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Car Running Costs

A ledger of every car cost, a true cost per mile, a monthly allowance and the yearly routines for servicing, insurance, tyres and tests, so you know what the car costs and whether to keep it.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Car Running Costs, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

Before you start: this plan is general information to help you organise your own money decisions. It is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Check decisions that matter with a qualified, licensed adviser in your country, and remember that investing and trading can lose money.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

197

Starter tasks

💷 Personal Finance

Car Running Costs

Tracking fuel, insurance, tax, servicing and repairs to know what a car really costs and whether to keep it.

  1. Car cost ledger from last year's statements
  2. True annual cost of the car worked out
  3. Cost per mile baseline from the odometer
  4. Car paperwork folder in one place
  5. Renewal dates calendar for tax, test, insurance and service
  6. Monthly car allowance in the household budget
  7. Manufacturer service schedule mapped to your mileage
  8. Breakdown cover check against what you already hold
  9. Cheapest fuel or charging on your normal routes
  10. Fill-up and mileage log
  11. Monthly car cost review against the allowance
  12. Quarterly cost per mile update
  13. Monthly tyre pressure and fluid check
  14. Annual service booked with two quotes
  15. Car insurance renewal price check
  16. Roadworthiness test preparation that avoids easy fails
  17. Seasonal car care checklist
  18. Service history that protects resale value
  19. Parking, tolls and zone charges kept in check
  20. Annual valuation to track depreciation
  21. Annual car cost and keep-or-replace review
  22. Reading a garage quote and invoice line by line
  23. Fuel-efficient driving measured over a month
  24. Tyre tread, sidewall codes and replacement timing
  25. Under-bonnet checks anyone can learn
  26. Dashboard warning lights and the cost of ignoring them
  27. Warranty and service plan terms that keep cover valid
  28. Vehicle tax band and clean air zone rules for your car
  29. Independent garage or main dealer for servicing
  30. Prepaid service plan or paying per service
  31. Budget, mid-range or premium tyres
  32. Home charging tariff for an electric car
  33. Commute by car compared with the alternatives
  34. Repair spend limit set against the car's value
  35. Paying for small dents and chips or claiming
  36. Car-free month trial
  37. Premium or standard fuel for your engine
  38. Timing belt and major service milestone
  39. Unexpected big repair bill handled calmly
  40. Long road trip costed before you set off
  41. Moving house and the car costs that change
  42. Selling or scrapping the car and closing its costs
  43. Young driver's car costs and who pays what
  44. Car costs on a retirement income
  45. Business mileage records for work trips
  46. Sharing one car's costs fairly between two people
  47. Electric car running costs tracked per mile
  48. Laying a car up off the road for months
  49. Five-year wear and replacement forecast
  50. Disputing a poor repair or garage overcharge

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Car cost ledger from last year's statements

Most drivers can quote their monthly finance payment but not what the car cost them last year once fuel, insurance, tax, servicing, tyres, parking and the odd repair are added. Pulling twelve months of bank and card statements into one ledger, with a column per cost type, gives you the real figure in an afternoon and a structure for every month after.

First tasks

  • Download the last twelve months of bank and card statements
  • Search the statements for fuel, insurer, garage and parking payments
  • Sort every car payment into one of the ledger's cost categories
  • Add the month's car receipts and payments to the ledger @recurring(monthly:4)

True annual cost of the car worked out

Cash spent is only part of what a car costs. Depreciation is often the largest single cost of a newer car, and finance interest, parking permits and a rented garage all belong in the total. Adding them to the ledger figures shows what owning this particular car really takes from the household each year.

First tasks

  • Get today's private sale valuation for your car from one online tool
  • Estimate what the same car was worth twelve months ago from old adverts
  • Add finance interest from your last annual finance statement
  • Write the full annual cost and the share of each component

Cost per mile baseline from the odometer

Cost per mile turns a vague sense that the car is expensive into a number you can compare with a train fare, a taxi or a car club. Reading the odometer on a fixed date, and again a month later, gives your real annual mileage, and dividing the annual cost by it shows what each trip actually costs, not just the fuel for it.

First tasks

  • Photograph the odometer and note today's date
  • Take a second odometer reading one month later
  • Compare the mileage with the readings on past test certificates
  • Divide fuel cost and full annual cost by annual mileage

Make it yours.

Install Car Running Costs, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.