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Is Diesel Still Cheaper on a Long Road Trip? What a Berlin-to-Madrid EV Drive Found

A reported 2,500-km Tesla journey found rapid charging cost €53.62 more than modeled diesel at 2024 prices, but one route-specific calculation is not a universal verdict.
Entry942 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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A reported Berlin-to-Madrid drive found that Tesla rapid charging cost more than modeled diesel fuel—but only by €53.62 under the comparison’s assumptions. That single journey does not prove diesel is cheaper for every long-distance trip. The result depends on 2024 prices, reference fuel consumption, charging strategy and the vehicles being compared.

What did the Berlin-to-Madrid comparison find?

Xataka reported that journalists drove a Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD and a Tesla Model 3 Long Range on a journey of nearly 2,500 km from Berlin to Madrid. Comparing the cost of charging the Teslas at company rapid chargers with modeled combustion-car fuel costs, the report calculated the following gaps at 2024 prices:

Comparison Reference consumption Reported cost difference
Tesla rapid charging versus diesel 5.5 L/100 km Charging cost €53.62 more
Tesla rapid charging versus petrol 7 L/100 km Charging cost €136.61 more

The figures are reported calculations, not a current price comparison or a controlled same-route test against a diesel car. The fuel costs were modeled using the stated reference consumption and average EU fuel prices; the account does not establish a full set of receipts that would allow readers to reproduce every cost. Xataka’s account and Jeuxvideo.com’s coverage report the same gaps and reference consumption assumptions.

Why the result does not make diesel “king” for every trip

It was one route and two electric cars

The report describes a particular journey with two Tesla long-range models. It does not compare every EV and diesel combination, nor does it establish how a different route, driving conditions or vehicle would change the outcome.

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The combustion costs were modeled

The comparison uses reference consumption of 5.5 L/100 km for diesel and 7 L/100 km for petrol, alongside average EU fuel prices. A real car’s fuel use and the prices a driver actually encounters can differ from those inputs.

The charging method matters

The reported EV costs reflect rapid charging. The account says slower charging could reduce cost, but would take more time. Charging prices and access vary, so the result should not be treated as a universal cost for charging an electric car on a road trip.

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How to compare costs for your own road trip

To make the comparison useful for a specific journey, use the same route and trip boundaries for both vehicles, then estimate energy costs from realistic vehicle consumption and prices available along that route.

  1. Set the route and distance. Use the actual start, destination and planned stops rather than applying the Berlin-to-Madrid result to a different journey.
  2. Use realistic consumption figures. Compare the vehicles’ expected energy use for the trip. The report’s 5.5 L/100 km diesel and 7 L/100 km petrol figures are its reference assumptions, not a guarantee of your car’s consumption.
  3. Check route-specific energy prices. Estimate fuel from prices you expect to pay and EV charging from the stations and charging speeds you plan to use. Lower-cost charging may reduce the EV bill, but can change the time required.
  4. Include time and availability. Compare the full journey, including charging stops, and consider whether suitable chargers are available where and when you need them. The reported account does not establish exact total driving and charging times.

These calculations address trip energy costs, not total ownership costs, emissions or maintenance. The reported figures cannot settle those broader comparisons.

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