Cost of Owning a Car in California

How California's gas prices, electricity rates, sales tax and insurance costs affect what you'll typically pay to own a vehicle.

California at a glance

Insurance in California runs above the national average in this model, reflected as a 1.20× multiplier on our base class rates.

5-year cost by vehicle class in California

Uses real market-average vehicle prices per class (from our 48-vehicle MarketCheck pull) combined with California-specific tax, fee, fuel and insurance data.