We wanted to find out how much Santa would save (or not save) by switching to an electric sleigh for his Christmas Eve 'deliveries'.
Here's what we found . . .
The 'Claus-ometer': How We Measured Santa’s Journey
We compared an electric car (say, a Tesla Model 3) against an equivalent petrol and diesel car.
What about Santa's itinerary? The Earth's circumference is roughly 24,901 miles, or 24,860 miles pole-to-pole, but to get to all of those chimneys, he can't just travel in a straight line. According to our Santa-statisticians, he requires a zig-zagging route around the world – covering approximately 122 million miles in total.
And how is Santa going to charge his hypothetical EV?
For the purposes of our calculations and to get the best comparison, we decided that he either stops to make use of the public charging network, or he 'borrows' various home chargers en route.
Hey, he already takes your milk and cookies . . .
Santa's EV Savings
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).
The results were resounding.
By charging his EV along the way using home chargers on standard rates, Santa saves a whopping £11,949,678 compared to fuel stops with a petrol sleigh.
If Santa weren't to go the EV home charging route, a diesel sleigh would be the next best thing – still saving him £2,259,605 compared to a petrol sleigh.
And because electric cars have less things that can go wrong with them, Santa's also going to be making maintenance savings. But even the most durable of electric cars aren't going to last 122-odd million miles, so his team of elves are going to have to airdrop him a fresh Tesla Model 3 every so often.
The Catch . . .
Home chargers offer massive savings, but to get those 122 million miles worth of range out of them, Santa would need to spend approximately 538 years plugged in, making the Christmas deadline a bit of a nightmare for the North Pole logistics team.
Probably the main reason he hasn't traded in the reindeer for a Tesla just yet. Get your wishlists in early folks . . .
Using public ultra-rapid chargers would speed things up by a few hundred years, but the North Pole Treasury might not appreciate the added costs.
Moral of the Story?
One very important financial message for current or would-be electric car drivers . . .
The real magic happens at home.