Skip to content
Allin
Sign up · Sign in

Car depreciation calculator

Estimate a car's residual value after several years.

Related tools

All Running costs tools →
Car lease calculatorEstimate a monthly car lease payment from price, down payment and residual value.Car affordability calculatorFind a sensible monthly and yearly car budget from your income.Car CO₂ emissions calculatorEstimate the CO₂ your car emits over a distance from its emission factor.Fuel savings calculatorCompare the yearly fuel cost of two cars and see how much you'd save.Lease vs Buy CalculatorCompare the total cost of leasing versus financing a car purchase.Cost per mile calculatorCompute your total driving cost per mile and per kilometre.EV charging cost calculatorEstimate the cost of charging an electric car for a distance.EV vs Petrol Running Cost CalculatorCompare the annual running cost of an electric car against a petrol car.

Need Residual value? The Car depreciation calculator derives it from Purchase price, Age (years), Depreciation per year (%) in one step. For instance, with Purchase price = $30,000.00, Age (years) = 5 and Depreciation per year (%) = 15 it returns Residual value = $13,311.16.

How to use it

  1. Enter your values: Purchase price, Age (years), Depreciation per year (%).
  2. Read the result instantly: Residual value.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Car depreciation calculator actually compute?

It takes Purchase price, Age (years) and Depreciation per year (%) and derives Residual value from them. The calculation is live as you type, so the result updates on every change.

What information do I need to provide?

3 values: Purchase price ($), Age (years) and Depreciation per year (%). Nothing else is required — no account, no file upload.

Can you show a worked example?

With Purchase price = $30,000.00, Age (years) = 5 and Depreciation per year (%) = 15, the calculator returns Residual value = $13,311.16. Those figures come from running this exact tool, so you can reproduce them by entering the same values.

What happens if I enter larger values?

It moves a lot. Using Purchase price = $60,000.00, Age (years) = 10 and Depreciation per year (%) = 17 instead, Residual value goes from $13,311.16 to $9,309.62 — which is why it is worth testing a few scenarios rather than trusting a single figure.

What does it give for smaller values?

Scaled down to Purchase price = $15,000.00, Age (years) = 3 and Depreciation per year (%) = 14, Residual value comes out at $9,540.84. The relationship is worth checking at both ends before you rely on a single result.

When would I actually use this?

Deciding between two cars, or between keeping one and replacing it: fuel or charging, insurance, depreciation and what a kilometre really costs.

What is the most common mistake?

Comparing on fuel alone. Depreciation is usually the largest line in the first years and dwarfs the difference in consumption between two comparable cars.

How accurate is it, and what are the limits?

Estimate only.

What is the difference between the Car depreciation calculator and the Car lease calculator?

Both return Residual value. What differs is what they ask for: this one wants Purchase price and Age (years), the Car lease calculator wants Vehicle price and Down payment. Use whichever matches the numbers you already have.

Is there a tool for the next step?

Car affordability calculator is the closest one after this: Find a sensible monthly and yearly car budget from your income.

Further reading

All guides →
ExplainerHow Fast Do Cars Depreciate? The Value CurveNew cars lose value fastest in year one, then 15–20% a year. See the depreciation curve, why the first year hits hardest, and a worked example.ComparisonCar Lease vs Buy: Which Costs Less Over Time?Leasing means lower monthly payments and endless flexibility; buying costs more up front but leaves you owning an asset. Here is how the total cost really compares.ComparisonLeasing, Hire Purchase or Cash: the Five-Year Total, Not the Monthly PaymentThree ways to put the same car on the drive, priced over five years at the same interest rate. The monthly payments rank the options in exactly the reverse order of what they cost — and the gap turns out to be a single, computable number.ComparisonEV vs Gas: Comparing the Real Annual Running CostHow much does it actually cost to fuel an EV versus a gas car each year? We compare cost per mile from electricity and gasoline, plus the factors that swing the answer.ExplainerA Company Car Is Pay: What the Benefit in Kind Costs You in France, Germany and ItalyNobody negotiates a company car as a pay cut, but that is what the tax treatment makes it. Three countries value the same car by three completely different methods, one of them changed in 2025 in a way that nearly doubled the figure, and in all three an electric car is taxed at a fraction of the same vehicle with an engine.How-toHow Much Car Can I Afford? The 20/4/10 Rule ExplainedFigure out a realistic car budget using the 20/4/10 rule, income limits, and total cost of ownership — not just the sticker price on the window.