The True Cost of Owning a Car: AAA 2026 Numbers, Line by Line

Описание: AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study puts the average annual cost to own and operate a NEW vehicle at $12,863 ($1,071.92 a month), over five years and 75,000 miles. We break it down line by line and show how to build the same worksheet for a used car. The study covers new vehicles only. General information, not financial advice.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:56 What The AAA Number Includes
2:02 Line One: Depreciation
3:07 Line Two: Insurance
3:46 Line Three: Financing
4:41 Lines Four And Five: Fuel, Maintenance, Repairs And Tires
5:49 Mid-video Cta
7:12 Gas, Hybrid, Or Electric?
8:34 Turning New-car Averages Into Used-car Decisions
9:52 The Price Of A Surprise
10:52 A Worked Example, Step By Step
12:10 What AAA Does Not Tell You
13:06 Five Questions To Ask Before You Buy
13:42 Final Cta And Close

Sources:
AAA, Your Driving Costs 2026 (as reported by WXYZ, Sept 25, 2026, and CarPro, Oct 1, 2026)
iSeeCars, The Top 25 Cars That Hold Their Value Best, 2026
iSeeCars, Used Cars Under $20,000 Are Getting Much Harder To Find, Aug 11, 2026

Image credits: B-roll and photos from Wikimedia Commons, Coverr, Pixabay. Individual credits are in the pinned comment.

This video is for general information only. Always inspect the specific vehicle in front of you and follow your owner's manual.

West Cars: practical car advice for everyday American drivers. We break down used cars, reliability, ownership costs, maintenance, and the vehicles worth buying or avoiding. No dealership hype. No confusing jargon. Just straightforward research to help you make a smarter decision before you spend your money.