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Electric cars to become cheaper than petrol and diesel cars by 2027 – report

Price parity between EVs and combustion-engined cars should come well before the end of the decade, according to new research.


Electric vehicles are expected to become cheaper to produce than conventional fossil fuel-powered cars by 2027, new research has found.

Price parity between electric and petrol/diesel cars is one of the major hurdles towards wider electric vehicle (EV) adoption and it looks to come sooner than expected, at least for Europeans.

Research by BloombergNEF, reported by The Guardian, posits that larger vehicles such as electric sedans and SUVs will reach price parity by 2026, with small cars to follow in 2027. The report also suggests that, while some regions have made great strides in regard to emissions regulations and bans, tighter regulations worldwide could see electric vehicles dominate all new car sales by the middle of next decade.

Using European-based figures, the current retail price of a medium-sized EV is €33,300 (AU$52,026) compared to a same-sized, petrol-powered car for €18,600 (AU$29,066). Both these cars should cost about €19,000 (AU$29,691) by 2026.

Beyond that, by 2030 the same electric car is forecast to cost €16,300 (AU$25,469) in comparison to the petrol car which should increase to €19,900 (AU$31,098).

As manufacturers create space within their factories for dedicated EV production lines, greater economies of scale mean that EVs are set to become more affordable than their internal-combustion counterparts within the next six years. Additionally, batteries are becoming less expensive to manufacture, leading car makers to pass on reduced costs to end buyers.

However, even BloombergNEF’s 2026-7 anticipation is one of the more conservative estimates – The Guardian reports that investment firm UBS expects electric cars will cost the same to manufacture by 2024.

In any case, trendlines are going down for the price of batteries at an accelerating rate.

A study commissioned by European-based non-profit Transport & Environment predicts that battery prices will fall by 58 per cent within the next decade. That could bring battery prices down to $58 per kWh – much lower than the current $100 per kWh price.

Tom Fraser

Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.

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