Every assumption is on this page. If you think one is wrong, that is useful — the numbers move when the assumptions do, and we would rather correct them than defend them.
Every figure on the site is the cost of running one car for 1,00,000 km at 12,000 km per year, which is 8.3 years of ownership. Change the distance on the site and every downstream cost — services, insurance renewals, tyres, tolls — recomputes against the new duration.
ARAI figures are certified numbers from a test cycle, not observations from a road. We apply a fuel-specific derate to get a usable figure. The ARAI number is certified; the real-world number is modelled. Where an owner-reported figure exists in our data we use that instead of the derate.
| Fuel type | Factor | Shortfall vs ARAI |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol, up to 1200cc | 0.82 | −18% |
| Petrol, above 1200cc | 0.75 | −25% |
| Diesel | 0.88 | −12% |
| CNG | 0.88 | −12% |
| Strong hybrid | 0.85 | −15% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 0.85 | −15% |
| Electric | 0.75 | −25% |
Electric range is derated the same way: the claimed range is multiplied by the EV factor, and charging losses are applied on top at 88% efficiency. Energy is priced on a 70/30 home-to-public-fast-charging split.
Resale is the single largest swing in the model, so here it is in full. The percentage below is retention against ex-showroom price at 1,00,000 km. Depreciation is then on-road price minus that resale value, which means the effective loss is larger than the percentage suggests, because taxes and insurance paid at purchase are never recovered.
| Brand | Petrol / CNG | Diesel |
|---|---|---|
| Maruti Suzuki | 42% | 42% |
| Toyota | 42% | 42% |
| Hyundai | 36% | 36% |
| Kia | 36% | 36% |
| Tata | 33% | 33% |
| Mahindra | 34% | 40% |
| Honda | 36% | 36% |
| Volkswagen | 30% | 30% |
| Skoda | 30% | 30% |
| MG | 32% | 32% |
| Renault | 32% | 32% |
| Nissan | 32% | 32% |
| Citroen | 32% | 32% |
| Any electric vehicle | 28% | 28% |
| Any brand not listed above | 34% | 34% |
These are segment-level retention rates, not per-variant auction data. A well-kept car with full service history beats them; a car with four owners and no records does worse. You can switch depreciation off entirely on the site to see the pure running cost, which is the honest way to compare if you intend to keep the car for life.
Where a manufacturer publishes a service schedule, we use it directly — the actual interval, the actual line items. The rates below are the fallback for variants without a published schedule, and they are also what drives the brand-to-brand spread you will see quoted.
| Brand | ₹/km | Over 1,00,000 km |
|---|---|---|
| Any electric vehicle | 0.25 | ₹25,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki | 0.39 | ₹39,000 |
| Toyota | 0.42 | ₹42,000 |
| Renault | 0.46 | ₹46,000 |
| Nissan | 0.46 | ₹46,000 |
| Honda | 0.48 | ₹48,000 |
| Hyundai | 0.52 | ₹52,000 |
| Kia | 0.54 | ₹54,000 |
| Tata | 0.55 | ₹55,000 |
| Citroen | 0.55 | ₹55,000 |
| MG | 0.58 | ₹58,000 |
| Mahindra | 0.72 | ₹72,000 |
| Volkswagen | 0.85 | ₹85,000 |
| Skoda | 0.85 | ₹85,000 |
On top of scheduled servicing we add ₹0.15/km for unscheduled repairs and consumables — brake pads, bulbs, wipers, the things that are certain in aggregate and unpredictable individually. Over 1,00,000 km that is ₹15,000.
| Body type | Tyre life | Set cost | Sets | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchback | 45,000 km | ₹18,000 | 2 | ₹36,000 |
| Sedan | 45,000 km | ₹22,000 | 2 | ₹44,000 |
| Compact SUV | 40,000 km | ₹28,000 | 2 | ₹56,000 |
| SUV | 40,000 km | ₹38,000 | 2 | ₹76,000 |
| MPV | 45,000 km | ₹26,000 | 2 | ₹52,000 |
Insurance. First-year comprehensive cover is part of the on-road price. Every subsequent year is charged at the variant's annual renewal estimate with a 0.92 factor applied, reflecting the no-claim discount most owners actually accumulate. Over 8.3 years that is the first year plus 7 renewals.
Auxiliary battery. The 12V battery is replaced every 4 years by default, at the variant's replacement cost.
Tolls and FASTag. ₹4,800 per year when enabled, scaled to the ownership duration. This is a toggle, not a constant — a city-only car should have it off, and turning it off lowers every figure accordingly.
Prices are per city, not national averages, because state taxes move them materially. These are the rates the calculator is using right now:
| City | Petrol ₹/L | Diesel ₹/L | CNG ₹/kg | Power ₹/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi NCR | 102.12 | 95.20 | 83.09 | 8.00 |
| Bengaluru | 111.68 | 99.56 | 97.00 | 8.00 |
| Mumbai | 111.21 | 97.83 | 86.00 | 8.50 |
| Pune | 111.65 | 98.31 | 97.50 | 8.00 |
| Hyderabad | 115.72 | 103.83 | 109.00 | 8.00 |
| Chennai | 107.76 | 99.55 | 97.00 | 7.50 |
| Kolkata | 113.51 | 99.82 | 99.50 | 8.00 |
| Lucknow | 102.31 | 95.79 | 99.50 | 7.50 |
| Gurugram / Haryana | 103.28 | 95.94 | 88.12 | 7.50 |
| Jaipur | 113.19 | 98.25 | 96.50 | 8.00 |
| Ahmedabad | 101.81 | 97.92 | 94.02 | 7.00 |
| Kochi | 113.88 | 102.78 | 96.50 | 7.50 |
| Chandigarh | 101.54 | 89.47 | 99.90 | 6.50 |