Car Ownership Total Cost
Calculator
Results
- Total cost of ownership
- $48,370.27
- Cost per kilometre
- $0.40
- Resale value at the end
- $7,629.73
- Total running costs
- $28,000.00
- Total depreciation
- $20,370.27
The path over time
- Vehicle value
- Cost to date
Year-by-year schedule
| 1 | 4,200.00 | 3,500.00 | 23,800.00 | 7,700.00 |
| 2 | 3,570.00 | 3,500.00 | 20,230.00 | 14,770.00 |
| 3 | 3,034.50 | 3,500.00 | 17,195.50 | 21,304.50 |
| 4 | 2,579.32 | 3,500.00 | 14,616.18 | 27,383.83 |
| 5 | 2,192.43 | 3,500.00 | 12,423.75 | 33,076.25 |
| 6 | 1,863.56 | 3,500.00 | 10,560.19 | 38,439.81 |
| 7 | 1,584.03 | 3,500.00 | 8,976.16 | 43,523.84 |
| 8 | 1,346.42 | 3,500.00 | 7,629.73 | 48,370.27 |
Comparison
| Scenario | Total cost of ownership | Total running costs |
|---|---|---|
| Doing nothing | 28,000.00 | 28,000.00 |
| Your plan | 48,370.27 | 28,000.00 |
Formula
TCO = (P − P(1−d)^n) + n × (insurance + fuel + maintenance)= 48370.27
Note
This projection applies the displayed standard formula to the costs and rates you entered and assumes they repeat, unchanged, every single period. Real households do not work that way: prices, incomes, interest rates and family circumstances all move, and a single unplanned event can outweigh years of the schedule below. The model ignores taxes, fees, benefits, grants and anything you did not enter, and costs of this kind vary enormously from one country to another. Treat the figures as an illustration of the arithmetic, not a forecast or financial advice, and consult a licensed adviser before acting on any of them.
More in Life planning
See all →Frequently asked questions
What costs beyond the loan payment does this include?+
Total cost of ownership adds fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, registration and taxes, and depreciation on top of financing costs — the loan payment alone typically understates what a car actually costs you each year.
Why does depreciation matter if I'm not planning to sell the car?+
Depreciation represents real economic cost even if you keep the car, because it's the value you're losing each year — it matters most when comparing vehicles or deciding when trading in makes financial sense.
How does financing versus paying cash change the total cost?+
Financing adds interest cost on top of the vehicle's price, so the same car costs more in total when financed — the calculator lets you compare the loan-inclusive total against a cash-purchase scenario.
Why do two similarly priced cars sometimes have very different total costs?+
Fuel efficiency, insurance group, reliability (which affects repair frequency), and depreciation rate can differ a lot between models even at the same purchase price, so the sticker price is a poor proxy for total ownership cost.
Should I use annual or total lifetime cost when comparing cars?+
Annual cost is more useful for budgeting, but total cost over your expected ownership period is better for comparing whether to buy new versus used, or whether to keep a car longer versus replace it sooner.