Keeping & Replacing
What the car costs to keep
The cheapest car to buy is often not the cheapest car to own, and the most expensive month of ownership is usually the one where something breaks. These tools price the decision you make after the car is already in the driveway: keep it, replace it, or fix it one more time.
All three work in the same unit — cost per mile — because that is the only way to compare a repair bill against a car payment, or a higher purchase price against a lower running cost. Depreciation, insurance, maintenance and tires are inputs here, not omissions.
How many miles the cheaper-to-run car has to cover before it repays the extra you paid for it — and whether that happens before you sell it.
Open tool →True Cost per Mile CalculatorEvery cost of keeping a car divided by the miles it covers — depreciation, fuel, insurance, upkeep, registration and loan interest, over the years you actually keep it.
Open tool →Repair or Replace CalculatorThe repair bill spread over the miles it buys you, against what the same miles cost in a replacement car — both paths priced over the same window.
Open tool →