Auto Depreciation Estimator: Project Your Car's Value Over 5, 10, or 15 Years

Enter your vehicle's price, age, category, and mileage to see its projected value and total value lost over time, updated instantly as you type.

Vehicle Profile

Tell us about the vehicle and how it is driven. Every field updates the projection instantly.

$
The price paid (or sticker price) when the vehicle was new.
years
0 for a brand new car. Used for vehicles already a few years old.
Adjusts the depreciation curve to match how this type of vehicle typically loses value.
Low: under 10,000 mi/yr. Average: 10,000-15,000 mi/yr. High: over 15,000 mi/yr.
How far into the future, from today, the value projection should run.
Your Projection

Updates automatically as you change any value above.

Projected Value in 5 Years
$0
Vehicle will be 5 years old at this point.
Current Estimated Value
$0
At today's vehicle age
Total Value Lost
$0
Over the next 5 years
% of MSRP Remaining
0%
At end of projection
Vehicle Age Projected Value Cumulative % Lost
Estimates only, not an appraisal. This calculator applies generalized depreciation curves by vehicle category and mileage level. It does not account for the specific make, model, trim, condition, accident history, regional demand, or market fluctuations of an individual vehicle. For a precise value, use a dedicated vehicle valuation service or get quotes from local dealers.
Key Terms Explained
Depreciation
The gradual decrease in an asset's value over time due to age, wear, and market factors. For vehicles, depreciation is the difference between what you paid and what the car is worth today.
Residual Value
The estimated worth of a vehicle at the end of a specific period, such as a lease term or loan term. Lenders and lessors use residual value to help set monthly payments.
MSRP
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. The price set by the manufacturer as the starting point for negotiation on a new vehicle. Most buyers pay somewhat less than MSRP after incentives and negotiation.
Salvage Value
The amount a vehicle is worth at the very end of its useful life, often when it is sold for parts or scrap rather than as a working car. Salvage value represents the practical floor of depreciation.
Negative Equity (Upside Down)
A situation where the amount owed on an auto loan exceeds the car's current market value. Selling or trading in the vehicle in this state requires paying the difference out of pocket.
Mileage Penalty
An adjustment to a vehicle's depreciation rate based on how many miles it is driven each year. Higher than average mileage accelerates depreciation, while lower than average mileage slows it.
Trade-In Value
The amount a dealer offers for your current vehicle as part of a new purchase. It is typically lower than what you could get selling privately, but it is offered as a convenience and, in many states, a tax advantage.
Book Value
A reference value for a vehicle based on its year, make, model, mileage, and condition, often published by valuation guides and used as a starting point for negotiations.
Declining Balance Method
A depreciation method where each year's loss is calculated as a percentage of the value remaining at the start of that year, rather than a fixed percentage of the original price. This is the method used in this calculator, which is why later years lose fewer dollars even at similar percentage rates.
Total Loss Vehicle
A vehicle an insurer determines is not worth repairing after an accident, because the cost of repairs exceeds a set percentage of its current market value. Depreciation directly affects this threshold, since older, more depreciated cars reach total loss status from smaller amounts of damage.

The Complete Guide to Car Depreciation

Every car loses value the moment it is driven off the lot, but how fast it loses value depends on the type of vehicle, how it is driven, and how old it already is. This guide walks through how the calculator above arrives at its numbers.

How to use this calculator

Start by entering the original purchase price or MSRP of the vehicle. If the car is brand new, leave the "Current Age" field at 0. If you already own (or are looking at) a used vehicle, enter its age in years so the calculator can first work out its estimated value today before projecting forward. Next, choose the vehicle category that best matches the car: Standard/Economy, Luxury, Truck/SUV, or Electric Vehicle (EV), since each category follows a different depreciation curve. Then choose your typical annual mileage level, and finally pick a projection horizon of 5, 10, or 15 years. Every result, including the year-by-year table, recalculates instantly as you adjust any field, so you can compare scenarios side by side without clicking a button.

How the depreciation curve works

Cars do not lose a fixed dollar amount every year. Instead, this calculator uses the declining balance method, applying a percentage loss to whatever value remains at the start of each year. A new vehicle typically loses the largest percentage of its value in year one, a smaller (but still significant) percentage each year through roughly year five, and a more gradual percentage from year six onward as the vehicle settles into its long-term resale market. The table below shows the baseline annual depreciation rate this calculator applies for each vehicle category before any mileage adjustment.

