Should I lease or buy my next car?

Buy if you keep cars more than four years or drive more than 12,000 miles per year. Lease if you want a new car every three years, drive average miles, and can negotiate a low money factor and high residual. The lease vs. buy calculator shows the exact crossover point for your specific situation.

How much car can I afford?

The 20/4/10 rule is a starting point: 20% down, finance for no more than four years, and total car costs (payment, insurance, fuel) below 10% of gross monthly income. The auto loan calculator combined with the affordability calculator gives you a precise number based on your income, debts, and down payment.

What is the total cost of ownership for a new car?

For a $35,000 sedan financed over five years, expect $60,000-$65,000 in total costs over five years: $42,000 in payments, $5,000 in interest, $8,000 in fuel, $5,000 in insurance, $4,000 in maintenance, and depreciation of $18,000-$22,000.

How is the lease money factor calculated?

The money factor is the lease-equivalent of an APR. To convert: money factor x 2,400 = approximate APR. A money factor of 0.00125 equals 3% APR. A good lease rate is below 0.00100 (2.4% APR). Anything above 0.00200 (4.8% APR) is generally unfavorable.

Are electric vehicles cheaper to own than gas cars?

Yes, on a per-mile basis. EVs cost $0.05-$0.07 per mile in electricity versus $0.13-$0.18 per mile for gasoline cars. The total cost of ownership depends on the purchase price premium, available tax credits, and your annual mileage. The EV savings calculator shows your specific breakeven point.

Auto & Transport Calculators — Complete Guide & Free Tools

A car is the second-largest purchase most households make, and the ongoing costs often exceed the loan or lease payment. Fuel, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, and parking add up to thousands of dollars a year. Auto calculators turn those numbers into a clear monthly cost so you can compare buying versus leasing, gasoline versus electric, and one vehicle versus another. Every formula here runs in your browser, your data stays on your device, and the math follows the same conventions used by Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

How to choose the right auto calculator

Start with the decision: are you buying, leasing, financing, or just tracking running costs? The auto loan calculator gives you the monthly payment, total interest, and amortization schedule for any loan term, down payment, and interest rate combination. The auto lease calculator factors in the money factor (lease-specific interest rate), residual value, and cap cost reduction. The car payment vs. total cost of ownership calculator shows that the monthly payment is only part of the picture: depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and financing cost combine into a true five-year cost. The car comparison calculator puts two vehicles side by side, including all ownership costs, to find which one is actually cheaper to own. The fuel cost calculator shows what you will spend at the pump over a year based on your MPG, miles driven, and local gas price. The commute cost calculator multiplies your daily round trip by fuel, depreciation, and maintenance to show the real cost of driving to work.

Buying, financing, and total cost of ownership

The total cost of ownership calculation is what dealers do not put on the sticker. A $35,000 car financed at 7% over 60 months costs roughly $42,000 in payments. Add $5,000 in interest, $4,000 in insurance over five years, $6,000 in fuel, $3,000 in maintenance, and the car has cost $60,000 by the time you sell it. Depreciation alone typically eats 15-25% of the value in year one and 50-60% by year five. The car depreciation calculator projects resale value at any mileage and age. The car comparison tool normalizes these numbers so you can compare, for example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example/" class="font-medium text-slate-900 hover:text-slate-900 underline decoration-indigo-200 hover:decoration-indigo-500 underline-offset-2">example, a $28,000 hybrid to a $32,000 electric vehicle and see which costs less over five years when fuel savings are factored in. For new car buyers, the rule of thumb is 20/4/10: 20% down, loan term of four years or less, total transportation costs below 10% of monthly income.

Leasing, residuals, and money factor

A lease is essentially paying for the depreciation during the lease term plus a finance charge. The residual value is what the car is worth at the end of the lease, set by the bank. The money factor is the lease equivalent of an interest rate, expressed as a small decimal (e.g., 0.00125 = 3% APR). The auto lease calculator converts the money factor to an APR, adds the depreciation cost (cap cost minus residual), and divides by the lease term. A common trap: a low monthly payment often comes from a high money factor or a low residual value, both of which increase the long-term cost. The lease vs. buy calculator shows the crossover point at which buying becomes cheaper than leasing, usually around year four of the lease. Mileage overage charges ($0.20-$0.30 per mile) and excess wear-and-tear fees can turn a cheap lease into an expensive one.

Fuel economy, EV vs. gas, and driving habits

The fuel cost calculator is straightforward: annual miles divided by MPG, multiplied by price per gallon. Where it gets interesting is in EV comparisons. The average EV uses about 30 kWh per 100 miles. At the U.S. average electricity rate of $0.16/kWh, that is $4.80 per 100 miles, compared to $12-$15 for a 30-MPG gasoline car at $4/gallon. The fuel savings calculator models the crossover point where an EV pays for its price premium through fuel savings alone, typically 4-6 years. For hybrids, the breakeven depends on how much city driving you do, because hybrids shine in stop-and-go traffic. The mileage reimbursement calculator handles business use: for 2026 the IRS standard rate is 70 cents per mile, and the calculator lets you set a custom rate and track personal versus business use.

Methodology and data sources

Auto loan and lease formulas use the standard time-value-of-money equations: M = P[r(1+r)^n] / [(1+r)^n - 1] for loans, and a money factor-based version for leases. Depreciation follows a declining-balance model with a typical 15-25% year-one drop and 10-15% per year thereafter, consistent with NADA and Kelley Blue Book curves. Fuel cost calculations use the EPA combined MPG figure. The commute cost calculator adds IRS standard mileage rates for variable costs and AAA cost-of-ownership averages for fixed costs. All formulas are client-side, so your financing terms, vehicle data, and personal driving patterns never leave the browser. No cookies, no tracking, no account required.

Auto & Transport Calculators

How to choose the right auto calculator

Buying, financing, and total cost of ownership

Leasing, residuals, and money factor

Fuel economy, EV vs. gas, and driving habits

Methodology and data sources

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