Annual Car Depreciation Calculator

Car depreciation: how the curve works

Annual depreciation is the value a vehicle loses each year. You compound it with residual = price · (1 − rate)^years. The curve is not linear, though. The hardest drop comes in 15–25% in year 1 (the moment the car leaves the dealer lot), then it eases to 8–12% in years 2–3 and settles around 5–8%/year from there. By 5 years most cars sit at roughly 50% of what they cost new. Here in Brazil the Tabela Fipe is what everyone treats as the market reference. Example: R$ 80,000 car at 12%/year over 5 years → 80000 · 0.88^5 ≈ R$ 42,200.

Brands and applications

Low depreciation: Toyota (Corolla, Hilux), Honda (Civic, HR-V). Japanese brands tend to hold their value. High depreciation: premium imports (Audi, BMW) and entry-level 1.0 cars once a new generation lands. EVs depreciate faster, since the battery ages and the tech keeps moving. The math is handy for TCO (total cost of ownership), insurance (the insured amount tracks Fipe), financing (CDC requires LTV) and pricing a resale on Webmotors, OLX or Mercado Livre.

FAQ

What rate should I use? For popular cars, 10–15%/year compound is a fair average. Drop to 8–10% for a Toyota or Honda, and push up to 18–25% for premium imports.

Why is the first year so harsh? The car stops being "new" the second it leaves the dealer. A resale buyer always knocks money off for the change of ownership and the warranty already partly used up.

Does mileage affect depreciation? It does. A car carrying far more kilometers than typical for its age can lose an extra 5–15% against the Fipe reference.

Are EVs worse than ICE on resale? Right now they are. Battery aging and how quickly new models arrive both work against them, so expect 20–30% in year 1 for EVs.