How much does it cost to own a car per year?
About $11,276 a year, or $940 a month, for a typical US gas car driven 13,476 miles: $2,282 of fuel, $4,054 of depreciation, $2,638 of insurance, $1,251 of maintenance and repairs, $237 of tyres and $813 of tax and registration. The same car as a diesel costs $12,251, as an electric car charged at home $9,705. A typical UK petrol car costs £6,299 a year (£525 a month) on 7,100 miles; a typical EU petrol car €8,843 on 10,800 km. The tables below list every item for the three regions, computed by the same code as the calculator from public starting values.
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1. A typical US car, item by item
Cost per year = fuel or energy + maintenance and repairs + tyres + depreciation + insurance + tax and registration + parking and tolls + loan interest. All three cars share the same 13,476 miles a year, value, insurance and maintenance; only the energy line differs: gas at 25.5 mpg and $4.32 per gallon, diesel at 26 mpg and $6.29, electricity at home at $0.1834 per kWh.
| Cost item | Gas | Diesel | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel or energy | $2,282 | $3,258 | $712 |
| Maintenance and repairs | $1,251 | $1,251 | $1,251 |
| Tyres | $237 | $237 | $237 |
| Depreciation | $4,054 | $4,054 | $4,054 |
| Insurance | $2,638 | $2,638 | $2,638 |
| Tax, registration, inspection | $813 | $813 | $813 |
| Parking and tolls | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Loan interest | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total per year | $11,276 | $12,251 | $9,705 |
| Per month | $940 | $1,021 | $809 |
| Per mile | $0.84 | $0.91 | $0.72 |
Depreciation is the largest line at $4,054; fuel is 20% of the gas car's total. The cost per mile calculator takes your own value, miles, prices and insurance and returns the same table for your car.
2. A typical UK car
UK starting values: 7,100 miles a year (DfT, England, 2025), a £17,131 car losing 20% a year, petrol at 35.8 mpg (UK gallon) and £1.681 per litre, diesel at 41.1 mpg and £1.907, electricity at the Ofgem cap rate of £0.2611 per kWh. Fewer miles and a cheaper car than the US, but the car is still 67% fixed cost.
| Cost item | Petrol | Diesel | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel or energy | £1,516 | £1,498 | £534 |
| Maintenance and repairs | £503 | £503 | £503 |
| Tyres | £88 | £88 | £88 |
| Depreciation | £3,426 | £3,426 | £3,426 |
| Insurance | £566 | £566 | £566 |
| Tax, registration, inspection | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Parking and tolls | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Loan interest | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Total per year | £6,299 | £6,281 | £5,317 |
| Per month | £525 | £523 | £443 |
| Per mile | £0.89 | £0.88 | £0.75 |
3. A typical EU car (euros, km)
Metric starting values: 10,800 km a year (EU average), a €27,787 car losing 20% a year, petrol at 7.89 L/100 km and €2.063 per litre, diesel at 6.88 L/100 km and €2.159, electricity at €0.2896 per kWh. Road tax differs by country; the line uses a German example.
| Cost item | Petrol | Diesel | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel or energy | €1,758 | €1,604 | €560 |
| Maintenance and repairs | €737 | €737 | €737 |
| Tyres | €85 | €85 | €85 |
| Depreciation | €5,557 | €5,557 | €5,557 |
| Insurance | €563 | €563 | €563 |
| Tax, registration, inspection | €143 | €143 | €143 |
| Parking and tolls | €0 | €0 | €0 |
| Loan interest | €0 | €0 | €0 |
| Total per year | €8,843 | €8,689 | €7,645 |
| Per month | €737 | €724 | €637 |
| Per km | €0.82 | €0.80 | €0.71 |
The guide on what 100 miles cost turns the US and UK columns into a per-trip figure; the guide on what an electric car saves per year looks at the energy line alone by miles driven.
4. Fixed and variable: what you pay whether you drive or not
Depreciation, insurance, tax, parking and loan interest are paid per year whatever the odometer says; fuel, maintenance and tyres grow with every mile. The fixed share is what makes a second car, or a car that sits parked, so expensive per mile.
| Region and car | Per year | Per month | Per mile or km | Fixed share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US, gas | $11,276 | $940 | $0.84 | 67% |
| US, diesel | $12,251 | $1,021 | $0.91 | 61% |
| US, electric | $9,705 | $809 | $0.72 | 77% |
| UK, petrol | £6,299 | £525 | £0.89 | 67% |
| UK, diesel | £6,281 | £523 | £0.88 | 67% |
| UK, electric | £5,317 | £443 | £0.75 | 79% |
| Metric, petrol | €8,843 | €737 | €0.82 | 71% |
| Metric, diesel | €8,689 | €724 | €0.80 | 72% |
| Metric, electric | €7,645 | €637 | €0.71 | 82% |
Between 61% and 82% of the typical car's cost is fixed across the nine cars above, so a car driven half as much costs far more than half per mile. These are estimates for planning from public averages (each starting value and its date are listed on the calculator page), not a statement about your car: a paid-off ten-year-old car has a fraction of the depreciation line, and a new car on a loan has more of it plus the interest.
