Quick answer
Riding 30 km a day, 26 days a month (780 km), a petrol scooter using 2 litres per 100 km burns about VND 393,000 of fuel (E10 RON95-III at VND 25,213 per litre, price of 22 October 2026). An electric scooter at 3 kWh per 100 km uses 23.4 kWh; on a home already using 200 kWh a month the bill rises by about VND 75,800. With maintenance, electric saves about VND 376,000 a month and repays a 4-million higher price in about 11 months.
Key points
- Monthly fuel = km × litres per 100 km / 100 × fuel price; common scooters use 1.7 – 2.5 litres per 100 km.
- Home charging is not kWh × the tier-1 price: the charging kWh are added to the household's use and land in its top tier.
- At 780 km a month and a 200 kWh household base, each charged kWh really costs about VND 3,238 including 8% VAT.
- Battery rental, station charging or a battery replacement can stretch the payback time several times over.
- CO₂ estimate: E10 petrol about 2.08 kg per litre, grid power about 0.681 kg per kWh; the electric bike emits roughly half.
Is an electric motorbike cheaper to run?
Thinking of switching to an electric motorbike in Vietnam? This calculator compares fuel with charging costs per month and per year, the total cost over several years (purchase price, maintenance, battery replacement or rental), how long the electric bike takes to pay back, and an estimate of CO₂. Home charging is priced on the same tiered household tariff as the Electricity Bill Calculator, added on top of what your home already uses, because that is what your bill actually goes up by. Every price is editable; the defaults are dated assumptions.
How to compare
- 1
Enter the distance: kilometres per day and riding days per month, or switch to “Per month”. Choose how many years to compare (5 by default).
- 2
Petrol bike: purchase price, fuel use, the fuel price you pay and yearly maintenance.
- 3
Electric bike: purchase price and energy use at the socket (kWh per 100 km). For charging, choose “Home tariff” and enter your home's monthly kWh before charging, or “Fixed price” for a charging station or a landlord's rate.
- 4
Battery: “Owned” (replacement cost and lifetime) or “Rented” (monthly fee).
- 5
Read the monthly fuel and charging cost, the monthly saving, the payback time, the side-by-side table and the year-by-year totals.
- 6
“Copy” sends a summary; “Copy result link” reopens the same numbers.
Default inputs (assumptions you can change)
| Item | Petrol | Electric |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 30 km/day × 26 days = 780 km/month | same |
| Purchase price | VND 32,000,000 | VND 36,000,000 |
| Energy use | 2 litres/100 km | 3 kWh/100 km at the socket |
| Energy price | VND 25,213/litre (E10 RON95-III, from 3 pm on 22 Oct 2026) | 6-tier tariff, 8% VAT, 200 kWh home base |
| Maintenance | VND 1,200,000/year | VND 500,000/year |
| Battery | — | replaced after 6 years, VND 10,000,000 |
The petrol price is the maximum retail price set on 22 October 2026 by the Ministries of Industry and Trade and of Finance; the electricity tariff is Decision 1279/QĐ-BCT, as in the Electricity Bill Calculator. Other figures are illustrative, not the price of any particular model.
What each home-charged kWh really costs (23.4 kWh a month)
| Home use before charging | Bill before | Bill with charging | Per charged kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 kWh (separate meter) | VND 0 | VND 50,140 | ≈ VND 2,143 |
| 100 kWh | 217,836 | 277,983 | ≈ 2,570 |
| 200 kWh | 474,876 | 550,641 | ≈ 3,238 |
| 350 kWh | 979,560 | 1,064,221 | ≈ 3,618 |
| 450 kWh | 1,347,300 | 1,434,741 | ≈ 3,737 |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table →
Computed with the Electricity Bill Calculator's own function (6 tiers, 8% VAT). The more electricity a home already uses, the pricier the charging kWh.
Examples
Commuting 30 km a day, charging at home
780 km a month: VND 393,323 of petrol versus 75,765 of electricity. With maintenance the petrol bike costs 493,323 a month and the electric one 117,432, a saving of 375,891. The electric bike costs 4 million more, so it pays back after 11 months; after 5 years the totals are 61.6 million versus 43 million.
Riding less, 15 km a day
390 km a month: VND 196,661 of petrol, 37,883 of electricity, a saving of 217,112 a month including maintenance. The same 4-million gap takes 19 months to recover.
Delivery riding, 1,500 km a month
VND 756,390 of petrol, 145,703 of electricity, a saving of 669,020 a month: payback in 6 months. Heavy use is where electric wins most clearly.
Station charging at 3,500 per kWh and battery rental of 300,000 a month
Charging is only VND 81,900, but with the rental and maintenance the electric bike costs 423,567 a month, just 69,756 less than petrol. The 4-million gap takes 58 months, nearly 5 years.
Common mistakes
- Pricing charging at the tier-1 rate (VND 1,984).
- Charging adds to the household total and lands in the top tiers. Enter your home's usage so the tool computes the real increase in the bill.
- Dividing battery capacity by the advertised range.
