VIN and EPA data lookup
Decode a 17-character VIN to fill in the year, make, model, trim, body style, engine, drive type, and fuel type. When a matching EPA record is available, the calculator also imports estimated fuel economy or electricity use.
True Cost of Ownership Calculator
Calculate the real cost to own a car, truck, SUV, hybrid, or EV. Adjust every assumption, compare two vehicles, and export your results.
Your vehicle
Tell us about the car you are considering. You can type in the details yourself or use the VIN to fill in the basics.
Purchase costs
Enter the price and upfront costs you expect to pay.
Financing the vehicle? Use the Car Payment Calculator for payments, interest, and loan schedules.
Driving and energy
Adjust these values to match how and where you drive.
5 years
years
12,000 mi / year
mi / year
28 MPG
MPG
$3.5 / gal
$/ gal
Ownership costs
Add the yearly costs you expect for this vehicle.
$1,800 / year
$/ year
$700 / year
$/ year
$400 / year
$/ year
$150 / year
$/ year
$0 / year
$/ year
2.5 %
%
Depreciation and resale
Estimate what the vehicle may be worth when you sell it.
12 %
%
Estimated ownership cost
Your vehicle over 5 years
$33,000
Estimated total ownership cost
Average per month
$550
Cost per mile
$0.55
Estimated resale
$15,416
Distance driven
60,000 mi
Cost breakdown
depreciation$9,584
energy$7,885
insurance$9,000
maintenance$3,679
repairs$2,103
Taxes and fees$750
other$0
Year-by-year estimate
Vehicle value
Your estimated resale value over time.
Estimated resale value$15,416
Year 1: $22,000. Year 2: $19,800. Year 3: $18,018. Year 4: $16,577. Year 5: $15,416.
| Year | Distance | Beginning value | Depreciation | Energy | Insurance | Maintenance | Repairs | Taxes / fees | Other | Annual cost | Ending value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12,000 mi | $25,000 | $3,000 | $1,500 | $1,800 | $700 | $400 | $150 | $0 | $7,550 | $22,000 |
| 2 | 12,000 mi | $22,000 | $2,200 | $1,538 | $1,800 | $718 | $410 | $150 | $0 | $6,815 | $19,800 |
| 3 | 12,000 mi | $19,800 | $1,782 | $1,576 | $1,800 | $735 | $420 | $150 | $0 | $6,464 | $18,018 |
| 4 | 12,000 mi | $18,018 | $1,441 | $1,615 | $1,800 | $754 | $431 | $150 | $0 | $6,191 | $16,577 |
| 5 | 12,000 mi | $16,577 | $1,160 | $1,656 | $1,800 | $773 | $442 | $150 | $0 | $5,980 | $15,416 |
This calculator provides an estimate based on the assumptions shown. Actual ownership costs vary.
The number that matters
The price tag is only the starting line
A vehicle with a lower purchase price can still cost more to own if it depreciates quickly, uses more fuel, costs more to insure, or needs frequent repairs. A true cost of ownership calculation puts those trade-offs into one estimate before you commit.
Value lost
Depreciation
Usage based
Cost per mile
Powertrain aware
Fuel or charging
One clear estimate
Total cost to own
Everything in one free tool
A vehicle ownership cost calculator built for real comparisons
Move beyond a generic average. Customize the vehicle, driving, energy, depreciation, and recurring expenses that shape your personal cost to own a car.
Six powertrain types
Model gasoline, diesel, conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric, or other vehicles. Choose from common car, SUV, minivan, pickup, sports, and luxury vehicle classes.
Complete purchase costs
Start with the negotiated price, then include sales tax, dealer or document fees, and initial registration or title costs so your estimate begins with a realistic transaction amount.
Flexible depreciation model
Estimate vehicle value with year-specific depreciation rates, one flat annual rate, or a target resale value. The value chart makes the projected decline easy to inspect.
Fuel and charging costs
Use annual mileage, MPG, gasoline price, kWh per 100 miles, home electricity rates, public charging share, charging losses, and PHEV electric-mile share to build a powertrain-specific energy estimate.
