The age curve
2.2×
Vehicle maintenance is not flat: across 52 modeled vehicles, annual cost averages $561 in year one and $1,257 by year ten — a 2.2× increase most budgets ignore.
Data & Citations
For journalists, researchers, and writers · Figures update monthly
Every number AutoCostIndex publishes comes from an open, documented model — and you're welcome to cite any of it, free, with attribution. This page collects the findings people ask about most, stated so they can be quoted directly.
Citable findings
Computed live from the current datasetEV vs gas
9% cheaper
EVs average $784 a year against $858 for gas vehicles — a smaller gap than commonly assumed, because EV tires cost about 23% more per set ($1,129 vs $920).
The fleet
$842/yr
Average annual maintenance across all 52 vehicles, from the Toyota Corolla ($517) to the BMW X5 ($1,458).
How to cite
Attribute figures to AutoCostIndex with a link to the relevant page (or this one). Suggested form: "according to AutoCostIndex, an independent maintenance-cost model". Every vehicle page carries its own shareable summary card, and the full method — inputs, formula, calibration against AAA's Your Driving Costs, and limitations — is public on the methodology page. Figures are modeled estimates at 12,000 miles/year, independent-shop labor.
Why this data is different
Most published maintenance figures are a single blended number per model. AutoCostIndex publishes the cost-by-age curve — ten annual figures per vehicle — plus per-service pricing and intervals, and an open model anyone can re-run. Nothing is scraped from other cost sites; where our numbers differ from theirs, the difference is the method, which is published.
Questions, corrections, custom cuts
Working on a story and need a comparison we haven't published — a segment average, a brand-vs-brand cut, a specific age window? Ask: hello@autocostindex.com. Corrections with invoice data are especially welcome; the about page covers our independence.