Vehicle Running Cost Spreadsheet

Who this is for

What a vehicle actually costs, not what the fuel costs. Every category of spend for a year goes on one page, is totalled, and is divided by the distance you covered to give a true cost per kilometre or mile.

Households deciding whether to keep a second car, self-employed drivers pricing their work, and anyone comparing two vehicles honestly.

What this helps you track

• Total annual running cost across every category, not only fuel
• Cost per unit of distance, which is the only number that compares two vehicles
• The monthly figure to put in a budget
• Which category is quietly the largest — usually not the one people expect

How to use it

1. Write the vehicle and the year at the top, with the odometer at the start and end of the period.
2. Enter each cost as it happens — one row per payment, with a category.
3. The browser and spreadsheet versions total by category and divide by the distance covered.
4. On paper, total each category at the end of the year and divide by the distance from the two odometer readings.
5. Carry the monthly equivalent into your household budget.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Should depreciation be included?

If you want the true cost, yes — a row for the fall in value over the year. Many people leave it out because it is an estimate. There is a category for it and no obligation to use it.

What about the loan or finance payments?

Include them as a category if the point is what the vehicle costs you each month. Leave them out if you are comparing running costs between vehicles you already own outright.

Can I use it for a van or a motorbike?

Yes. The categories are generic and the arithmetic does not care what the vehicle is. For several vehicles, use the fleet tracker.

Is there a version that just estimates?

The running cost calculator tool on this site gives a quick estimate from figures you type in. This spreadsheet records what was actually spent.