{
  "title": "Car ownership cost calculator",
  "human_url": "https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator/",
  "agent_url": "https://happytails.ai/agents/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator/",
  "language": "en",
  "markdown_url": "https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator.md",
  "content": "Car ownership cost calculator\nAdd up what a car really costs over the years you plan to keep it: depreciation, loan interest, insurance, maintenance, fuel or electricity and other running costs. See the cost for each year, the total and the cost per kilometre or mile.\nHow can we improve this tool?\nReport a problem or share an idea.\nPlease leave out private information. Your message and the tool name go to our team via PostHog.\nHow to use Car ownership cost calculator\nEnter the purchase price, down payment, loan APR and loan term.\nEnter how many years you will keep the car and its yearly depreciation rates.\nEnter yearly insurance, maintenance and other costs, and how much they rise each year.\nEnter your yearly distance, the car's fuel or electricity use and the price per unit.\nReview the yearly breakdown and totals, then download the JSON report or CSV.\nUseful next steps\nVehicle depreciation calculator\nFuel cost calculator\nLoan payment\nFuel economy log\nMethod\nEach year the car loses the depreciation percentage you enter of its value at the start of that year, and the last rate you enter repeats for later years. The loan is a level monthly payment schedule from the standard annuity formula (as in the Microsoft Excel PMT function documentation, checked 16 October 2026), computed exactly in minor currency units, with interest rounded each month and the final payment closing the balance. Insurance, maintenance, energy and other costs start at your first-year amounts and rise by your yearly increase.\nEnergy cost\nYearly energy use is your distance converted to the distance unit of the consumption figure, then multiplied by litres or kWh per 100 units, or divided by distance per gallon, litre or kWh. One mile is exactly 1609.344 metres (NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B, checked 16 October 2026). The cost is that quantity times your price per unit, rounded once per year. The price per unit can have up to 6 decimal places, such as 3.459, whatever decimal places you choose for amounts.\nAssumptions and limits\nThe total is depreciation plus loan interest paid within the ownership years plus running costs. A loan balance left at the end is repaid from the car value and is not counted as a cost. Rates, prices and costs are your own assumptions, not market data or a forecast, and taxes are only what you include in the prices.",
  "content_format": "text/plain",
  "visibility": "public",
  "links": [
    {
      "name": "Vehicle depreciation calculator",
      "url": "https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/vehicle-depreciation-calculator/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fuel cost calculator",
      "url": "https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-cost-calculator/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Loan payment",
      "url": "https://happytails.ai/en/finance-tools/loan-payment/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fuel economy log",
      "url": "https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-economy-log/"
    }
  ],
  "tool": {
    "id": "car-ownership-cost-calculator",
    "category": "calculators",
    "built": true,
    "requirements": "Up to 30 ownership years, loan terms from 1 to 120 months, APR from 0 to 48 percent, yearly distance up to 1000000, consumption above 0 and up to 1000, energy prices up to 1000000000000 per unit with up to 6 decimal places, and other amounts up to 1000000000000 with no more than the selected 0 to 6 decimal places. Calculated locally in your browser. Downloads are a JSON report and a CSV with one row per year.",
    "implementation": {
      "fields": [
        {
          "key": "price",
          "label": "Purchase price",
          "value": "30000",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "Total paid for the car, including any taxes and fees you want counted."
        },
        {
          "key": "downPayment",
          "label": "Down payment",
          "value": "5000",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "The rest is financed. Enter the full price for a cash purchase."
        },
        {
          "key": "apr",
          "label": "Loan APR (%)",
          "value": "6.5",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "From 0 to 48."
        },
        {
          "key": "loanTerm",
          "label": "Loan term (months)",
          "value": "60",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "Whole months from 1 to 120."
        },
        {
          "key": "years",
          "label": "Years of ownership",
          "value": "5",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "Whole years from 1 to 30."
        },
        {
          "key": "depreciation",
          "label": "Yearly depreciation (%)",
          "value": "20, 15, 12, 10, 10",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 400,
          "help": "One percentage per year, separated by commas. The last one repeats for later years."
        },
        {
          "key": "insurance",
          "label": "Insurance per year",
          "value": "1400",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "First-year amount."
        },
        {
          "key": "maintenance",
          "label": "Maintenance and repairs per year",
          "value": "800",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "First-year amount."
        },
        {
          "key": "otherCosts",
          "label": "Other costs per year",
          "value": "300",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "Registration, parking, tolls and similar."
        },
        {
          "key": "distance",
          "label": "Distance per year",
          "value": "15000",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "From 0 to 1000000."
