, Hybrid, or CNG Cars in India – A Simple Guide for Young Readers!. 

How Much Do They Cost to Run? 

Hybrid cars save you money on petrol because they use electricity sometimes. 

  • Fuel (Petrol + Electricity) Cost:  
  • Since they use both petrol and electricity, they drink much less petrol than a normal petrol car. This means you save money on petrol refills. 
  • For example, a hybrid car might give you more kilometers per liter of petrol (like 20-25 kmpl) compared to a normal petrol car (which might give 15 kmpl). 
  • So, while petrol costs about ₹95-₹100 per liter (as of May 2025 in Delhi), a hybrid car will make that liter go much further. Running cost per kilometer for a hybrid car might be around ₹4.5 to ₹5.5 per kilometer, depending on the model and how you drive. 
  • Maintenance Cost:  
  • Hybrid cars have both a petrol engine and an electric motor. This means they need maintenance for both parts. So, their maintenance cost is usually a bit more than a patrol car, but not super expensive. It’s like having to check two engines instead of one!

Good Things about Hybrids (Pros for Buyers): 

  • Good Mileage: They save petrol because they use electricity too. You go further on less fuel! 
  • No Range Anxiety: You don’t have to worry about finding charging stations because you can always fill up with petrol anywhere. 
  • Less Pollution: They burn less petrol, so they release less smoke into the air compared to normal petrol cars. 
  • Smooth Driving: The electric motor can make the car very smooth and quiet at lower speeds.

Not-So-Good Things about Hybrids (Cons for Buyers): 

  • More Expensive to Buy: Hybrid cars are usually more expensive to buy than normal petrol cars. 
  • Still Uses Petrol: Even though they save petrol, they still need it, so they are not totally pollution-free like EVs.

Battery is Smaller: The battery in a hybrid car is smaller than in an EV, so it can’t drive on electricity alone for very long. 

3. CNG Cars: The Gas-Powered Savers!

CNG cars run on Compressed Natural Gas. This gas is stored in a special cylinder (a big tank) usually in the boot (the back storage area) of the car. Many taxis and city buses in India use CNG because it’s cheaper. 

How Much Do They Cost to Run? 

CNG is usually cheaper than petrol, making these cars cheaper to run than petrol cars. 

  • Fuel (CNG Gas) Cost:  
  • CNG costs less than petrol. In India, CNG can cost around ₹75 to ₹95 per kilogram (as of May 2025, depending on the city). 
  • Cars that run on CNG give very good mileage, often around 25-30 kilometers for every kilogram of CNG. 
  • So, the running cost per kilometer for a CNG car can be around ₹2.5 to ₹4.5 per kilometer. This is much cheaper than petrol! 
  • Maintenance Cost:  
  • CNG cars need similar maintenance to petrol cars, but they also need special checks for the CNG kit (the parts that help it run on gas). So, the maintenance might be a little bit more than a patrol car, but still generally affordable. 

Good Things about CNG Cars (Pros for Buyers): 

  • Cheaper Fuel: CNG is much cheaper than petrol, so you save money every time you fill up! 
  • Good Mileage: CNG cars are very fuel-efficient, meaning they go a long way on less fuel. 
  • Less Pollution: CNG burns cleaner than petrol or diesel, so it creates less air pollution. 
  • Lower Buying Price: CNG cars are usually cheaper to buy than EVs or Hybrids. 

Not-So-Good Things about CNG Cars (Cons for Buyers): 

  • Fewer Filling Stations: You can’t find CNG filling stations everywhere, like petrol pumps. Sometimes you have to wait in a queue. 
  • Less Boot Space: The big CNG cylinder in the back takes up a lot of space in the car’s boot, so you might have less room for luggage or toys. 
  • Slightly Less Power: Cars running on CNG might feel a little bit less powerful than when they run on petrol, especially when going uphill. 
  • Petrol Backup: Most CNG cars are “dual fuel,” meaning they can also run on petrol. This is good as a backup if you can’t find a CNG station. 

So, which is the Cheapest to Run?

Let’s put it all together, from cheapest to a bit more expensive for running cost per kilometer (based on driving a normal amount in Indian cities and charging/filling up at common places): 

  1. EV Cars (if charged at home): Around ₹1 to ₹1.5 per kilometer. (Cheapest!) 
  2. CNG Cars: Around ₹2.5 to ₹4.5 per kilometer. 
  3. Hybrid Cars: Around ₹4.5 to ₹5.5 per kilometer. 
  4. Normal Petrol Cars: (For comparison) Often ₹6 to ₹8 per kilometer or even more!
     

Winner for Daily Running Cost: EVs (especially if you charge at home) are the clear winners for being the cheapest to run every day! 

Cheapest Car to Run in India (2025): Running Cost Comparison

The Big Picture: It's Not Just About Fuel!

Remember, while EVs are super cheap to run each day, they usually cost more money to buy at first. So, if your family drives a lot, like more than 50-60 kilometers every day, then the savings from an EV can add up very fast and make up for the higher buying price in a few years.

If your family doesn’t drive very much, or if you live somewhere where it’s hard to find EV chargers, then a CNG car might be a better choice because it’s cheaper to buy and still very cheap to run compared to a patrol car.

Hybrid cars are a good middle ground if you want to save petrol and help the environment a bit, but still want the ease of filling up at any petrol pump.

Choosing a car at CarOnPhone is a big decision for your family, and it’s exciting to know how these different types of cars work and how much they cost to keep moving on the roads of India! Which one sounds most fun to you?

Further Read:

EV Vs Hybrid Vs CNG Cars in India: Which Car is Cheapest to Run?

Buying a Car in India: Which Brands Give You the Best Protection?

EV Battery Replacement Cost in India – A Brand-Wise Comparison

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