EV + Solar Calculator: How Much Can You Save in Ontario?

Charging an EV at home in Ontario costs between $400 and $700 per year for the average driver (16,000 km/year), depending on your rate plan and vehicle efficiency. On the Ultra-Low Overnight plan, you can charge for as little as 2.8 cents/kWh during off-peak hours (11 PM - 7 AM), making overnight charging extremely affordable. With Time-of-Use rates, charging overnight costs about 7.6 cents/kWh. Compare this to $2,000-$3,500 per year in gasoline for a similar gas car.

Starting February 2026, Canada's EV Affordability Program offers up to $5,000 for battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles, and up to $2,500 for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). The vehicle's total transaction cost must not exceed $50,000 - but this cap does not apply to Canadian-made EVs. For example, the Chevrolet Equinox EV (assembled in Ingersoll, Ontario) qualifies for the full $5,000 regardless of price. Other popular qualifying EVs include the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt, and Toyota bZ4X. The program is backed by $2.3 billion in federal funding over five years.

In practice, solar panels can offset most or all of your EV charging costs, but not directly. Most EV charging happens overnight when solar panels are not producing. With Net Metering, your solar panels export excess daytime power to the grid for credits, and those credits offset your nighttime EV charging costs. With a battery, you can store daytime solar energy and use it to charge your EV in the evening. Either way, a properly sized solar system (typically 8-12 kW) can make your transportation essentially free from an energy cost perspective.

EV maintenance costs roughly $300 per year compared to $800-$1,400 for a gas car. EVs have no oil changes, no transmission fluid, no timing belts, fewer brake replacements (thanks to regenerative braking), and far fewer moving parts. The main maintenance items are tire rotation, cabin air filter, and brake fluid. Over 25 years, this maintenance savings adds up to $12,500-$27,500 depending on your gas car type.

Yes, EVs consume 30-50% more energy in cold Ontario winters due to battery heating, cabin heating, and reduced battery efficiency. Our calculator accounts for this by using blended summer/winter efficiency numbers. For example, a Hyundai Kona Electric averages about 14.3 kWh/100km in summer but 21.5 kWh/100km in winter. Pre-conditioning your EV while plugged in, using seat heaters instead of cabin heat, and parking in a garage all help reduce winter consumption.

An average Ontario household uses about 9,000 kWh/year. Charging an EV adds roughly 2,500-3,500 kWh/year (for 16,000 km driven). To offset both, you'll typically need a 10-14 kW system instead of the 6-8 kW you'd need for just the house. Our calculator sizes the system based on your combined home electricity and EV charging needs. A larger system means more upfront cost but also greater long-term savings, as you're offsetting both home electricity and transportation fuel.

Ontario has one of the cleanest grids in North America, with about 94% of electricity coming from non-emitting sources (nuclear, hydro, wind, solar). The grid emission factor is only 0.074 kg CO2e per kWh - roughly 30 times cleaner than burning gasoline per unit of energy. This means an EV in Ontario produces roughly 90% less CO2 than an equivalent gas car. Adding solar panels brings emissions even closer to zero, since you're generating your own clean electricity.

This calculator provides estimates based on 2026 OEB-approved Ontario electricity rates, StatCan average Ontario fuel prices ($1.47/L), February 2026 federal EV rebate rules, and city-specific solar irradiance data from NRCan. Electricity consumption defaults to the OEB standard of 750 kWh/month for a typical Ontario household. For 25-year projections, we use the Future Value formula: electricity costs compound at 4% annually (Cost x 1.04^year), gas at 3% annually (Cost x 1.03^year), and solar panels degrade at 0.5% per year. A 75% system efficiency factor accounts for real-world losses. Actual results vary based on your specific driving habits, charging patterns, roof conditions, installer pricing, and future rate changes.