Car Maintenance Cost Calculator
Project realistic maintenance and repair costs as your car ages and the miles add up — annual average and 5-year total.
Your numbers
Estimated annual maintenance
$840
at 5 yrs old
Projected 5-year total
$4,680
5-year annual average
$936
Insight — Maintenance cost climbs as a car ages — tires, brakes, fluids and out-of-warranty repairs stack up. Once annual upkeep approaches a car payment, it's often the signal to compare repair vs replace.
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Typical range: public estimates put car maintenance and repair around $0.09–$0.10 per mile averaged over a car's life (AAA). This tool starts lower for a new car (about $0.05/mile) and grows it ~8% per year of age to approximate that curve. Use your own figures for a closer estimate.
Good to know
Clear, practical answers about the maintenance cost calculator.
How much should I budget for car maintenance per year?＋
A common rule is $0.05–0.10 per mile, so 12,000 miles a year is roughly $600–$1,200. Older and luxury vehicles run higher, while newer mainstream cars under warranty run lower.
Why does maintenance get more expensive as a car ages?＋
Wear items (tires, brakes, suspension, belts) reach replacement intervals, the factory warranty expires, and the odds of a larger repair rise each year. This tool grows the per-mile cost by about 8% for every year of age.
When does it make sense to replace instead of repair?＋
A useful benchmark: if a single repair — or a year of repairs — costs more than a few months of payments on a replacement, or exceeds the car's value, replacing usually wins. Compare against your annual figure above.
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