Car Total Cost of Ownership

Total cost of ownership prices a car honestly: purchase, fuel, insurance, maintenance and fees minus what resale returns — the number that beats the sticker price. At its core the tool evaluates TCO = purchase + fuel + insurance + maintenance − resale value. A 28,000 car run 5 years on 6,000 of fuel, 7,500 of insurance and 3,500 of maintenance, then resold at 15,000, costs 28,000 + 17,000 − 15,000 = 30,000 — 500 per month of ownership. Adjust any field and the outputs recompute immediately, so you can test as many scenarios as you like in the units you prefer.

1. 1

   Step 1

   Gather the numbers the Car Total Cost Calculator needs and type them in.

2. 2

   Step 2

   The engine evaluates TCO = purchase + fuel + insurance + maintenance − resale value instantly as you type.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Check the output and its unit before using it.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Repeat with different inputs to test alternatives.

• Sticker-price thinking

• Optimistic resale values

• Forgetting insurance quotes