Car Cost Comparison
Compare how you pay for a car, or model a company car’s Benefit in Kind. Figures sit beside the form. Illustrative only.
Tax calculations may not reflect all individual circumstances.
Car Cost Comparison
Modelled cost of buying or leasing over the term you choose, using 2026/27 running-cost and VED assumptions. Illustrative only — not a recommendation of how to buy a car.
Choose a vehicle
Or enter your vehicle details manually:
The official list price including VAT and accessories
Official WLTP CO₂ emissions figure
Used for monthly running-cost estimates. The Ways of paying tab compares all selected methods side by side.
Applied to hire purchase and PCP. A larger deposit reduces the monthly payment.
Credited to buy outright, hire purchase and PCP if you keep the car. Lease and PCP hand-back have no residual.
Used for hire purchase and PCP monthly payments. Enter the APR on your quote.
Optional final payment if you keep the car on PCP. This is separate from the assumed resale value.
Personal contract-hire. Deposit does not apply. If blank, the model uses a typical percentage of list price.
Paid at the start and counted as the first months of the term. It does not change the monthly figure.
Results appear here
Choose a vehicle, set the term and deposit, then press Calculate. On a wide screen the figures stay next to the form.
What This Calculator Models
Compare paying for a car outright, on hire purchase, on PCP or on a lease, using the price, term and rates you enter. For a company car, it also applies HMRC-style Benefit in Kind: P11D list price multiplied by the CO₂ and fuel-type percentage for the tax year in the model, plus Class 1A National Insurance on the employer side.
Electric and plug-in hybrid bands are much lower than petrol or diesel. A short-range hybrid can still sit well above a battery-electric car of similar list price. The percentage is tax on the benefit — not a verdict on which car to choose.
Worked Example (Illustrative)
A £45,000 list-price car at 4% BiK (the 2026-27 zero-emission band used in Kumberi’s tables) produces £1,800 of taxable benefit. Income tax on that benefit is £720 for a 40% taxpayer. The same list price at 16% is £7,200 of benefit. Employer Class 1A at 15% is a further cost on whichever benefit figure applies.
If the employer also pays for private fuel, a separate fuel benefit can apply and often dominates. Paying for private fuel yourself is a common way to avoid that charge — the illustration lets you see both treatments side by side.
What This Page Does Not Do
- This is not a dealer quote, a salary-sacrifice illustration from your employer, or advice to take a company car.
- P11D is list price, not the discounted invoice the company paid.
- BiK percentages change by tax year; check the year you are modelling.
- Finance APR, balloon payments and insurance are only as accurate as the numbers you type.
Related Guides
Common Questions
What does the car-cost calculator compare?
Ways of paying for a car — outright, hire purchase, PCP or lease — and, for a company car, Benefit in Kind using P11D price, CO₂ and fuel type. Figures are illustrative, not a dealer or salary-sacrifice quote.
Does a lower BiK mean that car is cheaper overall?
Not necessarily. BiK is the tax on the benefit. Finance, fuel, insurance and whether the employer pays private fuel can dominate. Compare the full illustration, not only the percentage.
Can I add the vehicle to a journey?
Yes. After a calculation you can open a journey so a company car’s modelled tax sits with salary and cash flow. Sign-in may be required; the vehicle inputs are kept for that step.