More Economical to Travel Home for Eid by Electric Car or Petrol Car? Here's the Users' Experience

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The debate over the costs of travelling home for Eid using electric cars and petrol-fuelled internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles remains a frequent question. However, direct experiences from users provide an increasingly clear picture. Several travellers who used electric cars during Eid 2026 claimed they could reduce travel costs by more than half compared to conventional vehicles. Rifgie, a user of the Wuling Darion EV, shared his experience travelling from Banyuwangi City to Malang on 17 March 2026. Initially, Rifgie was worried about the availability of charging stations along the route. However, those concerns were addressed after checking via the PLN Mobile app. “It turns out that after checking the PLN Mobile app, almost every rest area on the toll road has a SPKLU. I happened to charge at the Probolinggo rest area at Km 334 (if I remember correctly). There was no queue for charging, and there were SPKLU staff on standby who were quick to assist,” he said. Upon arriving in Malang, Rifgie also faced no issues despite not having home charging facilities. “And coincidentally, there’s no home charging at the house in Malang, so I charged at a SPKLU; the options in Malang City are also affordable. I charged at the PLN centre, with plenty of units and several options including super fast charging. At the time, it was empty with only 1-2 units charging,” he stated. From a cost perspective, he was very impressed with the efficiency of the electric car. “So far, as my first experience travelling home for Eid using an EV, I’m happy because in terms of transport costs, it’s super economical. The total cost was Rp 57,045. We departed with 73 percent battery, and we charged once to 24 percent battery level,” said Rifgie. He compared it to the vehicle usually used before. “Normally, we travel home for Eid using a Toyota Innova Zenix Hybrid, which costs around Rp 300,000 in petrol,” he said. Agus, a user of the BYD Atto 1, had a similar experience on a trip from Bandung to Kebumen. Compared to petrol-fuelled cars, the cost difference is quite significant.