Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total cost of ownership
$44,892
True cost per month
$748.20
Depreciation
$19,000
Finance interest
$5,642
Fuel, insurance, maintenance
$20,250
Cost per year
$8,978
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter purchase price ($).
- 2Enter resale value after the period ($).
- 3Enter years of ownership.
- 4Enter loan apr (%).
- 5Enter loan term (months).
- 6Enter down payment ($).
- 7Enter annual fuel ($).
- 8Enter annual insurance ($).
- 9Enter annual maintenance + repairs ($).
- 10Read your total cost of ownership on the right — it updates as you type.
- 11Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Sticker price tells you almost nothing about what a car costs. Over five years, depreciation and financing usually outweigh everything else combined.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Purchase price: 35000 $
- Resale value after the period: 16000 $
- Years of ownership: 5
- Loan APR: 7 %
- Loan term (months): 60
- Down payment: 5000 $
- Annual fuel: 1550 $
- Annual insurance: 1600 $
- Annual maintenance + repairs: 900 $
Results
- Total cost of ownership: $44,892.16
- True cost per month: $748.20
- Depreciation: $19,000.00
- Finance interest: $5,642.16
- Fuel, insurance, maintenance: $20,250.00
- Cost per year: $8,978.43
What each field means
Inputs
- Purchase price ($)
- The purchase price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 35000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Resale value after the period ($)
- The resale value after the period used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 16000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years of ownership
- The years of ownership used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–15.
- Loan APR (%)
- The loan apr used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7 % so you have a working example on load.
- Loan term (months)
- The loan term (months) used in the calculation. Starts at 60 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–96.
- Down payment ($)
- The down payment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual fuel ($)
- The annual fuel used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1550 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual insurance ($)
- The annual insurance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1600 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual maintenance + repairs ($)
- The annual maintenance + repairs used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 900 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total cost of ownership
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- True cost per month
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Depreciation
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Finance interest
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Fuel, insurance, maintenance
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost per year
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the 5-year cost of ownership calculator work?
Sticker price tells you almost nothing about what a car costs. Over five years, depreciation and financing usually outweigh everything else combined. The underlying maths is: TCO = Depreciation + interest + fuel + insurance + maintenance + fees.
What do I need to enter?
9 values: purchase price, resale value after the period, years of ownership, loan apr, loan term (months), down payment, annual fuel, annual insurance, and annual maintenance + repairs. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the total cost of ownership result mean?
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.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
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.
Who is this tool for?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Total Cost of Vehicle Ownership Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vehicle-total-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vehicle-total-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Total Cost of Vehicle Ownership Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Total Cost of Vehicle Ownership Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vehicle-total-cost) (2026).