Thread by @jpr007

AUTOMOBILE COST OF OWNERSHIP - GERMANY ADAC

The German automobile club ADAC publishes information on vehicles sold in its market, including Cost of Ownership analysis like the one summarised here for VW Golf

The starting points are List Price, Time Horizon, and Annual Mileage

The results are provided in the form of monthly costs in four categories and then converted to Euro cents per km as shown here for the 17 different versions of the VW ID.3

ADAC METHODOLOGY

Calculation basis for the standardized car cost calculation

1. HOLDING PERIOD

- 24 to 60 months with a standard of 60 months

2. MILEAGE

- 5,000 to 60,000 km per year with a standard of 15,000 km per year and a maximum cumulative total of of 160,000 km

3. BASE PRICE

Manufacturer's recommended retail price

4. LOSS OF VALUE

The base price for determining the residual value is the recommended retail price ex works, to which an equipment allowance is added

- this is determined by ADAC and is made up of standard comfort and safety extras such as air conditioning, metallic paint, driving dynamics control and much more

- in short, extras that have a positive effect on the price of the used car and make it easier to resell later

The current environmental premiums for electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids are taken into account when calculating the depreciation

The depreciation figures are derived from the used car price quotations of Deutsche Automobil Treuhand DAT

We also take into account any price-reducing model changes that may take place during the calculation period

We have set costs for transfer and registration at a flat rate of 500 euros

5. FIXED COSTS

Liability insurance using average normal rates with lump sum coverage up to 100 million Euros, with a premium rate of 50%, regional class R6 as well as the respective type class classification

Comprehensive insurance with 500 Euro deductible and a premium rate of 50%, regional class R4 as well as the respective type class classification

- without additional discounts for garage, multiple drivers, or member discounts

Motor vehicle tax with any tax exemptions for e-vehicles taken into account

A lump sum of 200 Euro per year for general costs such as parking fees, maps, small accessories, HU/AU etc

6. WORKSHOP COSTS

To calculate the workshop costs we use the average workshop hourly rates of the respective manufacturers according to the Central Association of the German Motor Trade Zentralverband Deutsches Kfz-Gewerbe e.V. and surveys of the workshop hourly rates

- including Value Added Tax

Oil changes and inspections

Different maintenance intervals and scopes are taken into account according to manufacturer's specifications as well as material and labor costs

Typical wear-and-tear repairs that, in the experience of the ADAC, occur particularly frequently, e.g. exhaust or brakes, a new battery, small parts such as light bulbs, etc

Costs for tire replacement based on tire mileage determined by ADAC (empirical values) as well as average tire prices of the respective series sizes

Additional flat-rate repair costs determined by ADAC, graded according to vehicle class, from a holding period of more than three years or a total mileage of 80,000 km or more

Note: In practice, there may be deviations in the calculation of repair costs

7. OPERATING COSTS

Fuel costs are calculated from fuel consumption according to WLTP or NEDC and the average fuel prices per liter at the time of updating

- regular and super gasoline 1.48 euros per liter

- SuperPlus gasoline 1.56 euros per liter

- diesel 1.30 euros per liter

- bioethanol 1.12 euros per liter

- LPG 0.70 euros per liter

- natural gas 1.10 euros per kg

- electricity 0.36 euros per kWh

- hydrogen 9.50 euros per kg

Important note on fuel consumption and fuel prices:

The calculation is made according to the WLTP cycle for vehicle in standard equipment

However, if we do not yet have the manufacturer's WLTP values at the time of preparation the calculation is based on the previous NEDC cycle

Both the costs for fuel consumption and for vehicle tax, and thus the total costs, will generally be higher as a result

The average fuel prices used by us can vary considerably from region to region within Germany

Refill costs for engine oil and AdBlue® in diesels with SCR catalytic converter

Flat rate for car wash and maintenance of 250 euros per year

Additional flat-rate repair costs set by the ADAC are graded according to vehicle class and applied for a holding period of more than three years or a total mileage of 80,000 km or more

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you are financing the purchase of the vehicle by means of a loan or are using your savings balance for this purpose, you should also include the interest for this in your calculation

- this is not taken into account in our standard calculations.

ORIGINAL ADAC DOCUMENT - 1

ORIGINAL ADAC DOCUMENT - 2

Please forgive any mistranslations

- and let me know with corrected wording

- the format of this paper made translation very difficult

Here is the link to the ADAC explanatory document

assets.adac.de/image/upload/v…