        },
        {
          "key": "distanceUnit",
          "label": "Distance unit",
          "value": "km",
          "type": "select",
          "values": [
            "km",
            "mi"
          ],
          "labels": {
            "km": "Kilometres",
            "mi": "Miles"
          }
        },
        {
          "key": "consumption",
          "label": "Fuel or electricity use",
          "value": "7.5",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "In the unit chosen below."
        },
        {
          "key": "consumptionUnit",
          "label": "Consumption unit",
          "value": "l-per-100km",
          "type": "select",
          "values": [
            "l-per-100km",
            "mpg-us",
            "mpg-uk",
            "km-per-l",
            "kwh-per-100km",
            "kwh-per-100mi",
            "mi-per-kwh"
          ],
          "labels": {
            "l-per-100km": "Litres per 100 km",
            "mpg-us": "Miles per US gallon",
            "mpg-uk": "Miles per imperial gallon",
            "km-per-l": "Kilometres per litre",
            "kwh-per-100km": "kWh per 100 km",
            "kwh-per-100mi": "kWh per 100 miles",
            "mi-per-kwh": "Miles per kWh"
          }
        },
        {
          "key": "energyPrice",
          "label": "Price per litre, gallon or kWh",
          "value": "1.80",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "Price for one unit of the fuel or electricity in your consumption unit, with up to 6 decimal places such as 3.459."
        },
        {
          "key": "costIncrease",
          "label": "Yearly increase in running costs (%)",
          "value": "3",
          "type": "text",
          "maxLength": 30,
          "help": "From 0 to 100. Applies to insurance, maintenance, energy and other costs."
        },
        {
          "key": "decimals",
          "label": "Decimal places in amounts",
          "value": "2",
          "type": "select",
          "values": [
            "2",
            "0",
            "1",
            "3",
            "4",
            "5",
            "6"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "registrationFamily": "vehicle-finance",
      "input": false,
      "note": "Calculated on your device for up to 30 years and loan terms up to 120 months.",
      "experience": {
        "automatic": false,
        "single": false,
        "inputMaxLength": 1000000,
        "inputMode": "text",
        "label": "Lease, loan and cost values",
        "placeholder": "Enter values in the form fields",
        "help": "This calculator reads the form fields below; there is no text box. Up to 1,000,000 characters. Review the settings before running.",
        "action": null
      },
      "mode": "explicit",
      "interactive": false
    },
    "execution": "Browser interface",
    "api": null,
    "browser_agent": {
      "supported": true,
      "name": "run_current_tool",
      "discovery": "WebMCP on the human page in a supporting browser",
      "verification": "See audit/API-AUDIT.md; availability is not verification"
    }
  },
  "markdown": "# Car ownership cost calculator\n\n- Human page: https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator/\n- Markdown: https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator.md\n- Structured JSON: https://happytails.ai/agents/en/calculators/car-ownership-cost-calculator/index.json\n- Visibility: public\n\n## Tool capabilities\n\n| Property | Value |\n| --- | --- |\n| Tool ID | `car-ownership-cost-calculator` |\n| Category | calculators |\n| Implementation | Registered implementation. Registration alone is not a production-quality guarantee. |\n| Browser execution | Use the visible action or interactive controls. |\n| Browser processing | Browser; see tool notes for network behavior. |\n| HTTP API | Not callable through HTTP. |\n| Browser-agent interface | run_current_tool |\n\n### Implementation notes\n\nCalculated on your device for up to 30 years and loan terms up to 120 months.\n\n### Inputs and settings\n\nNo free-text input is required. Use the file inputs and/or settings below.\n\n| Setting | Meaning | Control type | Default | Constraints |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| `price` | Purchase price | text | \"30000\" |  |\n| `downPayment` | Down payment | text | \"5000\" |  |\n| `apr` | Loan APR (%) | text | \"6.5\" |  |\n| `loanTerm` | Loan term (months) | text | \"60\" |  |\n| `years` | Years of ownership | text | \"5\" |  |\n| `depreciation` | Yearly depreciation (%) | text | \"20, 15, 12, 10, 10\" |  |\n| `insurance` | Insurance per year | text | \"1400\" |  |\n| `maintenance` | Maintenance and repairs per year | text | \"800\" |  |\n| `otherCosts` | Other costs per year | text | \"300\" |  |\n| `distance` | Distance per year | text | \"15000\" |  |\n| `distanceUnit` | Distance unit | select | \"km\" | Allowed: km, mi |\n| `consumption` | Fuel or electricity use | text | \"7.5\" |  |\n| `consumptionUnit` | Consumption unit | select | \"l-per-100km\" | Allowed: l-per-100km, mpg-us, mpg-uk, km-per-l, kwh-per-100km, kwh-per-100mi, mi-per-kwh |\n| `energyPrice` | Price per litre, gallon or kWh | text | \"1.80\" |  |\n| `costIncrease` | Yearly increase in running costs (%) | text | \"3\" |  |\n| `decimals` | Decimal places in amounts | select | \"2\" | Allowed: 2, 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 |\n\n### Browser-agent workflow\n\n1. Open the human page in a browser that supports WebMCP.