Used Car Total Cost of Ownership Calculator NZ 2026

This calculator works out the true total cost of owning a used car in New Zealand over the whole time you keep it, not just the sticker price, so you can compare cars honestly and budget for the real cost of motoring. The purchase price is only the start. Over the years you own a car you pay for fuel or charging, road user charges if it is diesel or electric, registration and warrant of fitness, insurance, servicing, tyres and repairs, and you lose money to depreciation as the car falls in value. A cheap car that is thirsty, unreliable or depreciates fast can cost far more to own than a slightly dearer one that sips fuel and holds its value. Total cost of ownership captures all of this in one figure. You enter the purchase price, how many years you expect to keep the car, your total annual running costs, and the resale value you expect to get when you sell, and the calculator returns the total cost of ownership, the cost per year and per week, and the depreciation, the money lost on the car's value. Seeing the weekly figure is sobering and useful: it is the real cost of having the car on your driveway. Use it to compare two cars on a fair basis, to decide whether to keep or sell, or to set a realistic transport budget. Be honest about running costs and resale, as those drive the result, and remember that financing a car adds interest on top. This is a planning estimate; your actual costs depend on the car, your driving and the market.

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$30,000
total cost of ownership
Per year$6,000
Per week$115
Depreciation$10,000

Total cost = purchase + running costs over the period, less resale. Financing adds interest on top. A planning estimate.

How it works

The total cost of ownership is the purchase price, plus your annual running costs multiplied by the years you keep the car, minus the resale value you recover when you sell. The per-year figure divides that by the years, the per-week figure by the weeks, and depreciation is the purchase price minus the resale value.

Worked example

A $15,000 car kept 5 years, with $4,000 a year of running costs and a $5,000 resale value, costs $15,000 plus $20,000 of running, less $5,000 back, which is $30,000 of ownership cost. That is $6,000 a year or about $115 a week, with $10,000 of that being depreciation on the car's value.

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Frequently asked questions

What is total cost of ownership for a car?

It is everything the car costs you over the time you own it: purchase price plus running costs (fuel, rego, warrant, insurance, servicing, repairs) minus what you get back when you sell. It is the honest cost of motoring, well beyond the sticker price.

Why does depreciation matter so much?

Depreciation, the fall in the car's value, is often the largest single cost of ownership, especially on newer cars. A car that holds its value can be cheaper to own than a cheaper car that depreciates fast, which is why this calculator separates it out.

How can I reduce my cost of ownership?

Choose a reliable, fuel-efficient car that holds its value, keep it well maintained, and hold it for longer to spread the purchase cost. Comparing two cars on total cost of ownership, rather than purchase price alone, usually reveals the cheaper one to own.