Car Ownership Cost Calculator
What a car really costs to own — per year, per month and per km or mile.
Side by side
Swipe the table sideways to see every car.
Where the money goes
How this was calculated
Results are estimates for general information and planning, not financial advice. Banks and institutions may calculate differently (rounding, fees, rate changes). Confirm figures with your lender or a qualified adviser before deciding.
About the Car Ownership Cost Calculator
The price tag is only the start. Over the years you own a car you also pay for the value it loses (depreciation), loan interest, fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance, tyres, parking and tolls and road tax — and get something back when you sell it. Enter up to three cars — petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG or electric — with the years you will keep them and how far you drive, and see each one’s total cost of ownership, its cost a year, a month and per km or mile, and which is cheapest.
The calculator also finds the yearly distance at which a car that costs more to buy but less to run (an electric car, say) pays for itself, and checks each car against the 20/4/10 rule of thumb and your income. Fuel economy works in L/100 km, km per litre, mpg (US or UK), km per kg or kWh per 100 km, in any currency.
How to use it
- Choose the currency and distance unit, how many years you will keep the car and how far you drive in a year. Optionally enter your gross income for the affordability checks.
- For each car, enter the price, any one-time costs (registration, delivery, accessories) and how you pay: the down payment, the loan’s rate and term, or cash.
- Enter the resale value you expect at the end — as a % of the price or an amount (check used-car listings of the same model and age).
- Choose the fuel, enter the car’s fuel economy or energy use and the price of fuel or electricity, then the yearly insurance, maintenance and road tax, a set of tyres and how far it lasts, and parking and tolls a month.
- Compare the totals and the breakdown, read the break-even distance and the 20/4/10 checks, then copy the summary or download the CSV. Add a third car with Add a car.
Examples
Petrol: price 22,000, 6.5 L/100 km at 1.60 a litre · Electric: price 30,000, 15 kWh/100 km at 0.25 a kWh · both 20% down, a 4-year loan at 7%, resale 45%
Petrol 35,554 (0.474 per km) · electric 35,048 (0.467 per km) — the electric car is cheaper above about 13,400 km a year
Fuel is 7,800 against 2,813 for electricity, but the dearer electric car loses 4,400 more in value and costs more in interest.
Total 36,771 instead of 35,554
Each year’s running costs are 3% higher than the year before.
Petrol: 20% down ✓ · 4-year loan ✓ · loan payment + insurance 10.4% of gross income ✗
445.40 a month for the loan + 75 for insurance = 520.40, against 10% of 5,000.
Common uses
- Decide between an electric, a petrol and a CNG car on what they really cost.
- See how much a bigger loan or a longer term adds in interest.
- Check whether a car fits your income before you buy.
- Work out a fair cost per km or mile to share with others or claim back.
How the total cost is worked out
- Depreciation = price − resale value at the end.
- One-time costs you do not get back: registration, delivery, accessories.
- Loan interest: the EMI is L × i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)^−n), with i the yearly rate ÷ 12. Only the interest paid while you own the car counts; a loan still running when you sell is paid off from the sale.
- Energy = distance × fuel or electricity used per km × its price.
- Tyres = the price of a set ÷ the distance it lasts × the distance you drive.
- Insurance, maintenance, road tax and parking for each year. With a yearly increase, each year’s running costs are that % higher than the year before.
The total equals all the money you pay out — the down payment, the loan payments, the loan paid off at sale and the running costs — less what you get when you sell the car. It leaves out what your money could have earned elsewhere.
The 20/4/10 rule of thumb
A common guideline for buying a car: put down at least 20% of the price, borrow for no more than 4 years, and keep the car’s monthly costs at no more than 10% of your gross monthly income. Versions differ on which costs count towards the 10%: some count only the loan payment and insurance, others every running cost — choose which in the calculator. It is a rule of thumb, not a lending rule, so use it as a check alongside your own budget.
Units
Fuel economy can be entered as L/100 km, km per litre, mpg (US) or mpg (UK); CNG as km per kg; electricity as kWh per 100 km or 100 miles, or km or miles per kWh. The conversions use the exact definitions: 1 mile = 1.609344 km and 1 imperial (UK) gallon = 4.54609 litres (NIST SP 811, appendix B), and 1 US gallon = 231 cubic inches = 3.785411784 litres. So 30 mpg (US) is 7.84 L/100 km and 40 mpg (UK) is 7.06 L/100 km.
Limitations
- Every figure is yours to enter: the calculator has no prices, depreciation tables or insurance quotes. The figures filled in are an example.
- Resale values are hard to predict; try a lower and a higher value to see how much the answer depends on it.
- Tyres are counted by wear (a share of a set per distance), not as whole sets bought; one-off repairs and breakdowns are not included.
- Interest you could earn on the money spent, home charger installation, subsidies and tax benefits are not included unless you add them as one-time costs.
Privacy
Everything is calculated in your browser. The figures you enter are never uploaded or stored.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total cost of owning a car?
Everything you pay for it while you have it, less what you get when you sell it: the value it loses, one-time costs, loan interest, fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance, tyres, parking and road tax. In the example on the page, a 22,000 petrol hatchback costs 35,554 over five years at 15,000 km a year — about 593 a month.
Is an electric car cheaper to own than a petrol car?
It depends on how far you drive, the difference in price and resale value, and what fuel and electricity cost you. A car that costs more to buy but less to run pays for itself only above a certain yearly distance. In the example, the electric hatchback is cheaper above about 13,400 km a year; the calculator finds that distance for your own figures.
How do I calculate the cost per km of a car?
Divide the total cost of ownership by the total distance driven. 35,554 over 5 years of 15,000 km is 35,554 ÷ 75,000 = 0.47 per km. Fuel alone is the litres per km × the price per litre: 6.5 L/100 km at 1.60 a litre is 0.104 per km.
What is the 20/4/10 rule for buying a car?
A rule of thumb: at least 20% down, a loan of 4 years or less, and monthly car costs of no more than 10% of your gross monthly income. The calculator checks all three for each car, with either the loan payment and insurance or every running cost counted towards the 10%.
How do I estimate a car’s resale value?
Look up asking prices of the same model, age, mileage and fuel in used-car listings, and take a little less than the asking price. Enter it as an amount or a % of the price, and try a lower and a higher figure to see how much the answer changes.
What if my loan runs longer than I keep the car?
Then part of the loan is still owed when you sell, and it is paid off from the sale. The calculator counts only the interest paid while you own the car and shows what is still owed; the total cost already accounts for it.