A $36,000 compact SUV bought new is worth about $20,297 after five years at 12,000 miles annually: the car loses $15,703, or 44 percent, and $5,400 of that goes in the first twelve months. This car depreciation calculator projects a vehicle’s value over time from its price, type, powertrain, age and mileage, then turns the loss into a cost per year and per mile.
Pick the type and powertrain, then enter the purchase price, or leave it blank for the typical 2026 price of that type. Set the age now (0 if new), how far ahead to project and your annual miles. If you only know the original purchase price on the sticker, choose “The original MSRP” and the tool will first estimate how much your car is worth today. Results show the value at each birthday, the total and percent lost, and the loss per year and per mile.
Car Depreciation Calculator
Enter the price, the type of vehicle, the powertrain, its age and how you drive it. You get its value at the end of every year ahead, the total it loses, the percent lost and what that loss costs you per year and per mile.
Your Value Estimate
Estimates only, not a quote or an appraisal. Values follow September 2026 planning curves by vehicle type and powertrain, with a mileage adjustment from published trade value research. Condition, accident history, trim, color, region and the used market on the day you sell will move the real number.
What the Car Depreciation Calculator Shows for a $36,000 SUV
Car depreciation is the drop in what a vehicle will sell for: the gap between what you paid and its market value later. Here is the path for the example above, a new gasoline compact SUV:
- Age 1: worth $30,600 (lost $5,400)
- Age 2: $27,234 (lost $3,366)
- Age 3: $24,511 (lost $2,723)
- Age 4: $22,305 (lost $2,206)
- Age 5: $20,297 (lost $2,008)
That is $3,141 annually and 26 cents a mile. A third of the five-year loss lands in the first twelve months, which is why many buyers shop for a used car two or three years old. The electric version at the same price follows a faster curve: $17,458 at age 5, an $18,542 loss, with $7,200 gone in the first twelve months.
Already own one? Enter $36,000 as the original MSRP with an age of 3. It is worth about $24,511 today ($11,489 already gone) and $15,977 at age 8, another $8,534 or 35 percent.
How to Calculate Car Depreciation by Hand
Start from the initial value and repeat one step: value at the end of a year equals value at the start times (1 minus that year’s depreciation rate). The rate falls with age, so one flat percentage overstates the later losses.
Our model uses three curves. Each class follows one, and an electric powertrain moves it one curve faster:
| Curve | First rate | Left at age 1 | At 3 | At 5 | At 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow (pickups, compact SUVs) | 15% | 85.0% | 68.1% | 56.4% | 38.8% |
| Average (sedans, minivans) | 20% | 80.0% | 60.5% | 48.5% | 32.3% |
| Fast (luxury, most EVs) | 25% | 75.0% | 53.5% | 41.9% | 27.0% |
On the average curve: $30,000 x 0.80 = $24,000, then x 0.86 = $20,640, then x 0.88 = $18,163 at age 3. The cost of car ownership calculator uses these same curves for its resale line, so both tools give identical depreciation at 12,000 miles annually.
Which Cars Hold Their Value, by Type and Powertrain
Pickups and compact SUVs hold their value best here, losing 44 percent by age 5; luxury models lose 58 percent. Each row uses that type’s typical 2026 price, bought new.
| Vehicle type | Typical price | Worth at age 3 | At 5 | Lost by 5, gas | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact | $24,000 | $14,531 | $11,639 | 52% | 58% |
| Midsize sedan | $30,000 | $18,163 | $14,549 | 52% | 58% |
| Compact or midsize SUV | $36,000 | $24,511 | $20,297 | 44% | 52% |
| Large SUV | $55,000 | $33,299 | $26,673 | 52% | 58% |
| Pickup truck | $48,000 | $32,681 | $27,063 | 44% | 52% |
| Minivan | $40,000 | $24,218 | $19,398 | 52% | 58% |
| Luxury or European | $58,000 | $31,050 | $24,319 | 58% | 58% |
| Sports or performance | $50,000 | $30,272 | $24,248 | 52% | 58% |
The market data agrees on EVs: the iSeeCars 2026 value retention study measured a 57.2 percent five-year loss for EVs against 41.8 percent for all vehicles. Hybrids went the other way at 35.4 percent, and trucks lost only 34.2 percent against 44 percent on our pickup row. This model still runs hybrids on the gas curve and pickups on the slow curve, so treat either result as slightly pessimistic.