Recurring ownership expenses
Add first-year insurance, maintenance, repairs, annual registration, and other recurring expenses. Apply cost inflation to maintenance and repairs for a more useful long-range projection.
Detailed cost breakdown
See total ownership cost, average monthly cost, cost per mile, distance driven, and estimated resale value, plus category totals for depreciation, energy, insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, fees, and other costs.
Side-by-side vehicle comparison
Duplicate your scenario, change the vehicle or assumptions, and compare two total cost estimates. Test an EV against a gas car, new against used, or a sedan against an SUV on the same driving plan.
PDF, CSV, and shareable results
Download a polished PDF, export the annual figures as CSV, or copy a link containing your scenarios. Reopen the estimate later or share the exact assumptions with another buyer.
What is included?
The costs behind the cost of owning a car
The calculator uses an economic ownership model: depreciation plus the expenses incurred while you own and operate the vehicle. This avoids counting the purchase price twice while still recognizing the value you lose before resale.
Simple model: total cost to own = depreciation + energy + insurance + maintenance + repairs + taxes and fees + other costs.
Depreciation
The economic loss between the vehicle's starting value and estimated resale value. It can be one of the largest ownership costs even though it never appears as a monthly bill.
Fuel or electricity
Estimated from miles driven, vehicle efficiency, local gasoline or electricity prices, and the charging mix for EVs and plug-in hybrids.
Insurance
Your expected annual premium. Quotes vary by driver, coverage, deductible, ZIP code, vehicle, claims history, and insurer, so replace the starting value with a real quote.
Maintenance and repairs
Routine service and wear items are kept separate from unexpected repairs. Used-vehicle age, mileage, condition, warranty, and service history can materially change both.
Taxes, title, and fees
Sales tax, dealer or document charges, registration, and title costs can add meaningfully to the effective cost of buying and keeping a vehicle.
Other annual costs
Use the flexible annual-cost field for parking, toll passes, roadside assistance, detailing, storage, subscriptions, or another recurring expense relevant to you.
How to get a useful estimate
Calculate your car's true ownership cost in five steps
Better inputs produce a more meaningful comparison. Use quotes and vehicle-specific records where possible instead of relying only on generic defaults.
Identify the exact vehicle
Enter the VIN for available NHTSA vehicle details and an EPA efficiency match, or choose the year, vehicle class, and powertrain manually. Confirm the trim and drivetrain because efficiency, insurance, and resale can vary by configuration.
Enter the transaction costs
Use the price you expect to pay rather than MSRP when possible. Add your sales-tax rate, dealer or document fees, and title or initial registration costs. These values vary by state and transaction.
Match the estimate to your driving
Choose an ownership period from 1 to 15 years and enter your annual mileage. Add local gasoline prices and MPG, or your home and public charging mix for an EV. For a PHEV, estimate the share of miles completed electrically.
Replace recurring defaults with quotes
Add an insurance quote and realistic budgets for routine maintenance, repairs, registration, parking, or other annual costs. Older or high-mileage vehicles may need a larger repair allowance.
Stress-test depreciation and compare
Try annual rates, a flat depreciation rate, or an expected resale value. Then duplicate the scenario and change one major assumption or vehicle. Review total cost, cost per mile, category breakdowns, and the year-by-year table before exporting.
Compare apples to apples
EV vs. gas, new vs. used, sedan vs. SUV
Purchase price alone rarely settles the better-value question. Keep the ownership period and annual mileage consistent, then change vehicle-specific costs to see which scenario fits your use.
Use the same number of years and miles for both vehicles.
Enter realistic local energy prices and insurance quotes.
Account for different depreciation and expected resale values.
Budget separately for routine service and unplanned repairs.
Compare total cost and cost per mile, not just monthly cash flow.
Comparison view
Two vehicles, one driving plan
Gas vehicle
MPG + fuel price
Electric vehicle
kWh + charging mix
Compare across Up to 15 years
Monthly cost Cost per mile Resale value
Read the result correctly
What your vehicle cost estimate tells you
No single output tells the whole story. Use the summary, category bars, resale chart, and annual table together to understand when and why costs accumulate.
Total ownership cost
The modeled economic cost across the selected ownership period.
Average monthly cost
Total ownership cost divided by the number of months, not a loan payment.