Sources of the starting values used here: US yearly distance, FHWA, Office of Highway Policy Information, Average Annual Miles per Driver by Age Group: 13,476 miles per driver per year — https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm (2026-09-18); US car value, Cox Automotive: average used-vehicle listing price $27,028, July 2026 (published 2026-08-14) — https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights/used-vehicle-inventory-july-2026/ (2026-09-18); depreciation, CarEdge: a new car loses about 20 % in year one, then about 15 % a year up to year four — https://caredge.com/guides/can-you-avoid-car-depreciation; US insurance, Bankrate: national average full-coverage car insurance $2,638 per year (press release, February 2025) — https://www.bankrate.com/press-releases/national-average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-the-united-states-reaches-2638-up-12-from-2024/; US maintenance and tyres, Derived: AAA Your Driving Costs 2025 puts maintenance, repair and tires at 11.04 cents/mile; the 84 % maintenance share comes from AAA 2016 (maintenance 5.28, tires 1.00 cents/mile); x 13,476 miles — https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/09/aaa-new-vehicle-costs-drop-to-11577/ and https://newsroom.aaa.com/2016/04/driving-costs-hit-six-year-low/; US tax and registration, AAA Your Driving Costs 2025: license, registration and taxes $813 per year (national average, includes purchase taxes spread over ownership) — https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/09/aaa-new-vehicle-costs-drop-to-11577/; US fuel economy and prices, EPA Automotive Trends Report (MY2024): real-world new-vehicle average 27.2 mpg, 1.7 mpg lower without BEVs and PHEVs = 25.5 mpg for a gas car — https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report, EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update: regular gasoline, U.S. average $4.319/gal, week of 2026-09-14 (released 2026-09-15) — https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/ and EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update: on-highway diesel, U.S. average $6.285/gal, week of 2026-09-14 (released 2026-09-15) — https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/; US electricity, EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: U.S. residential average 18.34 cents/kWh, June 2026 — https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a. UK: DfT National Travel Survey, table NTS0901 (updated 2026-09-10): average annual mileage per car in England, 2025: 7,100 miles (petrol 6,200, diesel 8,000) — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts09-vehicle-mileage-and-occupancy; Auto Trader Retail Price Index: average used car asking price £17,131, August 2026 (press release 2026-09-08) — https://plc.autotrader.co.uk/news-views/press-releases/used-car-market-gains-momentum-as-both-independent-franchise-retailers-record-growth-for-first-time-this-year/; The AA: an average new car keeps about 40 % of its price after three years, i.e. loses about 20 % a year — https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/depreciation; ABI Motor Insurance Premium Tracker: average comprehensive premium paid £566, Q2 2026 — https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2026/7/record3.2-billion-paid-out-to-support-motor-insurance-customers-in-q2-2026/; NimbleFins, cost of running a car in the UK: repairs and servicing average £503 a year (2025) — https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/cheap-car-insurance/average-cost-run-car-uk; Derived: Kwik Fit (Nov 2023) prices a Corsa tyre at £50 budget to £115 premium, midpoint £82.50; RAC: front tyres last about 20,000 miles, rear 40,000; at 7,100 miles a year that is about £88 — https://www.kwik-fit.com/blog/how-much-is-a-new-tyre and https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/how-to-get-more-from-your-tyres/; GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables: standard rate for petrol and diesel cars registered on or after 1 April 2017, £200 a year (from April 2026) — https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables; DESNZ Weekly road fuel prices: ULSP (unleaded) 168.14 p/litre, week of 2026-09-14 — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-road-fuel-prices; Ofgem energy price cap: electricity unit rate 26.11 p/kWh, Direct Debit, average across GB, 1 July to 30 September 2026 (26.32 p from 1 October 2026) — https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/energy-price-cap-unit-rates-and-standing-charges. EU: ODYSSEE-MURE, distance travelled by car: EU average 10,800 km per car per year (2023) — https://www.odyssee-mure.eu/publications/efficiency-by-sector/transport/distance-travelled-by-car.html; AutoScout24 annual analysis 2025: average used car asking price in Germany €27,787 (Germany as the largest EU market) — https://www.autoscout24.de/unternehmen/daten/jahresanalyse-2025-europaeischer-gebrauchtwagenmarkt-zeigt-sich-stabil/; ADAC: a new car loses 20-25 % of its value in the first year and up to 50 % after three years, i.e. about 20 % a year — https://www.adac.de/fahrzeugwelt/faq/faq-auto/neuwagen-und-wertverlust/; France Assureurs, L'assurance automobile des particuliers en 2024 (published August 2025): average annual premium for comprehensive (tous risques) cover €563, excluding