About CarCostIQ
My mission
CarCostIQ exists to help Australian drivers make informed vehicle purchase decisions by comparing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for electric and petrol (or hybrid) vehicles over a fixed period. Too often, the sticker price dominates the conversation — but energy, insurance, maintenance, and resale value over five years can shift the picture dramatically.
I built CarCostIQ so that anyone considering a new car in Australia — across all 8 states and territories — can see the full cash picture before they walk into a dealership, rather than relying on marketing claims or rough guesses.
What I believe
- Transparency — every assumption is visible and overridable. No hidden weightings, no proprietary scores.
- Australia-focused — state-level defaults for all 8 Australian states and territories, using Australian MSRP data and local energy prices.
- Independent — no partnerships with dealers, manufacturers, or financing providers. I have no incentive to steer your result.
- Open methodology — my formula and data sources are published on the Methodology page.
How it works
- Pick two vehicles and your state — select an EV and a petrol or hybrid model, then choose your state or territory for regional energy defaults.
- Adjust assumptions to match your situation — override annual kilometres, electricity tariffs, fuel prices, insurance, maintenance, or residual rates in the advanced fields.
- Compare, share, or revisit anytime — view your 5-year cost breakdown, copy a shareable URL that reproduces the same scenario, or email the result to yourself.
Who built this
I'm Lance, a software engineer, and CarCostIQ is my independent project. Frustrated that most online calculators relied on US or EU figures, I built a tool grounded in Australian MSRP data, state-specific energy prices, and transparent methodology — so every number is auditable and every assumption is overridable.
Have a question, data correction, or feature idea? Get in touch.