\n2. Discover the interface exposed by that page; use its actual schema.\n3. Select files on the page first when the tool requires files.\n4. Call `run_current_tool` with valid input and settings.\n5. Inspect the returned result or error and the displayed output. Retrieve files from the displayed download links.\n\nCalls do not automatically copy or download results. Browser permissions still apply. Interface availability alone is not proof of successful execution.\n\n### Planning specification\n\nUp to 30 ownership years, loan terms from 1 to 120 months, APR from 0 to 48 percent, yearly distance up to 1000000, consumption above 0 and up to 1000, energy prices up to 1000000000000 per unit with up to 6 decimal places, and other amounts up to 1000000000000 with no more than the selected 0 to 6 decimal places. Calculated locally in your browser. Downloads are a JSON report and a CSV with one row per year.\n\nThis describes intended requirements. Use the implementation notes, interface schema and observed output to determine current support.\n\n### Complete machine-readable capability record\n\n```json\n{\n  \"id\": \"car-ownership-cost-calculator\",\n  \"category\": \"calculators\",\n  \"built\": true,\n  \"requirements\": \"Up to 30 ownership years, loan terms from 1 to 120 months, APR from 0 to 48 percent, yearly distance up to 1000000, consumption above 0 and up to 1000, energy prices up to 1000000000000 per unit with up to 6 decimal places, and other amounts up to 1000000000000 with no more than the selected 0 to 6 decimal places. Calculated locally in your browser. Downloads are a JSON report and a CSV with one row per year.\",\n  \"implementation\": {\n    \"fields\": [\n      {\n        \"key\": \"price\",\n        \"label\": \"Purchase price\",\n        \"value\": \"30000\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"Total paid for the car, including any taxes and fees you want counted.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"downPayment\",\n        \"label\": \"Down payment\",\n        \"value\": \"5000\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"The rest is financed. Enter the full price for a cash purchase.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"apr\",\n        \"label\": \"Loan APR (%)\",\n        \"value\": \"6.5\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"From 0 to 48.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"loanTerm\",\n        \"label\": \"Loan term (months)\",\n        \"value\": \"60\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"Whole months from 1 to 120.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"years\",\n        \"label\": \"Years of ownership\",\n        \"value\": \"5\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"Whole years from 1 to 30.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"depreciation\",\n        \"label\": \"Yearly depreciation (%)\",\n        \"value\": \"20, 15, 12, 10, 10\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 400,\n        \"help\": \"One percentage per year, separated by commas. The last one repeats for later years.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"insurance\",\n        \"label\": \"Insurance per year\",\n        \"value\": \"1400\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"First-year amount.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"maintenance\",\n        \"label\": \"Maintenance and repairs per year\",\n        \"value\": \"800\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"First-year amount.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"otherCosts\",\n        \"label\": \"Other costs per year\",\n        \"value\": \"300\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"Registration, parking, tolls and similar.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"distance\",\n        \"label\": \"Distance per year\",\n        \"value\": \"15000\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"From 0 to 1000000.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"distanceUnit\",\n        \"label\": \"Distance unit\",\n        \"value\": \"km\",\n        \"type\": \"select\",\n        \"values\": [\n          \"km\",\n          \"mi\"\n        ],\n        \"labels\": {\n          \"km\": \"Kilometres\",\n          \"mi\": \"Miles\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"consumption\",\n        \"label\": \"Fuel or electricity use\",\n        \"value\": \"7.5\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"In the unit chosen below.