But that's no longer the case for everyone.
Since the government recently reduced gasoline and diesel taxes by three kronor per liter, the running costs of a gasoline car have become lower than those of an electric car charged at a public station.
A simple calculation (see fact box) shows that the cost per mile for an electric car is 10.80 kronor, based on the fact that you depend on public chargers, which often cost up to six kronor per kWh.
A gasoline car owner whose car uses 0.6 liters per mile also pays around nine kronor per mile, based on today's gasoline price of around 15 kronor per liter.
A wallet question
For many, the switch to electric cars is ultimately a financial issue, according to preliminary results from a major member survey conducted by M Sverige.
This is the real core of what makes people change. For a lot of households, it's a question of the wallet, says Carl-Erik Stjernvall, sustainability expert at M.
According to him, many people might consider buying a significantly more expensive electric car than a fossil-fueled car if they know that it is cheaper to run.
You may ignore the climate, but you still see that this is cheaper, says Stjernvall.
But anyone who thinks that way, at least in the short term, could be on to something. Carl-Erik Stjernvall is critical of what he describes as short-term policy on the part of the government.
If you fill up at these public stations, it won't be cheaper than what gasoline costs at the moment, anyway.
Charge at home
However, anyone who can charge their car at home, and pays perhaps around two kronor per kWh including taxes and fees, still has lower running costs for their electric car.
How should we think, is it the wrong time to switch to an electric car now?
Stjernvall advises thinking a little broader.
The general advice when it comes to car purchases is to form as good an opinion as you can from what you know right now.
The tax cut on gasoline and diesel is temporary, and the political landscape could be redrawn after the election this fall. In addition, external factors, such as hostilities around the oil-strategic Strait of Hormuz, could quickly change oil prices in the future.
Requirements for petrol car:
Gasoline price 15 kronor per liter.
Average consumption (more modern car), 0.6 liters per mile.
Cost per mile, 9 kronor.
Requirements for electric car:
Electricity price (public charging points, fast chargers) 6 SEK/kwh.
Average consumption, 1.8 kWh/mile.
Cost per mile, SEK 10.80.
