Changelog

What's new in CarCostIQ — vehicle data updates, calculator improvements, and methodology changes.

• June 2026 — Per-powertrain resale values + catalog accuracy

  • Residual (resale) value defaults are now set per powertrain — EV 45%, Petrol 50%, Hybrid 55%, Diesel 58%, PHEV 45% — reflecting Australian resale patterns where utes and hybrids hold value better than mainstream petrol. Hybrid and diesel 5-year costs drop accordingly; you can still override the residual in advanced fields
  • Petrol / Hybrid / Diesel catalog refreshed for accuracy: corrected prices and fuel-consumption figures, discontinued petrol variants removed, and the RAV4 / Corolla Cross repointed to their now hybrid-only ranges
  • Homepage example now computes live from the catalog and engine, so its figures can never drift from the calculator

• April 2026 — Coverage expansion, SEO, and performance

  • State content pages published for all 8 states/territories with regional highlights and state-specific FAQs — calculator regional defaults remain NSW, VIC, QLD (additional states in development)
  • 3 new vehicle comparison pages: Tesla Model Y vs Mazda CX-5, BYD Seal vs Mazda3, BYD Dolphin vs Corolla Hybrid
  • 2 new Learn articles: home vs public charging cost breakdown, EV vs hybrid comparison guide
  • Social proof bar on homepage showing coverage scope and vehicle model count
  • About page updated with founder info and full geographic scope
  • Article publish and update dates now visible on Learn pages and in structured data
  • Homepage navigation streamlined — state guides collapsed under “Browse by state”
  • Mobile performance: web-vitals library dynamically imported to reduce main-thread blocking
  • Sitemap lastModified dates now reflect real content update history

• March 2026 — Site navigation, contact form, and production polish

  • Added persistent site header with navigation links on every page
  • New contact form — send feedback directly from the site
  • Custom 404 page with helpful links
  • Expanded About page with mission, principles, and how-it-works
  • Improved example output card on homepage with visual cost comparison bars

• February 2026 — Calculator launch with compare guides and cost breakdowns

  • Faster first paint; advanced calculator fields load when you open them
  • Result page: save and share links, optional email follow-up, clearer assumptions summary, petrol price sensitivity shortcut
  • Compare landing pages for BYD Atto 3 vs Toyota Corolla and Tesla Model 3 vs Toyota RAV4
  • Learn hub with educational guides on cost drivers: energy, insurance, maintenance, and residual
  • State guides with regional electricity and fuel defaults for NSW, VIC, QLD (state content pages for SA, WA, TAS, NT, ACT added April; calculator defaults for those states pending)

• January 2026 — Beta and data foundations

  • Initial five-year TCO calculator with NSW, VIC, and QLD regional defaults
  • OEM-first vehicle pricing with provenance tracking for transparency
  • Published methodology page documenting the formula and data sources
  • Email waitlist with double opt-in verification