Your car budget.
Find your budget, monthly costs, and the cars that fit.
What these numbers assume
Live values, straight from the rules file.
Absolute costs vary by state and run higher in Canada; the car-to-car comparisons hold.
- Gas default: $3.60/gal USD.
- APR default: 8.9%.
- Minimum down payment for financing: 20% of the car price.
Budget lanes
- Transportation pod saver: car price cap 25% of gross annual income, all-in monthly cap 8% of gross monthly income, loan term 36 months.
- Balanced, like me: car price cap 30% of gross annual income, all-in monthly cap 10% of gross monthly income, loan term 48 months.
- Die-hard enthusiast: car price cap 35% of gross annual income, all-in monthly cap 10% of gross monthly income, loan term 48 months.
Insurance
Assumes a new driver with a clean record, US average.
- Class 1: $1,500–$2,400/yr USD.
- Class 2: $2,000–$3,100/yr USD.
- Class 3: $2,600–$3,900/yr USD.
- Class 4: $3,300–$5,000/yr USD.
- Class 5: $4,200–$6,500/yr USD.
Mileage and energy
- Under 5k: 4,000 miles/year.
- 5-12k: 8,500 miles/year.
- 12-20k: 16,000 miles/year.
- 20k+: 25,000 miles/year.
- EV charging: 5 cents ($0.05)/mile USD.
Depreciation
Year one, shown separately, based on the priced-at value.
- Class 1: 4% of the car value.
- Class 2: 7% of the car value.
- Class 3: 10% of the car value.
- Class 4: 14% of the car value.
- Class 5: 18% of the car value.
Common questions.
What rule does this use?
Three rules: car price as a percent of income, percent of net worth, and the financing check — down payment, term, monthly all-in cap.
Why is insurance a range?
New drivers get wildly different quotes for the same car. This is a plain US estimate by class — before buying, quote the exact VIN with your ZIP.
Is depreciation real money?
Not like gas. You feel it when you sell, not monthly — so I show it separately instead of hiding it in the first-year total.
Why these cars?
Same dataset as the first-car quiz, ranked by running costs and reliability first, with my review linked when I have one.