Car ownership cost calculator
Fill in what you know. Everything is pre-filled with realistic defaults, and the result updates as you type.
Second car
Your cost
How to fill this in accurately
The two figures that change the answer most are the purchase price and the resale value. If you are unsure what your car will be worth later, look up the same model three to five years older on a local classifieds site — that asking price, minus about 10%, is a reasonable estimate.
Tyres
Enter the annual cost, not the cost of a set. A €600 set that lasts four years is €150 per year. If you swap between summer and winter tyres, include both sets and the seasonal changeover fee.
Financing
Enter only the interest you pay per year, not the whole repayment. The principal is not a cost of ownership — it is the purchase price, which is already counted under depreciation. Counting both would double-count the car.
Electric cars
Switch the consumption unit to kWh/100km and the fuel price to your per-kWh rate. A typical EV uses 15–20 kWh/100km. If you charge mostly at home, use your household rate; if mostly on public rapid chargers, use that rate instead — the difference is often three-fold and it materially changes the answer.
Questions about these numbers
What is the true cost of car ownership?
The true cost of owning a car is depreciation plus fuel, insurance, road tax, servicing, repairs, tyres, financing interest and incidental costs such as parking. For a typical mid-range European car driven 15,000 km a year, it usually falls between €400 and €700 per month. Depreciation alone is often 40–50% of the total, which is why the purchase price matters far more than the fuel economy for most owners.
How is car depreciation calculated?
The simplest method is straight-line: subtract the expected resale value from the purchase price, then divide by the number of years you will keep the car. A €25,000 car worth €12,000 after five years depreciates €13,000, or €2,600 per year. Real depreciation is front-loaded — a new car loses most value in year one — so straight-line understates early years and overstates later ones.
How much does a car cost per month?
Add every annual cost together and divide by twelve. Most owners only count fuel and insurance, which typically accounts for less than half the real figure. Including depreciation, servicing, tyres and repairs usually doubles the perceived monthly cost.
What car costs do people most often forget?
Depreciation is the single most overlooked cost because no money leaves your account each month. After that: tyres (amortised, not just in the year you buy them), unscheduled repairs, the interest portion of a car loan, annual road tax, parking and tolls, and the technical inspection or MOT.
Is it cheaper to buy a new or used car?
Used is almost always cheaper per year of ownership, because the first owner absorbs the steepest depreciation. A three-year-old car has typically lost 40–50% of its value already but retains most of its usable life. The counterweight is repair risk and the loss of warranty cover, which this calculator lets you model by raising the repairs figure.
Does an electric car cost less to own?
Energy and servicing are usually cheaper, but purchase price and depreciation are often higher, and insurance can be too. Switch the consumption unit to kWh/100km and the fuel price to your per-kWh rate to compare honestly. The answer depends heavily on your annual mileage — high-mileage drivers recover the higher purchase price faster.
What is a good cost per kilometre?
For a private car in Europe, €0.30–€0.50 per km all-in is typical. Below €0.25 usually means a cheap, well-depreciated used car driven a lot of kilometres. Above €0.70 usually means a newer or premium car driven relatively little, where fixed costs spread across few kilometres.