Car Depreciation: Measure the Cost You Do Not Pay Monthly
Depreciation is the purchase value you consume. It is invisible in a paid-off car’s monthly bank statement but often remains its largest ownership cost.
Car Ownership Cost Calculator
Model the costs that continue after the purchase price leaves the showroom.
Calculations stay in this browser. No entries are saved.
Read the car as a cost-per-mile machine
Purchase price is only the entry point. Value loss, financing and operating costs travel with every year and mile.
- Value consumed through depreciation
- Interest and fixed access costs
- Fuel, insurance and upkeep
Annual and per-mile ownership cost
Calculated resultNot available
Use an out-the-door price, realistic resale range and your own mileage, insurance and service history.
How financing and depreciation are combined
The estimate adds depreciation, estimated loan interest and annual operating costs over the selected holding period. It subtracts expected resale value through the depreciation line instead of treating the full purchase price as consumed.
Costs this estimate cannot predict
Resale value and repairs are uncertain. Run a low-resale and high-maintenance case before relying on the base estimate.
This calculator supports The Real Cost of Auto Financing. Car Depreciation: Measure the Cost You Do Not Pay Monthly explains which details can change the inputs. The calculation methodology shows how we handle timing, rounding and exclusions.
Evidence standard for this calculation
Use an out-the-door price, realistic resale range and your own mileage, insurance and service history. Inputs remain in the browser and outputs are rounded for display.
Read the complete methodology →Car records and local prices to gather
- A realistic resale range and annual mileage
- Parking, tolls, tax and uncertain repair costs
Questions about the cost of keeping and driving a car
How much do depreciation, finance and operation consume?
The estimate adds value lost, loan interest, insurance, fuel, maintenance, tax and fees, while treating expected resale value as a recovered asset.
What is the average cost per month over the holding period?
Average monthly ownership cost is the modeled consumed cost divided by all months in the holding period, not merely the loan payment.
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Car Depreciation Calculator →
Turn purchase and resale estimates into the ownership cost that rarely appears on a bill.