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New vs Used Car Calculator

Should I buy new or used?

Enter a new car and a used car to see what each costs to own over the same years.

One Click Answers · New vs Used Car Calculator
oneclickanswers.com/new-vs-used-car-calculator · Printed

About this tool & how to use it

What it does

Compares a new and a used car over the same years from your own prices, loans, upkeep, insurance and resale estimates.

How to use it

Enter the years you expect to own it, your miles, MPG and gas price.
For each car enter the price, down payment, loan rate and term, insurance, maintenance and estimated resale value.
Read which costs less under your numbers, then the line-by-line comparison.

Years you expect to own it

Miles driven per year

Miles per gallon (MPG), both

Gas price per gallon ($)

Registration and fees per year ($), both

Parking, tolls and other per year ($), both

NEW: price ($)

NEW: down payment ($)

NEW: interest rate (APR, %)

NEW: loan term (months, 0 for cash)

NEW: insurance per year ($)

NEW: maintenance per year ($)

NEW: estimated resale value at the end ($)

USED: price ($)

USED: down payment ($)

USED: interest rate (APR, %)

USED: loan term (months, 0 for cash)

USED: insurance per year ($)

USED: maintenance per year ($)

USED: estimated resale value at the end ($)

One click answer

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Assumptions

Resale values and maintenance are guesses, and they change the answer a lot.
Reliability, warranty and comfort are not in the numbers, so a lower total is not the same as a better choice.
It assumes every figure stays the same each year.

Printed from oneclickanswers.com. Results are estimates based on what was entered; see the assumptions above.

How it works

Each car's total is the purchase price + the loan interest paid in those years + fuel + insurance + maintenance + fees + other costs - the resale value you estimate.

Both use the same years, miles, MPG and gas price, so the difference comes from what you entered for each car.

Assumptions

Resale values and maintenance are guesses, and they change the answer a lot.
Reliability, warranty and comfort are not in the numbers, so a lower total is not the same as a better choice.
It assumes every figure stays the same each year.

Example

Input: The starting values already in the form

Result: Over 5 years, the USED car costs about $1,362.64 less under these numbers. Both are estimates from your assumptions. The resale values are guesses, not predictions, and they change the answer a lot.

Questions

Is a used car always cheaper?

Not always. A used car costs less to buy but may cost more to repair or finance. Enter your own numbers to see.

How should I estimate resale value?

Use your own research. This page does not know what any vehicle will be worth.

Last reviewed 2026-10-04.

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