Cost per mile
Total modeled cost divided by projected distance, useful for comparing different vehicles.
Estimated resale value
The projected vehicle value at the end of the selected period.
Category breakdown
A quick view of which expenses contribute most to the total.
Year-by-year estimate
Annual distance, costs, depreciation, and beginning and ending vehicle value.
Estimate the cost. Verify the car.
A used car's history can change the ownership equation
Reported accidents, title information, odometer readings, service records, and prior use may affect your repair budget, confidence, and resale assumption. Review a vehicle history report and arrange an independent inspection before buying.
Save your work
Take the estimate into your decision
The calculator is free and requires no account. Keep a version for yourself or share the assumptions behind your comparison.
Copy a shareable link
Preserve one or two vehicle scenarios in the URL and reopen the same inputs later.
Download a PDF
Create a readable report with the active scenario, results, annual figures, and comparison.
Export annual data
Download the year-by-year ownership cost table as CSV for your own analysis.
Vehicle Ownership Questions
True cost of ownership calculator FAQ
Understand 5-year cost-to-own estimates, depreciation, EV and gas comparisons, VIN data, financing, and the limits of any vehicle cost forecast.
What is the true cost of owning a car?
The true cost of owning a car is the economic cost accumulated while you keep it, not just the purchase price or loan payment. This calculator combines depreciation, fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance, repairs, purchase taxes and fees, registration, and other annual costs. It then reports the total, average cost per month, and cost per mile.
How does this true cost of ownership calculator work?
Enter the vehicle, purchase price, expected ownership period, annual mileage, energy use, recurring costs, and depreciation assumption. The calculator projects each cost year by year, prorates a partial final year when needed, estimates resale value, and totals the categories. Every result depends on the assumptions you provide and updates as you edit them.
Does the calculator show a 5-year cost to own?
Yes. The default ownership period is five years, and you can change it from 1 to 15 years. For a 5-year cost-to-own estimate, set the ownership period to five years, enter your annual mileage, and replace the starting expenses and depreciation assumptions with values that fit the vehicle and your location.
Can I compare the cost of an EV vs. a gas car?
Yes. Build the first scenario, select Compare another vehicle, and change the second scenario's powertrain and assumptions. Gas vehicles use MPG and fuel price. EVs use kWh per 100 miles, home and public charging prices, public charging share, and charging loss. Compare total cost, monthly cost, energy cost, and resale value using the same mileage and ownership period.
Can I calculate the cost of a hybrid or plug-in hybrid?
Yes. Choose Hybrid for a gasoline-electric vehicle measured primarily with MPG. Choose Plug-in hybrid to combine gasoline and charging costs, then enter MPG, electricity use, charging prices, charging loss, and the percentage of miles you expect to drive on electricity.
Can the calculator identify a vehicle by VIN?
Yes. Enter a valid 17-character VIN to retrieve available vehicle details from the NHTSA vPIC service. The calculator also attempts to match EPA fuel-economy data. Verify all returned information because VIN and EPA records can be incomplete or may not identify the exact configuration.
Is depreciation included in total ownership cost?
Yes. Depreciation is the estimated decline from purchase value to resale value during your ownership period. You can use annual depreciation rates, a flat annual percentage, or a target resale value. The purchase price is the basis for depreciation; it is not added a second time to the economic ownership total.
Does this calculator include a car loan payment or interest?
No. Financing is separate because payments and interest depend on the down payment, APR, term, trade-in equity, and lender fees. Use the Car Payment Calculator to estimate monthly payments, total interest, and an amortization schedule, then evaluate those financing results alongside this ownership-cost estimate.
Can I save or share my vehicle cost estimate?
Yes. Copy a shareable URL that stores the calculator assumptions, download a PDF summary, or export the year-by-year results as a CSV file. A shared URL may contain detailed vehicle and cost inputs, so review it before posting it publicly.
Are the ownership cost results guaranteed?
No. The results are planning estimates, not appraisals, insurance quotes, tax advice, repair guarantees, or predictions. Actual costs vary with location, driving, fuel and utility prices, vehicle condition, accident and title history, maintenance, market demand, and future resale value.
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