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Car ownership cost calculator

A car ownership cost calculator adds up everything one specific car costs you while you own it: depreciation, fuel or electricity, insurance, servicing and MOT, repairs, tyres, road tax and finance. 73 Auto does this from a UK registration number, using the car's official DVLA and DVSA records together with your own mileage, ownership period and location. Across the 53 vehicles 73 Auto has analysed at 7,400 miles a year, the estimated total ranges from £4,284 to £9,650 a year, with a median of £5,527.

Check what a specific car really costs to own

Published 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto

Calculate the ownership cost of your car

Enter a UK registration number, then add your mileage, how long you plan to keep the car and how you are paying for it. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

At a glance

Ownership cost across the vehicles 73 Auto has analysed
Figure	Value	Basis
Median annual ownership cost	£5,527	n = 53 vehicles analysed by 73 Auto
Median monthly ownership cost	£461	n = 53
Lowest to highest annual cost	£4,284 – £9,650	n = 53
Average cost per mile	£0.78	n = 53 with a cost-per-mile figure

Scenario for every figure: 7,400 miles a year, 3-year ownership, finance purchase. For averages, medians and a per-category breakdown across the same vehicles, see 73 Auto's UK car ownership cost statistics.

What the calculation includes

The total is the sum of eight categories, each estimated for the specific car. The formula and why each category belongs in it are explained in what total cost of ownership means.

Cost categories in a 73 Auto ownership cost calculation
Category	What it covers	Guide
Depreciation	The value the car is likely to lose while you own it.	Depreciation calculator
Fuel or electricity	Your mileage, the car’s consumption and the price per litre or kWh.	Car fuel cost
Insurance	An expected comprehensive premium for the car and driver, with a range.	Car insurance cost
Servicing and MOT	Scheduled servicing and the MOT fee for each MOT that falls due.	Car maintenance cost
Repairs and maintenance	Wear items and unscheduled repairs, component by component.	Car maintenance cost
Tyres	Fitted replacement tyres over your ownership period.	Car tyre cost
Vehicle tax (VED)	From official DVLA rate bands, the CO2 figure and registration date.	Car tax check
Finance	Interest and fees if you borrow to buy; nothing for a cash purchase.	Methodology

How to use it

Enter the car's UK registration. 73 Auto looks up its official DVLA record and DVSA MOT history.
Add what you know: annual mileage, how long you plan to keep it, your postcode and driving style, and how you're paying. Anything you leave out falls back to standard UK assumptions, and the report says which figures rest on assumptions.
Read the total as a yearly, monthly and per-mile figure. The same total, three ways: yearly for budgeting, monthly for comparing with a finance quote, per mile for comparing cars you'd drive different distances (see the cost per mile calculator).

Why it starts from a registration, not a make and model

The same model can cost very different amounts to own. Age, engine, fuel type, trim, the car's CO2 figure (which sets its road tax) and its own MOT history all change the result. In 73 Auto's own examples, the two Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2012 (petrol) and a Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2019 (petrol), differ by £1,864 a year under identical assumptions. A calculator that asks only for a make and model has to average all of that away.

Real examples across the range

Five of 73 Auto's worked examples, from the cheapest to the most expensive to own. Each links to its full category-by-category breakdown.

Real examples across the range
Vehicle	Fuel	Per year	Per month	Per mile
Ford Fiesta 2010	Diesel	£4,284	£357	£0.58
Ford Puma ST-Line X mHEV 2020	Petrol	£4,807	£401	£0.65
Peugeot 308 Allure Premium PureTech S&S auto 2023	Petrol	£5,527	£461	£0.75
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2014	Diesel	£5,989	£499	£0.81
Audi RS 3 TFSI quattro 2024	Petrol	£9,650	£804	£1.30

About these examples. All 53 were calculated under one standard scenario: 7,400 miles a year, 3-year ownership, finance purchase. They describe the specific vehicles 73 Auto has analysed, not every car of that type in the UK. They were calculated on 21 Jul 2026. Since then, 73 Auto has rebuilt its fuel prices and VED rules, tyres, servicing, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and insurance models, so a new report for the same car today can give different figures from its example.

Common questions

Is this a quote?

No. Every figure is a modelled estimate for planning and comparing cars, not a quote from an insurer, lender or garage. Where you enter a real figure, such as your own insurance premium, it is used instead of the estimate.

Does it work for new cars?

It needs a UK registration number, so it works for any car already registered in the UK, new or used. It can't price a car that hasn't been registered yet.

How is this different from car running costs?

Running costs are the recurring costs of keeping a car on the road. Ownership cost adds depreciation and finance, the two costs that come from having bought the car. See car running costs.

Limitations

Actual costs depend on the car's condition, where you live, how you drive, your insurance and finance circumstances, and future changes in prices and tax rules. See data sources for which figures are official data and which are 73 Auto estimates.

How 73 Auto works this out

Every category is explained in the methodology, and the data sources page lists which inputs are official data and which are 73 Auto estimates. How pages are written and kept up to date is set out in the editorial policy; to report a factual error, see corrections.