Carculated Guides
Already have an offer, or still weighing your options? Find the right calculation and the background behind it.
Check an offer
Which costs may be missing from the advertised payment.
Lease, buy & finance
What you pay over the term and what you have at the end.
Opportunity costs when buying a car
How tied-up capital affects the comparison between cash purchase, finance and leasing, using an editable return assumption.
Cash, finance or lease: when tied-up capital becomes expensive
When opportunity cost makes a cash purchase expensive – and when security, a long holding period or low returns clearly favour buying.
Inflation and fixed rates in car finance
How inflation, fixed nominal payments and interest costs interact — and why the real burden depends on income and contract terms.
Three-way car finance: costs and risks
How monthly payments, interest and a large final payment interact in balloon finance — and which end-of-term options to review.
Lease factor & market
When a low factor is meaningful and when it is not.
Understanding the leasing factor: formula, total costs and market context
Calculate the leasing factor and total cost factor. Compare offers with a similar term, mileage and customer segment using current market data.
Young used car prices: comparing new and used cars
Why age alone does not guarantee a lower price and which figures to compare between new and young used cars.
Ownership & risks
How depreciation, running costs and tax affect ownership.
About Carculated
Why Carculated exists and how its model makes leasing, finance and cash purchase comparable.
The German 1% company-car rule explained
How the flat-rate taxable benefit is calculated and how the method differs from a driver’s log.
Company-car tax: a worked example for a €60,000 car
A worked example covering business leasing, salary sacrifice and the reduced assessment basis for an eligible electric company car.
Risks when buying a car
The risks a cash purchase can involve: tied-up capital, uncertain resale value, repairs and the eventual sale.
Residual-value risk when selling a car
How market prices, regulation and model changes affect resale value — and how leasing and buying allocate that risk differently.
EV residual values 2026: assessing purchase risk
How technology changes, battery ageing and market prices affect EV residual values — and how to model that uncertainty.
1% rule or driver's log: comparing German company-car tax methods
Flat-rate taxation or documenting actual journeys? Compare the methods, including the reduced basis available for eligible electric cars.
Total cost of car ownership
Which costs sit alongside energy and insurance, and how to convert depreciation, maintenance, tax and finance into a monthly figure.
For your offer
What do you want to check?
Calculation examples
Specific worked examples for reference.