Car or public transport: compare more than fuel and a pass

List the vehicle costs that apply

Record fuel or charging, parking, insurance, maintenance, road charges and required local payments from actual terms. Add finance payments only if relevant. These categories vary by location and vehicle; a generic fuel estimate cannot stand in for all of them. Keep the purchase price and later resale assumptions visible instead of hiding ownership inside the transport-pass category.

Avoid mixing cash flow with economic cost

A cash plan records what you pay and when. An ownership comparison may instead allocate purchase cost minus assumed resale across the expected holding period. Do not add the entire purchase and full depreciation to the same cost total. Interest and principal also serve different purposes in such comparisons; state the chosen model rather than declaring a universal monthly vehicle cost.

Compare the journeys, not just the products

Check whether public transport covers your commute and regular errands, including hours and accessibility. Add occasional taxis or rentals only when the proposed car-free routine needs them. Illustratively, a pass of 60 plus two trips of 15 totals 90, but says nothing about another household’s needs. A city calculation missing vehicle costs is not evidence that owning a car is free.

Sources and further reading

• Lifovra — methodology and limitations