- Charging has losses and real range depends on load, speed and weather. Use energy at the socket; if unsure, 3 kWh per 100 km is a sensible start.
- Forgetting battery rental or replacement.
- A rental fee can exceed the electricity itself. With an owned battery, include one replacement if you will keep the bike longer than the battery lasts.
- Comparing only fuel against electricity.
- The real cost includes the purchase price, maintenance and battery. The cumulative table shows when electric actually becomes cheaper.
Why home charging is priced on the tiers
Household electricity in Vietnam is progressive: the first 50 kWh cost VND 1,984 and the top tier 3,460 before tax. Charging at home has no separate bill; the kWh join the household total, so they are the last kWh of the month and pay the highest tier your home reaches, sometimes pushing it into a new one.
The tool therefore takes the bill with charging minus the current bill, both computed with the Electricity Bill Calculator's own function. For a home using 200 kWh a month, each charged kWh really costs about VND 3,238, roughly 50% more than tier 1 including tax (2,143). If the bike has its own meter, set the base to 0 kWh or enter the landlord's price.
How payback is worked out
Each bike's total after m months = purchase price + monthly running cost × m (+ a battery replacement when the battery reaches the end of its life). Payback is the first month when the electric bike's total is no longer higher. If it is cheaper to buy and to run, the tool says “Right away”; if it saves nothing each month, there is no payback within 20 years.
A replacement is charged at the start of a new battery cycle: with a 6-year battery, a 6-year comparison has no replacement and year 7 adds it, which the year-by-year table shows as a jump.
Estimated CO₂
Mineral petrol emits about 2.31 kg of CO₂ per litre when burned; E10 contains 10% bio-ethanol, leaving about 2.08 kg of fossil CO₂ per litre. Vietnam's grid was estimated at about 0.681 kg CO₂-equivalent per kWh for 2024, applied here to electricity at the socket.
At 780 km a month the petrol bike emits about 389 kg of CO₂ a year and the electric bike about 191 kg. This leaves out manufacturing of the bike and battery, and local pollutants such as CO, NOx and fine dust that electric bikes do not emit on the street.
Context: limits on petrol motorbikes in central Hanoi
Prime Minister's Directive 20/CT-TTg of 12 July 2025 on environmental pollution asks Hanoi to move to a situation where, from 1 July 2026, no motorbikes running on fossil fuel circulate inside Ring Road 1, extending to Ring Road 2 from 1 January 2028 and Ring Road 3 from 2030.
Hanoi's People's Council adopted a low-emission zone resolution under which the first phase, piloted from 1 July 2026 in some central wards, restricts petrol motorbikes by area and time slot rather than banning them across Ring Road 1 at once. Streets, hours and exemptions are announced by the city and may change, so check the latest official notice if you ride into the centre.
Glossary
- kWh per 100 km
- Electricity used to ride 100 km; measured at the socket it includes charging losses.
- Home base
- Your household's monthly use before charging, which decides which tier the charging kWh fall into.
- Payback
- When the electric bike's total cost, purchase included, drops to or below the petrol bike's.
- E10
- Petrol blended with 10% bio-ethanol; RON95 is the octane rating.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric scooter for a month?
780 km a month at 3 kWh per 100 km is 23.4 kWh. On a home using 200 kWh a month the bill rises by about VND 75,800; less on a low-use home (about 60,000 on a 100 kWh base), more on a heavy-use one.
What does 100 km cost, electric versus petrol?
Electric: 3 kWh × about VND 3,238 ≈ 9,700. Petrol: 2 litres × 25,213 ≈ 50,400 (E10 RON95-III, 22 October 2026). The electric bike's energy costs roughly a fifth.
How long does an electric motorbike take to pay back?
The purchase price gap divided by the monthly saving. With the defaults (4 million more, about 376,000 saved a month) it is 11 months; low mileage or battery rental makes it much longer.
Is battery rental or an owned battery better?
It depends on mileage. A fixed fee makes rental expensive for light riders; heavy riders, or anyone who wants no replacement bill, may prefer it. Try both modes and compare the totals.
Why isn't charging just kWh × the tier-1 price?
Charging joins the household total, so it pays the highest tier your home reaches. The tool takes the bill with charging minus the current bill on the 6-tier tariff with 8% VAT.
Where does the default petrol price come from?
E10 RON95-III at a maximum retail price of VND 25,213 per litre from 3 pm on 22 October 2026, set by the Ministries of Industry and Trade and of Finance. Prices change every adjustment period; enter what you pay.
When do Hanoi's limits on petrol motorbikes start?
Directive 20/CT-TTg (12 July 2025) sets 1 July 2026 for no fossil-fuel motorbikes inside Ring Road 1. Hanoi is implementing it through a low-emission zone piloted from 1 July 2026 in some central wards by area and time slot; check the city's official notices for details.
How is CO₂ estimated?
E10 petrol about 2.08 kg CO₂ per litre (bio-ethanol share not counted), grid power about 0.681 kg CO₂e per kWh (2024 estimate). Only use-phase emissions are counted.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. All calculations run in your browser.
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