What Does It Cost Per Mile to Drive?

Cost examples updated November 6, 2026

Go ahead, play with it. Change any number and watch the total move.

Where the numbers come from: Miles driven: AAA average 15,000 · Gas price: EIA, week ending November 2, 2026, $4.153 a gallon · Miles per gallon: EPA, model year 2024 fleet average 27.2 · Electricity price: AAA 2026 charging rate, 18 cents per kWh · Miles per kWh: this page's assumption, 3.5 · Car price: AAA 2026, average sticker $39,376 · Resale value: AAA average $17,266 · Insurance: AAA 2026, $2,098 a year · Upkeep: AAA 2026, $1,755 a year at 15,000 miles · Registration and fees: AAA 2026, $802 a year · Loan interest: AAA 2026, $1,184 a year.

What a mile is made of: the typical new car

AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study follows a new car over five years and 75,000 miles, at 15,000 miles a year, with an average sticker price of $39,376. Here is its average year, divided by 15,000 miles:

• The value it loses (depreciation, the drop in what the car is worth): $4,422 a year, or 29.5 cents a mile. The biggest line, and the one nobody sends you a bill for, you meet it when you sell or trade the car.
• Fuel: about $2,598 a year, or 17.3 cents a mile (regular gas averaged $4.152 a gallon at the time of the study).
• Insurance: $2,098 a year, or 14.0 cents a mile.
• Upkeep (maintenance, repairs, and tires): about $1,760 a year, or 11.7 cents a mile.
• License, registration, and taxes: $802 a year, or 5.3 cents a mile.
• Loan interest (finance charges, what borrowing the money costs): $1,184 a year, or 7.9 cents a mile.

Tires are part of that upkeep number. Tire Rack sells tires, wheels, brakes, and suspension parts: Tire Rack Home Affiliate link: if you buy through it, Driveonomics may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Those lines add to $12,864 a year, or 85.8 cents a mile, one dollar over AAA's published $12,863 headline, because each published line is rounded. Rounded the way AAA reports it, the answer is about 86 cents a mile. The shape of the total matters more than the last cent: the value the car loses alone is bigger than insurance, registration, and loan interest put together.

AAA changed its method for 2026, folding select electric and hybrid models into the same categories as gas models, so this total is not directly comparable to the 2025 total.

Cost per mile by vehicle type

AAA's 2026 study prices five top-selling models in each of seven vehicle categories, over five years and 75,000 miles. At 15,000 miles a year, the per-mile cost runs from about 62 cents for a small sedan to $1.10 for a half-ton pickup, a gap of $7,190 a year.

Source for the seven categories and the average: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026. The electric row is not an AAA published figure. It is worked through the calculator above with the inputs shown here: $40,000 price, $22,000 resale value after five years, 18 cents per kWh (the AAA 2026 charging rate), 3.5 miles per kWh (this page's assumption), $2,000 insurance, $700 upkeep, $500 registration and fees, and $1,000 loan interest a year, at 15,000 miles a year. That totals $8,571 a year, 57.1 cents a mile, with energy at 5.1 cents a mile and the value lost at 24.0 cents a mile.

A second example: a smaller, cheaper-to-run car

Same 15,000 miles a year, same five years, but a smaller car with every input stated so you can check the math: priced at $26,000; 10% down ($2,600); a $23,400 loan at 6% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan) over 60 months, for a $452.39 monthly payment and $3,743.25 of total interest; worth $13,000 after five years; 32 miles per gallon; gas at $3.15 a gallon; insurance at $1,600 a year; upkeep at $900 a year; registration and fees at $400 a year.

