Car Running Cost Calculator
Work out what your car really costs per month and per year — fuel, insurance, servicing, tax and more.
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Estimates only. Yearly costs converted to monthly (÷12). Excludes depreciation.
How the car cost calculator works
Enter your monthly costs (fuel, parking, finance, other) and your yearly costs (insurance, servicing, tax/MOT). Yearly costs are divided by 12 and added to the monthly total to give a combined monthly and annual figure.
The "per day" figure (yearly ÷ 365) is a useful reality check — a car costing £5,000/year costs you about £13.70 every single day, whether you drive it or not.
Calculation
- Monthly total = monthly costs + (yearly costs ÷ 12)
- Yearly total = monthly total × 12
- Per day = yearly total ÷ 365
Frequently asked questions
What does the car cost calculator include?
Monthly costs (fuel, parking, finance, other) and yearly costs (insurance, servicing, tax) combined into a monthly and yearly total.
What are typical UK car running costs?
RAC and AA data suggest £3,000–£5,000/year for running costs, excluding finance and depreciation.
Does it include depreciation?
No — add an estimated depreciation amount to "other (monthly)" if you want to include it.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No — the calculation runs locally in your browser.
The true monthly cost of running your car
Most drivers can quote their fuel spend; very few can quote what their car actually costs per month. The calculator above adds the monthly costs (fuel, parking, finance, other) to the annual costs divided by twelve (insurance, servicing and repairs, road tax and MOT) to give one honest number — and, if you enter your mileage, a cost per mile that makes alternatives comparable.
The result surprises almost everyone, because car costs hide in different pockets and different months. Insurance arrives once a year, the MOT in another month, a tyre pair in a third — none feels like “the car”, yet all are. And this calculator only counts running costs: add depreciation (see the depreciation calculator) and the full figure typically lands between £300 and £600 a month for an average UK car.
Worked example
A fairly typical picture: fuel £140/month, parking £40/month, no finance, insurance £720/year, servicing and repairs £500/year, tax and MOT £235/year. Monthly costs total £180; annual costs add (720 + 500 + 235) ÷ 12 ≈ £121. True running cost: about £301 a month — over £3,600 a year, before the car loses a penny of value.
Where the savings actually are
- Insurance: never auto-renew. Comparing quotes three weeks before renewal is routinely worth 20–40%; adjusting excess and mileage helps too.
- Fuel: supermarket fuel, smoother driving and correct tyre pressures together save 10–15%. For short urban trips, cold engines burn disproportionately.
- Servicing: independent garages using manufacturer parts keep warranties valid in the UK and are typically 30–50% cheaper than main dealers for out-of-warranty cars.
- Cost per mile beats gut feeling. At 8,000 miles a year and £300 a month, you pay about 45p per mile — suddenly a £25 return train ticket for a 60-mile trip is not obviously the expensive option.
- The cheapest cost is the car you don’t need. Two-car households doing under 4,000 miles on the second car often save thousands by replacing it with occasional rentals or car clubs.
Additional questions
Should I include depreciation in monthly cost?
For the “what does driving cost me” question — yes, it is usually the single largest cost of newer cars. It is kept separate here because it does not leave your bank account monthly; combine this page with the depreciation calculator for the full picture.
What about irregular repairs?
Average them. If the last two years brought £800 of repairs, enter £400 a year. Older cars trade lower depreciation for higher and lumpier repair bills — averaging is the only honest way to compare them with newer ones.
Is public transport really cheaper?
Per mile, almost always; per journey, it depends on your route and household. The point of a cost-per-mile figure is replacing the reflex “the car is already paid for” with an actual comparison for your actual trips.