How to compare the real running costs of any two UK cars: fuel, road tax, MOT, predicted repairs and insurance, side by side from the reg plates. Free tool plus the 2026 numbers behind the estimates.
| Component | Typical UK range (per year) | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel / energy | £500 - £2,000 | Real MPG (or kWh/mile), annual mileage, fuel prices |
| Road tax (VED) | £20 - £790 | CO2 band, first-registration date, and list price |
| MOT | ~£55 | Fixed test fee, plus any failure repairs |
| Repairs and maintenance | £150 - £800+ | Age, mileage, brand parts prices, MOT advisory history |
| Insurance | £400 - £1,500+ | Insurance group (1-50), driver profile, postcode |
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The cheapest way to compare two cars' running costs in the UK is by registration plate: enter both regs into the free comparison tool and you get fuel, road tax, MOT and predicted repair costs side by side in about ten seconds, calculated from official DVSA and DVLA data for those exact cars. That last part matters. Brochure figures describe a new car in laboratory conditions; a reg-based comparison reflects the actual car in front of you, with its real mileage, MOT record and repair patterns.
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Two cars that look similar on price can be £700+ apart per year once you add these up, which over three years of ownership is a bigger difference than most people negotiate off the sticker price.
Here is the shape of a typical comparison, using the kind of data our tool uses (fuel at early October 2026 pump prices, road tax at the current rates):
| VW Golf 1.5 TSI (2019) | Ford Fiesta 1.25 (2008) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel per year | £1,060 | £1,270 |
| Road tax | £200 | £200 |
| Predicted repairs | £92 | £349 |
| Total (before insurance) | £1,352 | £1,819 |
The older, cheaper-to-buy Fiesta costs £467 more per year to keep on the road. Over three years that is £1,401, which changes the value question entirely. This is why comparing running costs belongs at the start of a purchase decision, not the end.
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Enter any reg below for a free MOT history, mileage check, and running costs. Takes 5 seconds, no signup.
Data from DVSA and DVLA. Used by thousands of UK car buyers.
Fuel and tax are easy to look up. Repairs are where reg-level data earns its keep: every UK car's MOT history records its advisories and failure items, which are a leading indicator of what is about to need money. A car carrying suspension and corrosion advisories will cost more next year than one with a clean sheet, whatever the brochure says. Our comparison reads each car's actual advisory history when estimating repairs, and our fuel cost calculator covers the fuel side for any single car in more depth.
Running costs tell you which car is cheaper to live with. They do not tell you whether the car has outstanding finance, a write-off record or a mileage discrepancy, the things that cost thousands rather than hundreds. Once the running-cost comparison narrows your shortlist, a full comparison report covers every car on it with stolen, finance and write-off checks plus a verdict on which to buy.
Check Any Car Free
Full MOT history, mileage verification, reliability score and running costs. No sign-up, instant results.
The fastest way is by registration plate. Enter both regs into a comparison tool that pulls official DVSA and DVLA data, and you get fuel cost (from real MPG figures), road tax (current VED rates), MOT costs and predicted repairs (from that exact car's MOT advisory history) side by side. Comparing from the plates rather than the brochure means the numbers reflect the actual cars, including their mileage and condition.
The four core components are fuel or energy, road tax (VED), MOT test cost, and repairs and maintenance. Insurance is usually quoted separately because it depends on the driver as much as the car.
Per mile, almost always: home-charged electricity works out around 5-9p per mile against roughly 15-20p for a typical petrol car at early October 2026 pump prices. Road tax no longer helps, though: since April 2025 electric cars pay the same standard rate as petrol cars (£200 a year for cars registered from April 2017). The full picture depends on the specific cars: a heavy, high-insurance-group EV can cost more overall than an efficient small petrol. Comparing the two exact cars by reg settles it with real numbers rather than averages.
Yes. CarCostCheck's free comparison tool takes up to five registration plates at once and lays out fuel, tax, repairs, MOT pass rates and health scores in one table, highlighting the cheapest car in each row.
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Used by thousands of UK car buyers. Data from DVSA and DVLA.
Example report preview
2019 Ford Fiesta
1.0 EcoBoost, Petrol, Manual
82
Grade B
£1,860
per year
Pass
MOT status
42k
Mileage
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