17-year-olds: GBP 1,300-2,500+
Advanced options
0 = paying annually; instalments typically 20-30%
Year 1 = car + insurance + fuel (~13p/mile in a small petrol) + tax (~GBP 190 typical) + MOT GBP 55 + first service ~GBP 150 + the GBP 300 contingency every used first car invoices eventually. The insurance IS the story at 17-21: often worth more than the car. Insurance group 1-5 cars only (the classic small hatchbacks), and a GBP 1,000 car in group 2 usually beats a GBP 3,000 car in group 12 on total year-1 cost.
What The First Car Cost Calculator Works Out
- Year 1 total: car price plus insurance plus fuel plus the fixed stack of road tax, MOT, servicing and a repair contingency. On typical inputs it lands at GBP 5,500-7,000, and the insurance line is routinely worth more than the car beneath it for 17-21 year olds.
- Running cost after year 1: the same annual costs without the purchase price. This is what the car costs to keep every year, before any depreciation.
- Cut the insurance: telematics black-box policies cut 20-40% for smooth driving and curfew compliance, a genuinely occasional experienced named driver helps, and insurance groups 1-2 matter more than any spec the forecourt advertises. Fronting (a parent as the named main driver) is fraud that voids claims.
- Fuel cost per mile (advanced): the simple mode assumes 13p a mile, about right for a small petrol hatchback at 45-50mpg. A thirstier car or higher pump prices push this to 15-20p.
- Tax, MOT, servicing and contingency (advanced): the simple mode uses GBP 190 road tax, GBP 55 MOT, GBP 150 for a service and GBP 300 for the repair every used first car eventually invoices. Override them with your own car's figures; older cars tend to need a bigger contingency.
- Parking, breakdown cover and extras (advanced): anything else you pay annually: a residents' parking permit, breakdown cover (GBP 50-150) or a dashcam. Added to the monthly running cost.
- Paying insurance monthly (advanced): instalment plans typically charge 20-30% APR. Because the balance falls through the year, the interest is roughly the APR multiplied by half the premium, which is GBP 150-250 a year on a GBP 1,600 policy.
- Car value when you sell (advanced): the price depreciated at the first-year and later-year rates used across this site. Cheap older cars hold value better in cash terms than new ones, but a GBP 3,500 car is still typically worth around GBP 2,000 after three years.
- True cost of ownership and cost per mile (advanced): all running costs over the years you keep the car plus the value lost to depreciation, and that total divided by the miles you will drive. Young drivers at low mileages often pay GBP 1 or more per mile all-in.