Spend less on the car you already own.
Car Optimizer turns your VIN and a few answers into your car's full yearly cost, a list of savings with dollar amounts, and a straight answer on whether to keep it or replace it.
About five minutes. Your answers stay in your browser.
- Go down a wheel size when the tires wear out$264
- Charge in public during off-peak hours$202
- Cruise at 65 instead of 70 on the highway$52
Three steps, about five minutes
Look up your car
Enter your VIN or pick the year and model. The EPA's mileage figures fill in automatically.
Answer six short sections
Driving, fuel or charging, insurance and fees, maintenance, loan and value. A running total updates as you go.
Get your plan
Your yearly cost of operation, savings ranked by dollars, recalls, and whether to keep the car or replace it.
Every place your car money goes
Fuel and charging
Cheaper stations, regular vs. premium, off-peak charging and utility EV rate plans, priced for your miles.
Insurance
A step-by-step way to shop quotes with the same coverage, plus pay-per-mile and duplicate-coverage checks.
Maintenance and tires
Oil-change intervals, dealer vs. independent shops, wheel size, and what to do yourself.
Loans
Interest you pay this year, and what refinancing at a lower rate would save over the rest of the loan.
Recalls
Every recall on your year, make and model from NHTSA, with a link to check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.
Driving habits
What your highway speed costs, plus the habits that cut fuel or energy use without changing where you go.
Work miles and taxes
The IRS mileage deduction for the self-employed and gig drivers, or reimbursement if you're an employee.
Keep or replace
Your car against nine economical new cars over 3–7 years, counting depreciation, repairs and lost interest.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. There's no account and no paywall.
Does it work for gas cars?
Yes. Gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars all work. The questions change to fit the car: gas prices for a gas car, charging for an EV, both for a plug-in hybrid.
Where do the numbers come from?
Mileage and energy use come from the EPA, VIN decoding and recalls from NHTSA, and the mileage rate from the IRS. Prices like insurance and charging rates start as estimates marked “est.” and you replace them with your own.
What happens to my information?
Your answers stay in your browser. A VIN or model lookup passes through our server to the government databases; we don't save it. There's nothing to sign up for.
How accurate is it?
As accurate as the numbers you enter. Anything we had to guess is marked, and every tip shows the assumption behind its dollar figure so you can check it.
Is this financial or tax advice?
No. It's an estimate to help you decide where to look. For taxes, a tax professional can confirm which mileage method saves more.