1Pick your cars
2Your driving and prices
3What it really costs
Choose at least two cars above to see the comparison.
Monthly cost, side by side
What this means for you
Total cost of ownership over time
Purchase price after incentives, plus loan interest, fuel or charging, maintenance and other yearly costs. Resale value isn't included here.
Show as table
Net cost breakdown
What each car costs you in total over your ownership period, and where the money goes. Net cost is the purchase price plus interest and running costs, minus what you sell it for.
Show as table
Yearly running costs
First year, at today's prices.
Show as table
What if fuel prices change?
Total cost over your ownership period as the price of one fuel rises or falls, with every other price held where it is. Choose the fuel below. Where lines cross, the cheaper car flips. Electricity isn't affected.
Show as table
What if you drive more or less?
Total cost over your ownership period by miles driven per year.
Show as table
Before you buy
Sources and method
How the numbers are calculated
- Fuel use comes from EPA city and highway ratings, weighted by your city/highway split (the distance-weighted harmonic mean, as EPA does).
- Electricity use uses EPA's kWh per 100 miles, which is measured at the wall and includes charging losses. Your charging cost blends home and public rates by your home-charging share.
- Plug-in hybrids split miles between electricity and gas using EPA's utility factor, which assumes you charge daily. Change it on the car's card if you charge more or less.
- Maintenance uses Argonne National Laboratory's lifetime-average scheduled-maintenance cost per mile for each powertrain. Edit it on each car's card.
- Financing: for a car you pay for monthly, the monthly payment comes from the standard loan formula using your down payment, term and APR. If you enter the payment you were quoted instead, the page works out the APR it implies. Net cost adds only the interest you actually pay while you own the car; the principal is already in the price. If you sell before the loan ends, the remaining balance is settled from the sale.
- Net cost = purchase price after incentives + loan interest + fuel or charging + maintenance + other yearly costs − resale value.
- Break-even is when the pricier car's lower running costs have paid back the difference in upfront price and any extra interest.
- Not included unless you enter them: insurance, registration, taxes and fees, repairs, home charger installation and loan fees. Add them using "Other yearly costs" and "Incentives". Depreciation is covered by "Resale value".