MotorCrunch
📉 Ownership & Value

True Cost of Ownership Calculator

Your car payment is only part of the story. See the real cost per year and per mile once depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance and interest are added in.

Your numbers

True cost per year

$9,607

Cost per mile

$0.8

Cost per month

$801

Depreciation (annual avg, 5-yr)$3,894
Fuel$1,457
Insurance$1,800
Maintenance & repairs$1,100
Financing interest (annual avg)$1,356

Insight — For most owners, depreciation is the largest line — often more than fuel and insurance combined — yet it never shows up on a monthly bill. Insurance is the cost you can change fastest without selling the car.

What if Annual mileage changes?

Annual mileageTrue cost per year
6,000 mi $8,879
9,000 mi $9,243
12,000 mi · now$9,607
15,000 mi $9,972
20,000 mi $10,579

Shop your insurance the smart way

Know your benchmark here, then compare real quotes from several carriers — prices for the same driver vary a lot.

Explore insurance tools

Free · No sign-up · Independent, source-based math

📊

For context: AAA's annual driving-cost studies put all-in ownership for a typical sedan around $0.70–$0.90 per mile once depreciation is counted — roughly double what drivers estimate when they only think about gas. Run your own numbers above.

Good to know

Clear, practical answers about the total cost of ownership calculator.

What is total cost of ownership for a car?

It's the full cost of keeping a car on the road — depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance and repairs, and financing interest — not just the monthly payment. Adding these together is the only honest way to compare two vehicles or decide what you can really afford.

What is the biggest cost of owning a car?

For most newer cars it's depreciation, followed by fuel and insurance. Because depreciation is invisible month to month, drivers routinely underestimate their true cost — this tool surfaces it as a per-year and per-mile figure.

How is cost per mile calculated?

Total yearly cost is divided by the miles you drive per year. Driving more spreads the fixed costs (depreciation, insurance) across more miles, lowering cost per mile — but raises fuel and maintenance in absolute dollars.