• The value it loses (depreciation): $13,000 over five years ($26,000 minus $13,000), or 17.3 cents a mile
• Fuel: $7,382.81 over five years (75,000 / 32 x $3.15), or 9.8 cents a mile
• Insurance: $8,000 over five years ($1,600 x 5), or 10.7 cents a mile
• Upkeep (maintenance): $4,500 over five years ($900 x 5), or 6.0 cents a mile
• Registration and fees: $2,000 over five years ($400 x 5), or 2.7 cents a mile
• Loan interest: $3,743.25 over five years, or 5.0 cents a mile

That totals $38,626.06 over five years, or about $644 a month, and 51.5 cents a mile, about 52 cents. Against the typical new car's 86 cents, the gap comes mostly from two places: this car loses less value, and it sips fuel at 32 miles per gallon instead of the average car's thirstier pace. Sales tax is not in either example because it depends on your state, add your state's tax for your own total.

Worked example: the calculator's own defaults

The calculator above opens with the AAA 2026 average car, re-priced with today's gas and the EPA fleet average for fuel economy. Every input is stated, so you can check each line. The car costs $39,376 and is worth $17,266 after five years. Gas is $4.153 a gallon (EIA, week ending November 2, 2026) and the car runs 27.2 miles per gallon (EPA, model year 2024 fleet average). It drives 15,000 miles a year. Insurance is $2,098 a year, upkeep $1,755 a year, registration and fees $802 a year, and loan interest $1,184 a year (AAA 2026).

• The value it loses (depreciation): $39,376 minus $17,266 is $22,110 over five years, $4,422 a year, or 29.5 cents a mile
• Fuel: $4.153 a gallon divided by 27.2 miles per gallon is 15.3 cents a mile, or $2,290 a year
• Insurance: $2,098 a year, or 14.0 cents a mile
• Upkeep (maintenance): $1,755 a year, or 11.7 cents a mile
• Registration and fees: $802 a year, or 5.3 cents a mile
• Loan interest: $1,184 a year, or 7.9 cents a mile

That totals $12,551 a year, $1,046 a month, and 83.7 cents a mile, about 84 cents.

Verdict: the AAA-average car re-priced this way lands about 2 cents a mile under AAA's own 86 cents, because gas at $4.153 a gallon is essentially the same as the $4.152 AAA used, and the EPA fleet average of 27.2 miles per gallon sits above the roughly 24 miles per gallon behind AAA's fuel line. It still sits about 8 cents a mile above the IRS business rate of 76 cents for July through December 2026. The gap between the two published numbers is the difference between a measured cost and a tax claim rate.

Why driving more lowers the cost per mile

Only fuel and upkeep grow with every mile. Insurance, the value the car loses, registration, and loan interest arrive whether the car moves or not, so spreading those fixed yearly costs over more miles brings the per-mile number down. Take the smaller car above: its fixed yearly costs are $5,348.65 and its per-mile costs are 15.8 cents (fuel plus upkeep). At 10,000 miles a year that works out to about 69 cents a mile; at 20,000 miles a year, about 43 cents a mile. Same car, same yearly bills, the miles do the dividing. That is also why a car that sits in the driveway most of the week can still cost a lot per mile: the fixed bills keep coming, divided by very few miles. Upkeep is part of that per-mile number, see how much car maintenance costs per year.

Cost per mile at four mileages

Same split, same worked-example car as above: fixed yearly costs of $8,506 (value lost, insurance, registration and fees, loan interest) and per-mile costs of 27.0 cents (fuel plus upkeep). The yearly total still rises with miles, because fuel and upkeep grow, but the per-mile number falls.

For the AAA average car itself, AAA publishes $1.10 a mile at 10,000 miles a year, 86 cents at 15,000, and 74 cents at 20,000. The worked-example car runs a little under those figures for the same reason as the verdict above: current gas and the EPA fleet average, not AAA's $4.152 gas and roughly 24 miles per gallon.

How much do I spend on gas per month?

Gas is only one slice of the per-mile number, about 17 cents of the typical new car's 86, but it is the slice you feel every week at the pump. Published estimates put a typical household roughly $150 to $204 a month on gas; the Bureau of Labor Statistics figure for 2024 is $201 a month for a household. Your own number is simpler to work out than to guess:

Miles you drive in a month, divided by your car's miles per gallon, times the price of a gallon.