Vehicle CategoryYear 1Years 2-5 (each year)Year 6+ (each year)
Standard / Economy20%15%10%
Truck / SUV15%13%9%
Luxury Car25%16%11%
Electric Vehicle (EV)25%17%12%

Trucks and SUVs hold their value slightly better than the standard baseline due to consistently strong demand in the used market, while luxury cars and EVs depreciate faster, particularly in the first several years, reflecting brand premiums, tax incentives on new EVs, and rapid changes in technology.

How mileage shifts the rate

Within each category, this calculator nudges the annual depreciation rate up or down based on the annual mileage you select. Choosing "Low" mileage subtracts a small amount from each year's rate, reflecting a vehicle that is accumulating wear more slowly than average. Choosing "High" mileage adds a larger amount to each year's rate, reflecting faster accumulated wear. "Average" mileage applies no adjustment. These adjustments are applied every year of the projection, so the gap between a low-mileage and high-mileage version of the same car widens the further out you project.

Why "Current Age" matters for used vehicles

If you enter a current age greater than zero, the calculator first runs the depreciation curve from the original MSRP forward through that many years to estimate the vehicle's value today. The projection horizon you select (5, 10, or 15 years) then runs forward from that point, continuing along the same curve at the vehicle's actual age. This means a 3-year-old truck projected 10 years into the future is modeled all the way out to 13 years old, using the Year 6+ rate for the later years, which gives a much more realistic long-term picture than restarting the curve from year one.

Frequently Asked Questions

New cars lose value rapidly the moment they are driven off the lot due to several factors. The gap between the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) and a dealer's actual cost includes profit margins, incentives, and fees that disappear the instant a car becomes used rather than new. New car buyers also pay a premium for the warranty, the ability to customize options, and the guarantee that no one else has driven the vehicle. Once a car has a single owner and mileage on the odometer, it competes in the much larger used car market, where buyers expect a discount. Combined, these factors typically account for a 15 to 25 percent drop in value within the first 12 months, the steepest single year decline a vehicle will ever experience.

Historically, yes, though the gap has been narrowing. Electric vehicles have tended to depreciate faster than comparable gas-powered cars for a few reasons: federal and state tax incentives lower the effective price of a new EV, which pushes down used EV prices to remain competitive, rapid improvements in battery range and charging technology make older EV models feel outdated faster, and many buyers worry about long-term battery health and replacement costs, even though most modern EV batteries are designed to last well over 100,000 miles. This calculator applies a higher first-year and mid-life depreciation rate to the EV category to reflect these dynamics, though individual models and brands can vary significantly.

Mileage is one of the strongest indicators of a vehicle's remaining useful life, so it directly affects resale value. A car with unusually high mileage for its age signals more wear on the engine, transmission, brakes, and other components, which makes buyers offer less. A car with low mileage for its age suggests it has more life left and often commands a premium. This calculator applies a mileage penalty or bonus to each year's depreciation rate: selecting Low annual mileage slightly reduces the yearly depreciation rate, while selecting High annual mileage increases it, reflecting how quickly the vehicle is accumulating wear relative to its age.

Being upside down, also called having negative equity, means you owe more on your auto loan than the car is currently worth. This commonly happens in the first few years of ownership because cars depreciate quickly while loan balances decrease slowly, especially with small down payments, long loan terms, or high interest rates. For example, if you owe $28,000 on a car loan but the car's depreciated value is only $24,000, you are $4,000 upside down. This matters most if you need to sell or trade in the car, because you would have to pay the difference out of pocket or roll that negative equity into a new loan, increasing your future payments.

In general, trucks and SUVs tend to hold their value better than sedans, luxury cars, and many EVs, because demand for used trucks and SUVs remains consistently strong and supply is often limited. Standard and economy vehicles depreciate at a moderate, predictable rate due to their large used car market and lower repair costs. Luxury vehicles and EVs tend to depreciate fastest, partly because their high original MSRP includes features and brand premiums that used buyers are less willing to pay for, and partly due to rapidly evolving technology. This calculator reflects these patterns with category-specific depreciation curves, but the make, model, reliability reputation, and regional demand for a specific vehicle can shift these averages considerably.

This calculator uses industry-informed depreciation curves and applies them consistently based on the vehicle category, current age, and mileage level you select. It is designed to give you a realistic planning estimate, not an exact appraisal. Actual resale and trade-in values depend on many factors this tool cannot account for, including the specific make and model, regional market demand, vehicle condition, accident history, maintenance records, and color or trim popularity. For a precise value, use a dedicated vehicle valuation service or get quotes from local dealers.