assistance; France as the EU example — https://www.franceassureurs.fr/wp-content/uploads/lassurance-automobile-des-particuliers-en-2024-1.pdf; Derived: DAT-Report 2026 (Germany, 2025 data): a maintenance job cost €542 and cars had 0.97 of them a year, a repair cost €604 and cars had 0.35 a year = about €737 per car per year — https://www.dat.de/fileadmin/de/images/produkte/DAT_Report/DAT_Report_NEW/2026/DAT-Report-2026-Kurzbericht.pdf; Derived: ADAC 205/55 R16 summer tyre test (2023) prices €45 to €124 per tyre, midpoint €84.50; RAC tyre life of about 20,000 miles (32,000 km) front and 40,000 miles (64,000 km) rear; at 10,800 km a year that is about €85 — https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifentest/sommerreifen/205-55-r16/ and https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/how-to-get-more-from-your-tyres/; ADAC Kfz-Steuer example (Germany): petrol car, 1,500 cm3 and 140 g CO2/km = €142.50 a year (2 € per 100 cm3 plus the CO2 scale); no EU-wide road tax exists — https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/auto-kaufen-verkaufen/kfz-steuer/kfz-steuer-rechner/; European Commission Weekly Oil Bulletin: Euro-super 95, EU27 weighted average with taxes €2,063.36 per 1,000 L, prices as of 2026-09-14 (bulletin of 2026-09-17) — https://energy.ec.europa.eu/data-and-analysis/weekly-oil-bulletin_en; Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers: EU average €0.2896/kWh, second half of 2025 (taxes included) — https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260505-1. EV efficiency in all three regions: EPA Automotive Trends Report (MY2024): Tesla fleet 117.1 MPGe = 117.1 / 33.7 kWh per gallon-equivalent = 3.47 mi/kWh (17.9 kWh/100 km), used as the typical EV — https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to own a car per month?
- The yearly total divided by 12. With the starting values: $940 a month for the typical US gas car, $1,021 for the diesel and $809 for the electric car; £525 for the UK petrol car and £443 for the UK electric car; €737 for the EU petrol car. A loan repayment is not in these figures (see the last question), so a financed car costs more per month than the table shows.
- What is the biggest cost of owning a car?
- Depreciation, not fuel, for the typical US car: $4,054 a year, against $2,282 of fuel at 25.5 mpg and $4.32 per gallon. A car worth $27,028 losing 15% of its value a year loses $4,054 whether it moves or not. Fuel is 20% of the gas car's yearly cost and 7% of the electric car's. An older, cheaper car changes this line more than any other.
- How much does it cost to run a car per year in the UK?
- £6,299 a year for a typical petrol car on 7,100 miles (the DfT average for England): £1,516 of petrol at 35.8 mpg and £1.681 per litre, £3,426 of depreciation on a £17,131 car, £566 of insurance, £503 of servicing and repairs, £88 of tyres and £200 of vehicle tax. The diesel car costs £6,281, the electric car £5,317. Table 2 has every line.
- How much does it cost to maintain a car per year?
- Maintenance and repairs plus tyres: $1,488 a year in the US (AAA's 11.04 cents per mile for maintenance, repair and tyres over 13,476 miles), £591 in the UK and €822 in the EU. These are averages over cars of all ages; a car past its warranty spends more, and both lines grow with the miles you drive.
- Is an electric car cheaper to own per year?
- On these figures, by $1,570 a year in the US ($9,705 against $11,276) and £981 in the UK, because home electricity costs about a third of what the fuel does and every other line is held equal. In practice an EV's price, depreciation and insurance differ from the gas car's; the guide on what you save per year with an electric car shows the saving by miles driven and how long a dearer EV takes to pay back.
- Do these figures include the car payment?
- Not the repayments. The car's value is already counted through depreciation, so adding the repayment would count it twice; what a loan adds is the interest, and the starting value for it is $0 (owned outright). Parking and tolls are also $0 by default because they depend on where you drive. Type both into the calculator to get your own total; these are planning estimates from public averages, not a statement about your car.
More guides
- How much does it cost to drive 100 miles?
Fuel alone and the all-in cost of 100, 200 and 1,000 miles in a typical gas, diesel and electric car, US and UK, by mpg and fuel price.
- How much does it cost to drive 100 km?
Fuel for 100 km by L/100 km and price per litre, then 100, 500 and 1,000 km all in for a typical petrol, diesel and electric car in euros, item by item.
- How much do you save per year with an electric car?
Energy saving of an EV over a gas car per year and over 5 years by miles driven, and how many years a dearer EV takes to pay back its price. US and UK.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
Home charging cost per 100 miles, per month and per year by efficiency and electricity price, against gas, and what public charging adds. US and UK.
Last updated 2026-09-22. Cost estimates from published starting values (EPA, EIA, AAA, DESNZ, Ofgem, IRS/HMRC), each with its source and date, put through the same arithmetic as the calculators. Your car, prices and mileage move every figure. Information for planning, not financial or tax advice.