Estimate yearly, monthly and per-mile car costs including fuel, tax, insurance, maintenance, finance and depreciation.
Actual spending varies with driving style, fuel prices, vehicle condition, location and unexpected repairs.
How to use the Car Running Cost Calculator
Enter expected annual mileage, UK miles per gallon and the fuel price in pence per litre. Add each fixed or ownership cost for the same 12-month period. Enter zero when a category does not apply. Finance is entered monthly and converted to an annual figure.
How car running costs are calculated
| Cost | Method |
|---|---|
| Fuel litres | Annual miles ÷ UK MPG × 4.54609 |
| Fuel cost | Litres × price per litre |
| Finance | Monthly payment × 12 |
| Total annual cost | Fuel + tax + insurance + maintenance + parking + finance + depreciation |
| Cost per mile | Annual cost ÷ annual mileage |
Fixed, variable and ownership costs
Fuel changes with mileage and efficiency. Tax, insurance and permits are usually annual fixed costs. Maintenance can be irregular, so a realistic yearly allowance is useful. Depreciation is not a cash bill, but including it shows how loss of vehicle value affects the broader ownership cost.
Improving the estimate
Use your renewal documents and recent service records instead of national averages. Update fuel price and MPG when your driving pattern changes. Keep finance payments separate from depreciation if you want a broad cash-plus-value estimate, while remembering that finance payments can include both capital and interest.
Related motoring calculators
Compare borrowing with the Car Finance Calculator UK, verify economy with the MPG Calculator UK, or estimate a journey using the Travel Distance Calculator. Browse all tools on the United Kingdom Calculator homepage.
Check the current charge for your vehicle using the official GOV.UK vehicle tax rates before entering the annual tax figure.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator use UK or US MPG?
It uses UK imperial MPG and converts one imperial gallon to 4.54609 litres.
Should I include depreciation?
Include it for a wider ownership-cost estimate. Enter zero if you only want the listed cash expenses.
Are finance payments included?
Yes. The monthly amount is multiplied by 12 and added to the annual total.
Why might my actual fuel cost differ?
Traffic, weather, driving style, load, tyre pressure and fuel-price changes all affect consumption and cost.
Does the result include unexpected repairs?
Only if your maintenance input allows for them. Consider using a cautious annual estimate for an older vehicle.