• 1,000 miles a month at 25 miles per gallon: $126 a month at $3.15 a gallon, $172 a month at $4.29 a gallon (the AAA national average figure used on our other pages for October 2026).
• 1,250 miles a month at 25 miles per gallon: $158 a month at $3.15 a gallon, $215 a month at $4.29 a gallon.

One honest gap: different measures count different things. A per-driver card-spending measure (Empower, August 2026) puts one driver's pump spending at $139.45 a month, below the household range above, because it counts one person's card, not a whole household's cars. If your household runs two cars, count both tanks.

Work out your own cost per mile

The formula is one division:

Everything your car costs you in a year, divided by the miles you drove that year.

1. Add up a year of it: the value your car lost, fuel, insurance, upkeep, registration and fees, and loan interest. Your insurance bill and your loan statement already hold two of those numbers; the value lost is roughly what you could have sold it for a year ago minus what you could sell it for now.
2. Divide by your miles for that year, your odometer reading now minus a year ago, or your best honest estimate.
3. The answer is your cost per mile. A 100-mile trip at the typical new car's 86 cents a mile costs about $86 in total car costs; at the smaller car's 52 cents, about $52. Gas alone for that trip is far less, which is exactly why gas alone understates a trip.

For drivers who drive for work, commuting, rideshare, or delivery, that per-mile number is the one to hold next to what a trip pays or what an employer reimburses. If the reimbursement or the fare is below your per-mile cost, the miles are costing more than they bring in. That comparison is yours to make with your own numbers; this page only hands you the math.

Driving for Uber or DoorDash? The rideshare version of this math counts only the miles you get paid for: see what driving for Uber really costs per mile.

Calculation transparency

Jurisdiction. United States. Sales tax, titling, registration and insurance rules are set by your state, so your exact numbers depend on where you buy and register the car.

Rules and time period. AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs, five years and 75,000 miles at 15,000 miles a year. The worked example re-prices AAA's average car with gas at $4.153 a gallon (EIA, week ending November 2, 2026) and fuel economy at 27.2 miles per gallon (EPA, model year 2024). The smaller-car example keeps its own stated inputs, including gas at $3.15 a gallon, and is a separate worked example, not a current price.

Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. The calculator counts the six AAA cost lines and leaves out parking, tolls, and sales tax, which depend on where you drive and buy. Get real quotes for insurance and loans before deciding. This page gives general education, not tax advice.

Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026; IRS standard mileage rates for 2026 (Notice 2026-10 and Announcement 2026-11); EIA weekly gas prices (week ending August 31, 2026); EPA Automotive Trends Report (model year 2024, February 2026); Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024.

Primary sources: AAA, Your Driving Costs 2026 fact sheet; IRS, standard mileage rates; EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update; EPA, Automotive Trends Report highlights. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.

How to use

1. Pick gasoline or electric. Gasoline asks for a gas price and miles per gallon. Electric asks for a price per kWh and miles per kWh.
2. Enter your miles per year. The AAA average is 15,000.
3. Enter your car price and what it will be worth after five years. The difference, divided by five, is the value lost in a year.
4. Enter your yearly insurance, upkeep, registration and fees, and loan interest. The AAA 2026 averages are filled in to start.
5. Read your fuel cost per mile, your total cost per mile, and your yearly total. Change any number to see how the answer moves.

Formula

Fuel cost per mile is the gas price divided by miles per gallon. For the worked example, $4.153 divided by 27.2 is 15.3 cents a mile. For an electric car, energy cost per mile is the electricity price per kWh divided by miles per kWh.

Value lost per mile is the car price minus the resale value after five years, divided by five, then divided by miles per year. For the worked example, $39,376 minus $17,266 is $22,110 over five years, $4,422 a year, 29.5 cents a mile at 15,000 miles a year.

Total cost per mile is the yearly total divided by miles per year. The yearly total is the value lost in a year, plus fuel for the year, plus insurance, upkeep, registration and fees, and loan interest for the year. Fuel for the year is fuel cost per mile times miles per year.

The yearly total divided by 12 is the monthly total. For the worked example, $12,551 a year is $1,046 a month.

