Taxi vs Car Ownership Break-Even Calculator
Enter the car's running costs and the taxi fare per trip.
Annual cost of car ownership
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Enter values above
Annual taxi cost for the same trips
β
Break-even trips per year
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Cost per mile by car
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Trips per week at break-even
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Annual depreciation
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Worked example
With the default inputs shown below, this calculator returns the following results:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Car purchase price ($) | 30000 |
| Residual value after the period ($) | 9000 |
| Years owned | 7 |
| Annual insurance ($) | 1200 |
| Annual maintenance ($) | 900 |
| Annual parking ($) | 1800 |
| Fuel cost per mile ($) | 0.12 |
| Miles driven per year | 10000 |
| Taxi fare per trip ($) | 14 |
| Average trip distance (miles) | 5 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual cost of car ownership | $8,100 |
| Annual taxi cost for the same trips | $28,000 |
| Break-even trips per year | 578.6 |
| Cost per mile by car | $0.81 |
| Trips per week at break-even | 11.1 |
| Annual depreciation | $3,000 |
Values shown are produced by this page in your browser; change any input to update them.
How to use the Taxi vs Car Ownership Break-Even Calculator
- Car purchase price ($) β default 30000
- Residual value after the period ($) β default 9000
- Years owned β default 7
- Annual insurance ($) β default 1200
- Annual maintenance ($) β default 900
- Annual parking ($) β default 1800
- Fuel cost per mile ($) β default 0.12
- Miles driven per year β default 10000
- Taxi fare per trip ($) β default 14
- Average trip distance (miles) β default 5
- Press Calculate to update the results instantly.
Frequently asked questions
On these numbers, roughly $8,700 a year of fixed and running cost against a $14 fare means about 620 trips a year, or twelve a week. Most people drive far less than that to justify a car on cost alone.
Convenience, time savings, carrying children or equipment, and the flexibility of leaving whenever you want. Those are real, but they are not cost savings.
Because it is the difference between what you paid and what the car is worth, spread over the years you keep it. On a new mid-range car that is often more than fuel, insurance and maintenance combined.