Depreciation by Make and Model: 2026 Best and Worst
Within a type, the make and model matter most. From over 950,000 five-year-old vehicles, iSeeCars found:
- Held best: Porsche 718 Cayman (9.6% lost), Porsche 911 (11.1%), Chevrolet Corvette (18.7%), Toyota Tacoma (19.9%), Toyota Tundra (21.2%), Honda Civic (22.9%)
- Lost most: Nissan LEAF (63.1%), INFINITI QX80 (62.8%), Volkswagen ID.4 (62.1%), Tesla Model S (62.0%), Land Rover Range Rover (61.7%)
If your model sits near the top of that list, treat the estimate as a floor. For a model-specific number on a vehicle you are shopping, the used car value calculator adds condition and trade-in versus private sale.
How Mileage Changes Car Value
Distance driven is the second lever after age. A 2008 analysis of over 200,000 UK trade prices by EurotaxGlass’s found each 10,000 miles above normal for the age cut value about 4 percent, while each 10,000 under it added only about 2 percent. Current US per-mile tables from J.D. Power and Black Book are subscriber-only, so this tool applies that rule against a 12,000-mile baseline. Same $36,000 SUV, five years on:
| Miles driven annually | Worth after five years | Value lost | Loss per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6,000 | $21,540 | $14,460 | $0.48 |
| 12,000 | $20,297 | $15,703 | $0.26 |
| 18,000 | $17,958 | $18,042 | $0.20 |
| 24,000 | $15,888 | $20,112 | $0.17 |
Doubling the miles costs $4,409 more but cuts the loss per mile by a third. Time, not distance, drives most depreciation. Wear and tear sits on top: dents, a worn interior or an accident on the history report lower the price beyond what the odometer explains.
Using Depreciation to Decide Whether to Lease, Trade or Keep
Lease vs Buy: Depreciation Is Most of a Lease Payment
A lease bills you for the value the vehicle loses during the term: adjusted capitalized cost minus residual value, divided by the months, with a rent charge and tax on top. If a lessor set the residual on the $36,000 SUV at the $24,511 projected here for age 3, the depreciation fee would be $11,489 / 36 = $319 a month. Buying and selling at age 3 loses the same $11,489, so the real contest is rent charge against loan interest and fees. A residual above this projection means the lessor is subsidizing the deal; one below it means you prepay depreciation that may never happen. Put an actual quote through the lease vs buy comparison to see both paths.
When to Sell or Trade as Depreciation Slows
Each extra year of ownership costs less in lost value than the one before. The SUV drops $5,400 in year 1 but averages $1,707 a year from age 3 to age 8 ($8,534 over five years), under a third of that first hit. Expensive repairs climb as the value curve flattens, so the time to sell or trade is when next year’s projected loss plus expected repairs passes what a newer vehicle would cost per year.
Check the auto loan first. A payoff balance above the value shown here is negative equity, which a dealer can roll into the next loan; the trade-in with a loan balance tool shows what that does to the new payment.
Why Estimates From Different Sources Disagree
A projection and a measurement answer different questions. Kelley Blue Book projects that an average 2026 model will keep about 45 percent of its original value after five years, per its 2026 resale value awards. iSeeCars measured what five-year-old vehicles actually sold for from March 2025 to February 2026: they kept 58.2 percent, up from 54.4 percent the prior study. Our average curve keeps 48.5 percent, between the two. iSeeCars also adjusts each original MSRP to 2026 dollars, so its percentages are not a straight sticker-to-sale comparison.
Start with the price you paid and today’s age, then run the car depreciation calculator again at your real mileage. If the annual loss is more than you planned, keeping the vehicle longer is the cheapest fix; the new vs used vs certified pre-owned comparison shows what buying older saves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a car depreciate per year?
A new car loses 15 to 25 percent of its price in the first twelve months, depending on type, then 10 to 17 percent of the remaining value in each of the next two. By age 5 the rate is 9 to 11 percent, and by age 10 it is 6 to 7 percent.
How much do 100 miles depreciate a car?
About 0.04 percent of its value when those miles are above normal for the age, roughly $10 on a vehicle worth $25,000. It adds up over distance: 10,000 extra miles cut about 4 percent.
Do hybrid cars depreciate faster?
No. In the 2026 iSeeCars study, hybrids lost 35.4 percent over five years, less than the 41.8 percent average. EVs are the ones that lose value faster, at 57.2 percent.
How does car depreciation affect insurance?
Collision and comprehensive claims pay the vehicle’s actual cash value, its depreciated market value at the time of the loss, not what you paid. If you owe more on the loan than that, gap coverage pays the difference.
Can you write off car depreciation on your taxes?
Only for business use; the loss on a personal vehicle is not deductible. A business owner either takes the IRS standard per-mile rate, which already includes a depreciation component, or deducts actual expenses with depreciation under the annual limits in IRS Publication 463. Tax depreciation follows those rules, not the resale price this tool estimates.
Estimates only, not a quote or an appraisal. Values follow 2026 planning curves by type and powertrain with a mileage adjustment from published trade research; condition, history, trim and the market on the day you sell will move the real number. Last reviewed: October 2026.