The true-cost calculator.

Five facets, one honest monthly number. You bring the inputs — the price you're actually negotiating, a real insurance quote, the EPA fuel figure from the car's report — and we do only the arithmetic. (New to the idea? Read the five-cost guide first.)

1 · The purchase

Use the out-the-door price — car, fees and taxes as one total (why that number). Paying cash? Leave the loan fields at 0.

Out-the-door price ($)

Down payment ($)

Loan APR (%)

Loan length (months)

2 · Fuel

The car's report on this site shows the official EPA estimated annual fuel cost per engine — copy it here, or enter your own estimate.

Annual fuel cost ($/year)

3 · Insurance

From a real quote on the exact year/make/model — not a guess (why quotes come first).

Insurance ($/month)

4 · Maintenance & repairs

Your monthly set-aside for upkeep and surprises. The model's complaint heatmap shows where its owners actually report trouble — budget heavier if its weak spots are expensive ones.

Set-aside ($/month)

5 · Depreciation (optional but eye-opening)

Look up what this same model, about five years older, actually sells for today — that gap is roughly what the road ahead costs (how this works). Skip it and we'll simply say "skipped" — we never fill in a number for you.

Same model, older — sells today for ($)

How many years older is it?

Enter at least the out-the-door price to see the monthly truth.

📘 Every number above is computed from what you typed — we add nothing of our own. General education, not financial advice, and nothing you enter leaves this browser.

💾 Saved automatically in this browser. It never leaves your device.