Commuter replacement comparison
4 candidates · 5-year analysis
The sample data is ready to calculate. Replace it in this order and save when the comparison reflects your decision.
Analysis
Shared assumptions
Compare vehicles using the same purchase-price budget. Candidate-specific transaction costs, financing, operating costs, and component lifecycle costs still apply.
Advanced growth rates and present value
Baseline
Keep your current vehicle
Combustion engine lifecycle$7,500 estimated event
Recurring ownership costs$328/month
One-time and periodic expenses — 0 planned
Add known future costs outside the monthly estimates. The first month is relative to today; a repeat interval of 0 creates a one-time expense.
Accounting rule: the current vehicle’s original purchase price is already spent, so it is excluded from from-today savings and payback. It appears only in lifetime ownership cost. From-today ownership cost uses future cash flows plus debt still owed, with no assumed vehicle value.
Candidate 1
Used 42 MPG hybrid
Combustion engine lifecycle$7,500 estimated event
Traction battery lifecycle$4,500 estimated event
Recurring ownership costs$249/month
One-time and periodic expenses — 0 planned
Add known future costs outside the monthly estimates. The first month is relative to today; a repeat interval of 0 creates a one-time expense.
Candidate 2
Used EV
Traction battery lifecycle$13,000 estimated event
Recurring ownership costs$248/month
One-time and periodic expenses — 0 planned
Add known future costs outside the monthly estimates. The first month is relative to today; a repeat interval of 0 creates a one-time expense.
Candidate 3
Older 42 MPG TDI diesel
Combustion engine lifecycle$9,000 estimated event
Recurring ownership costs$275/month
One-time and periodic expenses — 1 planned
Add known future costs outside the monthly estimates. The first month is relative to today; a repeat interval of 0 creates a one-time expense.
Candidate 4
Efficient 36 MPG used gas car
Combustion engine lifecycle$7,500 estimated event
Recurring ownership costs$232/month
One-time and periodic expenses — 0 planned
Add known future costs outside the monthly estimates. The first month is relative to today; a repeat interval of 0 creates a one-time expense.
Cash-flow view
Cumulative cash paid
Actual dollars paid from today through each year. A cash purchase appears at Now; financing begins with the down payment and adds principal and interest as paid. This cash chart does not include debt still owed at the horizon; ownership cost does.
Comparison summary
What each alternative changes
| Vehicle | Cash at purchase | Purchase commitment | Savings break-even | Annual energy cost | Annual operating cash | Cost per mile | Discounted savings | ROI | Ownership cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used 42 MPG hybridHybrid | $16,850Paid in full | $16,850 | 3y 8m55,000 mi Discounted: 3y 8m | $1,794 | $4,782 | $0.54 | $5,310 | 47.2% | $40,334 |
| Used EVBattery electric (EV) | $22,850Paid in full | $22,850 | 4y 0m60,000 mi Discounted: 4y 8m | $1,331 | $4,307 | $0.59 | $1,305 | 18.2% | $44,127 |
| Older 42 MPG TDI dieselDiesel | $10,450Paid in full | $10,450 | 3y 6m52,500 mi Discounted: 3y 8m | $1,894 | $5,194 | $0.50 | $8,800 | 106.4% | $37,169 |
| Efficient 36 MPG used gas carGasoline | $13,600Paid in full | $13,600 | 3y 8m55,000 mi Discounted: 3y 8m | $2,093 | $4,877 | $0.50 | $8,197 | 79.4% | $37,488 |
Ownership-cost view
Cash, debt, and lifetime ownership cost · Used 42 MPG hybrid
Cumulative cash is what has been paid from today. Ownership cost from today adds principal still owed. Lifetime ownership cost includes known acquisition and historical spending plus future operating costs and interest. No future vehicle value is assumed.
Monthly cash view
What ownership costs each month · Used 42 MPG hybrid
Each stacked bar is cash actually paid that month. Planned expenses are separated from recurring costs; the default window starts at month 1 so routine costs remain readable. Drag the navigator left to include month-0 acquisition cash.
Cash composition
Every dollar paid by category
Matches cumulative cash at the horizon. Loan principal and interest are present only when financing is on; scheduled one-time costs appear as Planned expenses.
Uncertainty
Gasoline price × purchase price sensitivity
Candidate 1’s savings versus keeping the current vehicle at the selected horizon. The energy-price axis follows Candidate 1’s powertrain. Each cell recalculates purchase, financing, remaining debt, and operating costs. Green is greater savings; red is additional cost.
Break-even goal seek · Candidate 1
Find the boundary that still reaches break-even
Changes one value for Used 42 MPG hybrid. Every other vehicle and shared assumption stays fixed. Break-even requires operating savings to recover the full purchase commitment.
Transaction costs, trade/payoff, purchase timing, financing, insurance, maintenance, repairs, custom expenses, and battery or engine lifecycle assumptions remain exactly as entered.
How to read the two accounting views
Ownership cost from today includes present and future cash, explicitly entered sale or trade proceeds and loan payoff, and debt still owed at the horizon. Lifetime ownership cost adds known acquisition and past ownership costs to show the vehicle’s whole recorded lifecycle; it does not affect replacement break-even. Neither view assigns a future value to the vehicle.