Compare keeping your current vehicle against trading it in for another — petrol, diesel or electric — over the period you choose. Edit any number; everything recalculates live.
Shared assumptions
95 ULP, inland, September 2026. Coastal is about 90c less.
50ppm wholesale, inland, September 2026. Pump prices run a little higher.
Compare:
The scenarios
A — Keep the current car
Finish paying it off, absorb the repairs, run it for the full period.
B — Trade in & buy petrol / diesel
Trade-in settles the old loan; the difference plus your deposit reduces what you finance.
C — Trade in & buy electric
Same finance mechanics as B. Charged at home; faster depreciation and cheaper running.
Real-world figure for a mid-size EV is 16–18. Public fast charging costs roughly R7–R9/kWh — about double home rates — so if you'll rely on it, nudge the electricity price up.
A 7kW wallbox plus electrician is typically R10 000–R18 000.
Filled in from the depreciation curve. Type your own figure to override, or .
True cost over the period
Tick at least two scenarios above to compare them.
Bars show money out over the period. The tiles above are the net figure: money out minus what the car is still worth at the end.
Cumulative outlay over time
Breakdown
How the maths works: Scenarios B and C finance = price − deposit − trade-in equity (trade-in minus settlement; a shortfall gets added to the loan). Repayment is a standard amortised instalment with the balloon owing at the end of the term (counted in full when it falls due, or as the outstanding balance if the period ends mid-loan). Insurance and maintenance escalate annually by cost inflation; fuel and electricity by their own inflation rates. Scenario C's end value is pre-filled from the depreciation curve — the defaults reflect research showing electric vehicles losing roughly half their value over five years against about 40% for petrol and diesel — but you can overwrite it. Electricity is priced at home rates only; public charging costs roughly double. EV battery warranties are typically eight years, so no battery replacement is assumed. "True cost" = everything paid out during the period, minus the vehicle's estimated value at the end. Estimates for planning and conversation — not financial advice; speak to your adviser before signing anything. Wisdom Asset Management (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider, FSP 47093.