Car Running Cost Calculator

How much does my car cost to run?

Your car’s annual running cost will depend on your:

• Lease payment
• Insurance
• Fuel
• Road tax
• Maintenance and servicing

Our calculator estimates each of these costs to give you a total, plus a handy breakdown, so you can see where your money will be spent throughout the year.

Lease payment

This is the biggest factor which will affect your total running cost. Lease price payments start at around £125 a month, but this will go up depending on the make and model you want.

For example, drivers who want something small, efficient and affordable can opt for a compact city car like the Kia Picanto, which is around £1,680 for a year. If you’re after something more spacious, you might choose a family-friendly SUV like the Nissan Qashqai, which costs around £2,550 per year. Drivers who want something really upmarket could go for the Land Rover Range Rover, which is closer to £10,000 for a yearly lease.

As you can see, lease payments vary depending on the car you drive. In general, smaller models are the cheapest and premium cars are more expensive.

If you haven’t decided on which vehicle you want, compare a few with our car running costs calculator, so you can see which model is best for your budget.

Insurance

Insurance changes depending on many different factors, from your age, to your job, to the car you drive. We ask that you input your annual policy cost into the calculator, so our calculator can accurately show you how much you’ll spend each year.

If you don’t know how much your premium will cost with your car, don’t worry. Either estimate from last year’s figure or we can provide the UK’s average for you, which is £642, according to Statista.

Fuel

Depending on which car you choose, our database predicts how much you’ll spend on fuel each year, according to the vehicle’s fuel type, miles per gallon (MPG) and an average of 8,000 miles per year. The cost is also calculated based on current fuel prices.

If you want to drive an electric car, no fuel cost will be calculated, as electric vehicles (EVs) and some hybrids return 0 MPG. Remember, it’s widely recognised that EVs are much cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars.

According to Pod Point, a typical electric car with a 200 mile range and a 60kWh battery will cost £8.40 for a full charge at home. That’s around £336 for 8,000 miles of charge.

Road tax

Road tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is based on how eco-friendly your car is. The rates are calculated using your vehicle’s CO2 emissions and the fuel type or engine size.

For example, diesel cars have a higher VED rate, as they have greater CO2 emissions. On the other hand, fully electric cars are exempt from car as they have no tailpipe emissions.

With car leasing, many deals include road tax for the first year or even the full agreement. Ask your Account Manager for more information and you could save money on your total running costs.

Maintenance and servicing

Lease cars are always brand new and most deals include the manufacturer’s warranty as standard. That means you shouldn’t have to fork out for maintenance and servicing as new cars are more reliable, plus any manufacturer faults would be covered by the warranty. You don’t have to pay for an MOT either, if your contract is three years or less.

However, to be prepared for anything that might crop up, we’ve included the average UK figure for repairs and servicing, which is £279, according to NimbleFins.

For peace of mind, you can include maintenance, servicing, insurance and breakdown cover in your lease payments with our Fuel & Go package.

Discover our best car leasing deals available today and find a great price on your next car. Or if you want to learn more, find out how the process works and explore our easy jargon buster.