{
  "slug": "cost-per-mile",
  "title": "Cost Per Mile Calculator",
  "heading": "Cost Per Mile to Drive Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-mile",
  "summary": "True driving cost including fuel, insurance, and depreciation.",
  "description": "Fuel is usually less than a third of the real cost per mile. Depreciation, insurance, tires, and maintenance make up the rest — which is why mileage reimbursement rates sit near 65–70 cents.",
  "formula": "Cost per mile = (Fuel + fixed costs + maintenance + depreciation) ÷ Annual miles.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=cost-per-mile",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "miles",
      "label": "Miles driven per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12000,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mpg",
      "label": "Fuel economy (MPG)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelPrice",
      "label": "Fuel price per gallon",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.6,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "insurance",
      "label": "Annual insurance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1600,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "maintenance",
      "label": "Annual maintenance + tires",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 900,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "depreciation",
      "label": "Annual depreciation",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "other",
      "label": "Registration, parking, tolls",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "perMile",
      "label": "True cost per mile",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Annual cost of ownership",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perMonth",
      "label": "Monthly cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fuel",
      "label": "Annual fuel cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelPerMile",
      "label": "Fuel cost per mile",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelShare",
      "label": "Fuel share of total cost",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Miles driven per year: 12000",
      "Fuel economy (MPG): 28",
      "Fuel price per gallon: 3.6 $",
      "Annual insurance: 1600 $",
      "Annual maintenance + tires: 900 $",
      "Annual depreciation: 3200 $",
      "Registration, parking, tolls: 500 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "True cost per mile: $0.645",
      "Annual cost of ownership: $7,742.86",
      "Monthly cost: $645.24",
      "Annual fuel cost: $1,542.86",
      "Fuel cost per mile: $0.129",
      "Fuel share of total cost: 19.9%"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter miles driven per year.",
      "Enter fuel economy (mpg).",
      "Enter fuel price per gallon ($).",
      "Enter annual insurance ($).",
      "Enter annual maintenance + tires ($).",
      "Enter annual depreciation ($).",
      "Enter registration, parking, tolls ($).",
      "Read your true cost per mile on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "miles": 7000,
        "mpg": 17,
        "fuelPrice": 2.16,
        "insurance": 950,
        "maintenance": 550,
        "depreciation": 1900,
        "other": 300
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "miles": 12000,
        "mpg": 28,
        "fuelPrice": 3.6,
        "insurance": 1600,
        "maintenance": 900,
        "depreciation": 3200,
        "other": 500
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "miles": 19000,
        "mpg": 45,
        "fuelPrice": 5.760000000000001,
        "insurance": 2550,
        "maintenance": 1450,
        "depreciation": 5100,
        "other": 800
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the cost per mile to drive calculator work?",
      "a": "Fuel is usually less than a third of the real cost per mile. Depreciation, insurance, tires, and maintenance make up the rest — which is why mileage reimbursement rates sit near 65–70 cents. The underlying maths is: Cost per mile = (Fuel + fixed costs + maintenance + depreciation) ÷ Annual miles."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: miles driven per year, fuel economy (mpg), fuel price per gallon, annual insurance, annual maintenance + tires, annual depreciation, and registration, parking, tolls. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the true cost per mile result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/gas-trip-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mpg",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-vs-gas"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Cost Per Mile Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-mile)"
}