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Total Cost of Car Ownership

What will this car really cost to own?

Enter your car's costs to see what it will really cost to own, in total and per month.

One Click Answers · Total Cost of Car Ownership Calculator
oneclickanswers.com/total-cost-of-car-ownership-calculator · Printed
About this tool & how to use it

What it does

Adds the price, loan interest, fuel, insurance, maintenance, fees and estimated resale value into the total cost of owning a car, with a monthly figure.

How to use it

  1. Enter the price, down payment, loan rate and term (0 months for cash) and the years you expect to own it.
  2. Enter the miles per year, MPG, gas price, insurance, maintenance, fees and other costs.
  3. Optionally enter an estimated resale value, then read the total and where the money goes.

Used only if there is a loan term below.

Your own estimate. Leave empty to leave resale out.

One click answer

Your answer will appear here.

Fill in the form and your answer appears here as you type.

Assumptions

  • Every figure is one you entered. This page does not know your vehicle's real maintenance, insurance or resale value.
  • It assumes every figure stays the same each year.
  • Leaving a box empty leaves that cost out, and the answer says so.

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

How it works

Total = purchase price + the loan interest paid in those years + fuel + insurance + maintenance + fees + other costs - the estimated resale value.

Fuel is the yearly miles divided by MPG, times the gas price, for each year. Interest comes from the verified loan engine behind the Car Loan Comparison.

The monthly figure is the total divided by the months you will own it; per mile is the total divided by the miles.

Formulas and details
  • Total = purchase price + loan interest paid in the years owned + fuel + insurance + maintenance + fees + other costs - estimated resale value.
  • Fuel per year = miles per year / MPG x price per gallon. Per month = total / (12 x years). Per mile = total / (miles per year x years).

Assumptions

  • Every figure is one you entered. This page does not know your vehicle's real maintenance, insurance or resale value.
  • It assumes every figure stays the same each year.
  • Leaving a box empty leaves that cost out, and the answer says so.

Example

Input: The starting values already in the form

Result: Owning this car for 5 years would cost about $41,269.14 in all, or about $687.82 a month. That is about $8,253.83 a year and 68.8 cents a mile.

Questions

How much does a car really cost?

The price is only part of it. Add the interest, fuel, insurance, upkeep, fees and the value you lose. This page adds them up.

Why subtract the resale value?

Because you get that money back when you sell, so only the difference is what the car cost you.

Last reviewed 2026-10-04.

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