How we score
The Worth It Score is 100 points across four factors. The formula is public so you can check every number. Method version 1.0.
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Affordability. Year-one car cost (payments, insurance, fuel, maintenance, registration) as a share of gross income. Full points at 10% or less, zero at 20% or more. | 45 |
| Loan health. 10 points for a 20% down payment (scaled below that), plus 10 for the term: 48 months or less = 10, 60 = 7, 72 = 3, 84 = 0. Cash gets all 20. | 20 |
| Running cost. Insurance, fuel or charging, maintenance and fees per mile, without the loan. Full points at $0.20 a mile or less, zero at $0.45 or more. | 20 |
| Value retention. Projected share of the price left after 5 years. Full points at 60% or more, zero at 30% or less. | 15 |
The guardrail
If the monthly payment plus insurance is more than 15% of your gross monthly income, the score is capped at 45. A car that squeezes your budget that hard is never "worth it", however good the car is. This follows the common 20/4/10 rule of thumb (20% down, a 4-year loan, 10% of income), loosened slightly.
The verdict
- 70 to 100: Worth it
- 50 to 69: Borderline
- Below 50: Not worth it
What we assume
- Sales tax uses your state's average combined rate and is rolled into the loan.
- The interest rate defaults to 7% for new cars and 10% for used ones. Enter your own rate for a better answer.
- Insurance is your state's average full-coverage premium times a car-type factor (sedan 1.0, SUV 1.05, truck 1.1, EV or luxury 1.25).
- Fuel uses the car's combined MPG (or miles per kWh) and your state's average gas or electricity price.
- Maintenance starts from a model average and rises 5% for each year of the car's age.
- Resale uses a 5-year value retention estimate for the model, or for its type when we don't list it.
All of these are averages. Real insurance quotes can differ by 50% or more. You can change every assumption on the results page.
5-year cost of owning it
Down payment, plus loan payments for 5 years, plus any loan balance still owed at year 5, plus 5 years of insurance, fuel, maintenance and fees, minus the projected resale value.
What the score can't tell you
We don't know the car's trim, mileage or condition, so the score answers "is this a smart buy for you", not "is this a good price for this exact car". It's an educational estimate, not financial advice.
Your privacy
Your answers are never sent to us or stored. The score is calculated in your browser, and your result lives only in the link you can share.