A fair boundary comes first.
A vehicle purchase commits capital and creates a stream of operating costs. Compare the same distance and time horizon, and include both the purchase and the eventual residual value. A lower energy bill does not by itself establish a lower ownership total.
Energy at the battery is not energy at the meter.
Charging involves losses that depend on equipment, vehicle state and conditions. The planner divides battery energy by a supplied charging efficiency to estimate metered energy. Use a consumption boundary that avoids double counting losses, and a charging mix you can actually achieve.
Sources: US01 · US02. Accessed 8 November 2026.
Residuals deserve a scenario.
The demonstrated comparison uses supplied service, insurance, other annual costs and residuals for both vehicles. Try a conservative resale case as well as the central case. Keep finance, incentives, taxes and discounting outside this cash-purchase model unless you separately calculate them.
Interpret a cost difference carefully.
The result answers which supplied scenario has the lower total under its assumptions. It does not establish market value, recommend a vehicle or forecast future tariffs. Take the exported inputs to a properly informed purchase or fleet discussion.