The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) today released an updated version of its Driving Costs interactive guide that provides consumers with a comprehensive look at the price of owning a vehicle.
The 2013 Driving Costs guide explains the overall costs of vehicle ownership, including fuel, maintenance, and depreciation. To help consumers understand these costs for different types of vehicles, the guide provides approximate costs for owning 2013 models of a representative compact, mid-size, and a crossover vehicle. The brochure allows consumers to calculate their own total annual driving costs based on national averages and approximate figures.
CAA’s online Driving Costs Calculator
For a quick look at the economic and environmental costs of operating individual vehicle models from 1990 to 2013, visit CAA’s online Driving Costs Calculator. The online tool is free and provides yearly figures, by vehicle make, class, and province, for everything from gas to licence fees and depreciation. Users can input their own information, if they know it, to get an extremely accurate picture, or use representative figures to get a very good estimate of the annual driving costs of their vehicle. The calculator also displays the annual greenhouse gas emissions for the vehicle selected and compares them to the best-in-class for that type of vehicle.
To access the online calculator go to http://caa.ca/car_costs/.
CAA’s 2013 Driving Costs guide and online calculator are based on data from CarDATA Consultants Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in vehicle reimbursement solutions. With offices located in Canada and the United States, CarDATA works on an ongoing basis with industry experts and leaders to ensure data accuracy, which accounts for regional cost difference pertaining to vehicle ownership and operation.