The sticker price is the smallest part of it. Compare two cars on everything you actually pay, including the depreciation you only feel on the day you sell.
We are not an insurance agency and we do not sell insurance. This hands you off to a licensed comparison service.
Built on iSeeCars' 2026 study of about 950,000 five-year-old vehicles, which found an industry-average five-year depreciation of 41.8%. Segment figures from the same study: electric 57.2%, hybrid 35.4%, pickup 34.2%. Make-level adjustments are calibrated against published model results in that study. For example, the Porsche 911 at 19.5%, Toyota Tacoma at 26.0% and Honda Civic at 30.2%. Older cars lose value more slowly, which is why a well-kept six-year-old car often costs less per year than a three-year-old one.
Depreciation is usually the largest single cost and it's invisible until you sell. A car costing $5,000 more that holds its value can easily be cheaper over five years than a bargain that depreciates hard and needs expensive repairs.
Because repair cost is the least predictable thing about owning a car, and the uncertainty grows with age and complexity. A single confident number would be misleading on exactly the vehicles where the risk is highest.
It's an estimate, not a quote. Use it to compare two options, that comparison is far more reliable than either absolute figure.
Estimates for general information only, not financial advice. Depreciation data adapted from the iSeeCars 2026 depreciation study.