At a different mileage, only fuel and upkeep move with the miles. The value lost, insurance, registration, and loan interest stay fixed for the year, so the per-mile cost falls as miles rise. The mileage table above uses that split.

Definitions

Cost per mile. Everything a car costs in a year, divided by the miles driven that year.

Depreciation (value lost). The drop in what a car is worth, price minus resale value, spread over the years owned.

Fuel cost per mile. Gas price divided by miles per gallon, or electricity price per kWh divided by miles per kWh.

Fixed costs. Yearly costs that arrive whether the car moves or not: value lost, insurance, registration and fees, loan interest.

Variable costs. Costs that grow with every mile: fuel and upkeep.

IRS standard mileage rate. A tax claim rate for business driving, 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 through June 30, 2026, and 76 cents from July 1 through December 31, 2026. It is not a measure of what a car costs.

EPA fleet average. The average real-world fuel economy of new vehicles, 27.2 miles per gallon for model year 2024 (EPA Automotive Trends Report, February 2026).

Resale value. What a car is worth after five years, in this calculator. The AAA 2026 average car is worth $17,266 after five years, against a $39,376 price.

Questions people actually ask

What does it cost per mile to drive?

For a typical new car, about 86 cents a mile. That is AAA's 2026 average: $12,863 a year at 15,000 miles a year, covering the value the car loses, fuel, insurance, upkeep, registration and taxes, and loan interest. Your own number depends on your car and how much you drive, the two examples above show how it moves. Hold that per-mile number against rideshare fares, see whether it's cheaper to own a car or just use Uber.

What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?

For business driving, 76 cents a mile from July 1 through December 31, 2026, and 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 through June 30, 2026. That is a tax claim rate: the amount the IRS lets qualifying drivers count per business mile. It is not a measure of what your car costs you, and it is not money you get back mile for mile.

How do I figure out my own cost per mile?

Add up everything your car costs you in a year, the value it loses, fuel, insurance, upkeep, registration and fees, and loan interest, then divide by the miles you drove that year. Example: $9,000 of yearly costs divided by 15,000 miles is 60 cents a mile. The calculator at the top of this page runs the same math with your own numbers.

How much do I spend on gas per month?

Published estimates put a typical household roughly $150 to $204 a month on gas; the Bureau of Labor Statistics figure for 2024 is $201 a month. Your own number is simpler to work out than to guess: miles you drive in a month, divided by your car's miles per gallon, times the price of a gallon. At 1,000 miles a month and 25 miles per gallon, that is $126 a month at $3.15 a gallon and $172 a month at $4.29 a gallon.

Why does driving more lower the cost per mile?

Only fuel and upkeep grow with every mile. Insurance, the value the car loses, registration, and loan interest arrive whether the car moves or not, so spreading those fixed yearly costs over more miles brings the per-mile number down. In the smaller-car example above, the same car runs about 69 cents a mile at 10,000 miles a year and about 43 cents a mile at 20,000 miles a year.

Related: See how much car insurance costs, part of the per-mile rate.

Related: See how to calculate what a car really costs, the full math behind the rate.

Run your own numbers

Change the price, the miles, and the insurance to match your car, the calculator at the top of this page does the same math as the examples above. To see why the biggest line behaves the way it does, read why cars lose value; to compare a new car against a used one, see new vs. used, and for the used-car version of this math, the true cost of a used car.

Figures: AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study (new-vehicle average, 15,000 miles a year); IRS standard mileage rates for 2026, 72.5 cents a mile for business driving January 1 through June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile July 1 through December 31, 2026 (IRS Announcement 2026-11); Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (household gas spending, $201 a month); Empower card-spending data, August 2026 ($139.45 a month per driver). Gas price in the calculator is $4.153 a gallon (EIA, week ending November 2, 2026); the fuel economy benchmark is 27.2 miles per gallon (EPA, model year 2024). Gas prices, insurance, and registration vary by driver, city, and time, the structure is the part that does not change. This page gives general education, not tax advice.

Related: Planning a trip? See what a family road trip really costs in gas.

Related: Commute every day? See what your commute really costs per year.