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COST OF OWNERSHIP BY STATE

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

Gas price

$5per gallon, illustrative average

Electricity

$0.24per kWh, illustrative average

Sales tax

7.25%plus ~$240 average registration

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 152-vehicle MarketCheck pull) combined with California-specific tax, fee, fuel and insurance data.

Sedan

$38,3685-year estimate, $639/mo

SUV / crossover

$51,2905-year estimate, $855/mo

Truck

$54,0515-year estimate, $901/mo

Electric

$53,2085-year estimate, $887/mo

Luxury

$75,9695-year estimate, $1,266/mo
Your actual cost depends on the specific vehicle — use the interactive calculator and select California for a number tailored to your car, or browse real vehicle estimates.