Total Cost of Car Ownership Calculator

How to do it

1. 1
   Step 1: Open Total Cost of Car Ownership Calculator and add your input

   Type your numbers or text, add your file, or pick the options you need. Nothing is uploaded: everything stays in your browser.

2. 2
   Step 2: What Total Cost of Car Ownership Calculator does

   Add up depreciation, loan interest, fuel, insurance, maintenance and fees to see what a car really costs.

3. 3
   Step 3: Read the result and compare

   The result appears at once. Change one value to see how the answer moves, then keep the figure that fits your case.

4. 4
   Step 4: Copy or save it

   Copy the result or download it. For an important decision, confirm it with the official source or an adviser.

About this tool

Enter the price, down payment, loan, years you will keep the car, expected depreciation, mileage, fuel use and yearly costs. The calculator shows each cost and the total, with the cost per year, per month and per mile.

Costs counted

Depreciation (the value the car loses), the interest paid on the loan during the years you own it, fuel, insurance, maintenance and registration. The loan principal is not a cost because it buys the car.

Depreciation

A car typically loses 15% to 25% of its value in the first year and about half to 60% in five years. Enter the percentage of the price you expect to lose over your ownership.

What is missing

Parking, tolls, taxes on the purchase, financing fees and the cost of money you would earn elsewhere are not included. Add them to maintenance if they matter to you.

Worked example

A $32,000 car with $4,000 down on a 60-month loan at 7%, kept five years, losing 55%, driven 12,000 miles a year at 30 mpg with gas at $3.40, plus $1,800 insurance, $900 maintenance and $350 registration: depreciation $17,600, interest $5,266, fuel $6,800, insurance $9,000, maintenance $4,500 and fees $1,750, a total of $44,916, or $749 a month and about $0.75 a mile.

Tips for best results

Check every box before you rely on a result, because one wrong digit changes the whole answer. Use the exact figures from your payslip, bill, certificate or contract, and keep a note of the date you calculated. Rates, thresholds and rules change from time to time, so for tax, fees and legal matters treat the output as an estimate and confirm with the official source named on this page. You can run as many scenarios as you like; nothing is saved or sent, and refreshing the page clears the boxes.