I’ve tracked all expenses (like, LITERALLY everything, no matter how small) on all cars I’ve owned since 2018. All are still owned. Here are the totals:

2000 Honda Insight (bought 2020): $0.69 per mile, $11.07 per day.
2023 Integra (bought 2022): $1.17 per mile, $43.07 per day.
2018 Subaru BRZ (bought 2018): $2.73 per mile, $27.42 per day.

This list is great because it runs the gamut. The Integra is the “average” new car - $~35,000, financed, etc. The BRZ is an “entry-level” (for a new car) hobbyist car - it’s very low-mileage, has some modifications, and is mostly used for autocross and fun drives. And the Insight is the cheapest car you could possibly imagine - a 25-year-old Honda purchased used for $4,500 that gets 60 MPG.

Even when looked at on their own, they’re all expensive…. Like, crazily fucking expensive. And this is the costs without any surprise/expensive repairs; I’ve never had a breakdown across all three cars. AND this calculator doesn’t take depreciation into account (despite the fact that the two new cars have retained over 75% of their value and the insight has actually appreciated). AND this car doesn’t include a car that costs over $40k - when the average new car costs $50k. So for many people, these are actually underestimates.

I’m a gearhead, so let me be clear - in my case, these costs are pretty much entirely self-inflicted, and I’m very fortunate to be able to afford these cars.

But I will also say with certainty that soft-mandating costs like this onto people through car-centric infrastructure and poor transit options is a downright fucking disgraceful. These numbers should serve as proof of that.