With EV running costs still under the spotlight, some experts have crunched the numbers to answer a festive question: how much would Santa save by ditching a petrol sleigh for an electric one on Christmas Eve?
Assuming Santa travels around 122 million miles to reach every chimney worldwide, LeaseLoco’s analysis compares a petrol sleigh, a diesel sleigh and an EV equivalent (using UK average fuel and charging costs).
The Findings
– Charging an electric sleigh via home chargers would save Santa £11.9 million compared to petrol.
– Even diesel beats petrol, saving £2.25 million.
– EV maintenance costs are also lower – although even the best EVs wouldn’t survive 122 million miles without a few elf-delivered replacements.
But those home-charging savings come with a downside: Santa would need to spend around 538 years plugged in, making Christmas Eve logistics tricky, to say the least!
Public ultra-rapid chargers would cut charging time dramatically, but at a higher overall cost than petrol.
Santa’s Global Trip: EV Savings (2025)
Trip Method |
Power/Speed |
Total Cost |
Refuel/Charge Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol Sleigh | 36 mpg | £21,134,535 | 240 Days |
| Diesel Sleigh | 43 mpg | £18,874,930 | 201 Days |
| EV (Public Rapid Charging) | 150kW+ | £26,491,428 | 26.5 Years |
| EV (Home Charging) | 7.4kW | £9,184,857 | 537.7 Years |
*Data based on December 2025 UK Averages: Petrol (137.2p/L), Diesel (146.6p/L), Standard Price Cap (26.35p/kWh), and Public Rapid Charging (76p/kWh).
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