Enrichment · Passion Projects · Vehicles

What does a mile
really cost?

Fuel is the cost you see at the pump. Insurance, repairs, tires and the value the car loses each year add up to much more. Count them all, per mile and per trip.

Price my milesWhat you get

The transportation cost per mile calculator

The worked example is a family minivan driven 12,000 miles a year with three regular trips. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
The yearly cost split into running and owning costs, the full cost per mile and the running cost per mile, and what each regular trip costs a year. It prints as a one-page car budget.
Who it is for
Drivers and families budgeting for a car, adults weighing driving against transit, biking or a second car, and students learning what owning a car costs.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Type the miles a year.
  2. Add the fuel or charging figures.
  3. Enter yearly bills.
  4. Add the price and resale value.
  5. List trips you make every week.

Price my miles

How the cost per mile is worked out

Running costs plus owning costs, divided by the miles.

The worked example: a family minivan, 12,000 miles a yearRunning costs$2,832fuel, upkeep, tiresOwning costs$5,720insurance, fees, value lostA year in all$8,55212,000 milesPer mile$0.71$0.24 running onlyThe worked example: a family minivan, 12,000 miles a yearRunning costs$2,832fuel, upkeep, tiresOwning costs$5,720insurance, fees, value lostA year in all$8,55212,000 milesPer mile$0.71$0.24 running only
Running costs grow with every mile; owning costs come whether the car moves or not. Add them and divide by the miles for the full cost of each mile.

Running costs

Fuel or electricity, maintenance and tires rise with every mile. As a check: 12,000 miles at 30 miles per gallon is 400 gallons; at $3.50 a gallon that is $1,400 a year, about 11.7 cents a mile. An electric car using 30 kWh per 100 miles at 16 cents a kWh costs 4.8 cents a mile to charge at home.

Owning costs

Insurance, registration, loan interest and parking come whether or not you drive. Depreciation is the value the car loses: a car bought for $26,000 and sold for $12,000 after 7 years lost $2,000 a year. AAA’s yearly Your Driving Costs study splits costs the same way.

Sources

  1. AAA. Your Driving Costs: annual study of the cost of owning and operating a vehicle (newsroom.aaa.com).
  2. U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. fueleconomy.gov: miles per gallon and kWh per 100 miles ratings.
  3. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gasoline and diesel fuel update; average residential electricity prices (eia.gov).
  4. Internal Revenue Service. Standard mileage rates, for comparison with what an employer or charity may reimburse (irs.gov).

An estimate from the figures you type; real costs vary with the car, the driving and prices where you live. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.