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"consumptionUnit\",\n        \"label\": \"Consumption unit\",\n        \"value\": \"l-per-100km\",\n        \"type\": \"select\",\n        \"values\": [\n          \"l-per-100km\",\n          \"mpg-us\",\n          \"mpg-uk\",\n          \"km-per-l\",\n          \"kwh-per-100km\",\n          \"kwh-per-100mi\",\n          \"mi-per-kwh\"\n        ],\n        \"labels\": {\n          \"l-per-100km\": \"Litres per 100 km\",\n          \"mpg-us\": \"Miles per US gallon\",\n          \"mpg-uk\": \"Miles per imperial gallon\",\n          \"km-per-l\": \"Kilometres per litre\",\n          \"kwh-per-100km\": \"kWh per 100 km\",\n          \"kwh-per-100mi\": \"kWh per 100 miles\",\n          \"mi-per-kwh\": \"Miles per kWh\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"energyPrice\",\n        \"label\": \"Price per litre, gallon or kWh\",\n        \"value\": \"1.80\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"Price for one unit of the fuel or electricity in your consumption unit, with up to 6 decimal places such as 3.459.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"costIncrease\",\n        \"label\": \"Yearly increase in running costs (%)\",\n        \"value\": \"3\",\n        \"type\": \"text\",\n        \"maxLength\": 30,\n        \"help\": \"From 0 to 100. Applies to insurance, maintenance, energy and other costs.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"key\": \"decimals\",\n        \"label\": \"Decimal places in amounts\",\n        \"value\": \"2\",\n        \"type\": \"select\",\n        \"values\": [\n          \"2\",\n          \"0\",\n          \"1\",\n          \"3\",\n          \"4\",\n          \"5\",\n          \"6\"\n        ]\n      }\n    ],\n    \"registrationFamily\": \"vehicle-finance\",\n    \"input\": false,\n    \"note\": \"Calculated on your device for up to 30 years and loan terms up to 120 months.\",\n    \"experience\": {\n      \"automatic\": false,\n      \"single\": false,\n      \"inputMaxLength\": 1000000,\n      \"inputMode\": \"text\",\n      \"label\": \"Lease, loan and cost values\",\n      \"placeholder\": \"Enter values in the form fields\",\n      \"help\": \"This calculator reads the form fields below; there is no text box. Up to 1,000,000 characters. Review the settings before running.\",\n      \"action\": null\n    },\n    \"mode\": \"explicit\",\n    \"interactive\": false\n  },\n  \"execution\": \"Browser interface\",\n  \"api\": null,\n  \"browser_agent\": {\n    \"supported\": true,\n    \"name\": \"run_current_tool\",\n    \"discovery\": \"WebMCP on the human page in a supporting browser\",\n    \"verification\": \"See audit/API-AUDIT.md; availability is not verification\"\n  }\n}\n```\n\n## Page guide\n\nAdd up what a car really costs over the years you plan to keep it: depreciation, loan interest, insurance, maintenance, fuel or electricity and other running costs. See the cost for each year, the total and the cost per kilometre or mile.\n\nHow can we improve this tool?\n\nReport a problem or share an idea.\n\nPlease leave out private information. Your message and the tool name go to our team via PostHog.\n\n### How to use Car ownership cost calculator\n\n1. Enter the purchase price, down payment, loan APR and loan term.\n2. Enter how many years you will keep the car and its yearly depreciation rates.\n3. Enter yearly insurance, maintenance and other costs, and how much they rise each year.\n4. Enter your yearly distance, the car's fuel or electricity use and the price per unit.\n5. Review the yearly breakdown and totals, then download the JSON report or CSV.\n\n## Useful next steps\n\n- [Vehicle depreciation calculator](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/vehicle-depreciation-calculator/) ([Markdown](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/vehicle-depreciation-calculator.md))\n\n- [Fuel cost calculator](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-cost-calculator/) ([Markdown](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-cost-calculator.md))\n\n- [Loan payment](https://happytails.ai/en/finance-tools/loan-payment/) ([Markdown](https://happytails.ai/en/finance-tools/loan-payment.md))\n\n- [Fuel economy log](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-economy-log/) ([Markdown](https://happytails.ai/en/calculators/fuel-economy-log.md))\n\n## Method\n\nEach year the car loses the depreciation percentage you enter of its value at the start of that year, and the last rate you enter repeats for later years. The loan is a level monthly payment schedule from the standard annuity formula (as in the Microsoft Excel PMT function documentation, checked 16 October 2026), computed exactly in minor currency units, with interest rounded each month and the final payment closing the balance. Insurance, maintenance, energy and other costs start at your first-year amounts and rise by your yearly increase.\n\n### Energy cost\n\nYearly energy use is your distance converted to the distance unit of the consumption figure, then multiplied by litres or kWh per 100 units, or divided by distance per gallon, litre or kWh. One mile is exactly 1609.344 metres (NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B, checked 16 October 2026). The cost is that quantity times your price per unit, rounded once per year. The price per unit can have up to 6 decimal places, such as 3.459, whatever decimal places you choose for amounts.\n\n### Assumptions and limits\n\nThe total is depreciation plus loan interest paid within the ownership years plus running costs. A loan balance left at the end is repaid from the car value and is not counted as a cost. Rates, prices and costs are your own assumptions, not market data or a forecast, and taxes are only what you include in the prices.\n"
}