RATIOXA LEARN · Cars
Decision guides: Cars
Understand the variables, common mistakes and crossovers before you calculate. Lease, buy, finance or switch to electric? Compare complete economic costs.
Lease or buy: a fair comparison
Why monthly payments are insufficient and how depreciation, resale value and contract costs decide the comparison.
Read article →Finance a car or pay cash?
Compare borrowing cost and capital return over exactly the same period.
Read article →EV or petrol: TCO beyond the fuel bill
Combine depreciation, energy, maintenance, tax and charging into complete cost.
Read article →Car depreciation as a scenario
Why resale value is not one certain number and how three scenarios improve decisions.
Read article →Lease with or without an upfront payment?
Why a low payment with a large upfront sum is not automatically the better offer.
Read article →Which lease term makes sense?
Compare 24, 36 and 48 months through cost, flexibility and mileage needs.
Read article →Mileage leasing: how many kilometres should you choose?
Plan mileage as a range and account fairly for excess and unused kilometres.
Read article →What does a car really cost per kilometre?
Combine fixed and variable costs into an honest per-kilometre figure.
Read article →Charge an EV at home or in public?
Combine charging mix, losses, tariffs and charger cost into real energy cost.
Read article →Balloon payment: benefit or risk?
Why a small payment can defer balance, interest and refinancing risk.
Read article →Opportunity cost explained
What capital could do elsewhere without treating an uncertain return as guaranteed.
Read article →Compare full lease cost fairly
Put payment, upfront cash, delivery, mileage and return cost on one horizon.
Read article →Model excess mileage and lease return realistically
Why contract-end and condition cost belong in the lease comparison as a range.
Read article →Balloon finance: payment and final balance
Connect the small monthly payment with the remaining balance and refinancing.
Read article →Car resale value without false forecasting
Use resale ranges and do not confuse listing prices with proceeds.
Read article →EV tax exemption: the 2030 cutoff
What the first-registration cutoff means and why individual duration differs.
Read article →Home and public charging mix
Combine weighted electricity price, charging losses and infrastructure into real mileage cost.
Read article →What 5,000 extra kilometres a year change
Separate energy, maintenance, tyres and resale impact of extra mileage.
Read article →New car versus one-year-old
Put price advantage, warranty, finance and later resale on the same holding period.
Read article →TOOLS
Related calculators
Lease or buy?Total cost, finance, resale value and your crossovers.→Finance or pay cash?Loan rate versus the opportunity cost of capital.→EV or petrol car?TCO from depreciation, energy, tax, maintenance and charger.→Full car costCost per month and kilometre, not just purchase price.→Leasing factorNormalise rate, upfront payment and delivery cost.→GLOSSARY