DThe main inspection is due, the next workshop bill would probably be too expensive, it’s no longer worth it. Anyone looking for a new car is often faced with the question: What next car can I actually afford? In addition to the purchase price, there is also maintenance, which can turn out to be a cost trap.
In addition to the insurance premium, vehicle tax and fuel, the ancillary costs also include costs for registration, parking space or garage rental, parking fees, traffic tickets, inspection, main inspection, vehicle maintenance, car club contributions, tires and depreciation.
A general statement about car costs cannot be made, it depends too much on the owner and the vehicle. Constantin Hack from the Auto Club Europa (ACE) calculates roughly 400 euros a month for new cars and around 300 euros for used cars.
“With new cars, the loss in value is very important, it can be around 25 percent in the first few years. With used cars, on the other hand, owners should factor in repair costs,” says Hack.
Rule of thumb: A car should not cost more than a quarter of your net income per month. All parameters that affect a car are included in the real kilometer costs. Depending on the model, this starts at 30 cents per kilometer, Constantin Hack considers 50 cents to be realistic. “But for larger and more expensive cars, it can also be more than one euro per kilometer,” he says.
Which car do I need?
Markus Sippl from the ADAC therefore advises interested parties to consider which vehicle they need before buying a car. Because if you have clearly defined your own driving profile and the area of application, it is easier to find a suitable car, according to the head of vehicle technology at the ADAC technical center in Landsberg.
The ADAC offers an online calculator that can be used to calculate the costs of around 9,000 models. “In addition to individual models, drivers can also specify mileage and holding time there,” says Sippl. “Then they get a pretty accurate value for the cost of the car.”
Loss of value is a key factor. The ADAC expert expects around 30 percent loss of value in the first year and 60 percent loss of value after five years.
Loss of value occupies the highest position in the total costs, and fuel in the operating costs. In his opinion, there is no rule of thumb for calculating the car costs per month or kilometer.
Therefore, motorists would actually have to add up all the costs related to the car and divide it by either twelve (months) or the annual mileage (in kilometers). In general, cheap cars with a low depreciation and low consumption offer low car costs.
Used cars also cost maintenance
It is also not possible to say in general terms how high the repair costs for used cars are. “That depends heavily on the age and the model,” says Markus Sippl. “With young used vehicles between the ages of two and five, there are usually few repairs, apart from the prescribed maintenance work.”
Most manufacturers’ warranties expire after two years. But brands like Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Hyundai offer longer warranties, with Kia even offering up to seven years. In the case of cars that are around twelve years old, the repair costs can then exceed the residual value of the car.
Sippl’s tip: Buy a young used vehicle up to three years old and sell it again after three or four years – based purely on the costs, preferably even later.
Repairs are always inconvenient
“Fixed costs are easy to calculate, as are the roughly expected service costs. When buying a used car, however, there are always many soft factors that are difficult to calculate,” says Malte Tom Büttner from “Auto Bild”.
“Only a crystal ball helps with the repairs,” says the used car expert. He advises owners of used cars, depending on the mileage, price and vehicle class, to have around 1,000 euros a year ready for repairs.
It’s not always about age and mileage, but about care in the past. Vehicles with more than 200,000 kilometers could be interesting if they had a full maintenance history, says Büttner. “After all, on a vehicle with this mileage, most wear and tear repairs have already been completed.”
Small cars, while cheaper to repair, have often been less well maintained. You can save money with used cars if you visit an independent workshop instead of the more expensive authorized workshop.
Car insurance can also be cheaper
Philipp Opfermann advises looking for cheaper alternatives to your own car insurance by September at the latest. “Various comparison portals give a first good overview of the costs, but they are not independent, but intermediaries,” says the expert from the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia.
But: “In addition to the price, drivers should definitely pay attention to the performance.” This includes a high sum insured, regulation in the event of gross negligence or the extension of wildlife accidents to all animals.
If liability insurance is mandatory when the vehicle is registered, owners must decide whether they also want to take out partial or fully comprehensive insurance. That depended on the value of the car, said Opfermann.
“A new car should have comprehensive insurance. The older the car, the more partial coverage may be sufficient. But that’s usually a good idea,” he says. The car is insured against theft or in the event of glass breakage. Supposedly cheaper, but poor insurance cover can take revenge in the event of damage and become expensive.
The fuel consumption can be influenced
If the costs for tax and insurance can be easily researched online, according to Büttner, interested parties should calculate the WLTP factory specifications with higher fuel prices than the actual fuel consumption, according to Büttner. Because the real consumption in practice is often higher than the standard consumption WLTP. The costs per 100 kilometers are then extrapolated to the expected annual mileage.
And consumption can also be influenced: With a cautious and anticipatory driving style, consumption falls – and with it the car costs. “And if you keep an eye on the price of fuel, you can also save: Today, a price difference of 10 cents per liter is common, and there is often even an express surcharge of 40 cents per liter on motorways,” says Constantin Hack. Apps help to head for the cheapest gas stations – to reduce car costs.
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