Tracking Vehicle Expenses: Free Car Cost and Business-Use Calculator
Tracking vehicle expenses comes down to two lists: what the car cost you and how many miles you drove, with business miles kept apart. Enter a year of costs and miles below to see your cost per mile, the business share, and how actual expenses compare with the standard mileage rate.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. The numbers filled in below are a made-up example; change them to yours.
| Car expense (for the year) | Amount, $ |
|---|---|
2026: 72.5¢ for January–June and 76¢ for July–December.
How do you track vehicle expenses?
Keep two records. First, an expense log: every gas fill-up, insurance payment, repair, registration fee and loan or lease payment, with the date and amount. Keep the receipts. Second, a mileage log: the odometer reading on January 1 and December 31, and for each business trip the date, where you went, why, and how many miles. Write trips down when they happen, not from memory in April. Together, the two logs give your cost per mile and the business share of the car.
How the math works
- Total car costs = everything in the expense table.
- Cost per mile = total car costs ÷ total miles.
- Business share = business miles ÷ total miles.
- Actual-expense figure = total car costs × business share.
- Standard mileage figure = business miles × the IRS rate.
Example (made up): $5,400 in yearly costs over 12,000 miles is $0.45 a mile. With 4,000 business miles, the business share is 33.3%, so actual expenses come to about $1,800. At 72.5¢ a mile, the standard rate gives $2,900, so in this example the standard rate is the bigger number.
What to write down for each trip
The IRS expects records made at or near the time of the trip. A simple log has these columns:
- Date
- Start and end place, or the client or job name
- Business purpose (such as "delivery to client" or "supply run")
- Miles, or start and end odometer
- Parking and tolls, if any
Driving from home to a regular workplace is commuting and usually doesn't count. Trips between job sites, to clients, or to pick up supplies usually do. The guide to tracking car mileage for taxes covers the rules in more detail.
What counts as a vehicle expense
Running costs are gas, oil changes, tires, repairs, insurance, registration, car washes, and loan interest or lease payments. Depreciation also counts under the actual-expense method, but the rules are detailed, so let a tax preparer work that number out. Parking and tolls for business trips are tracked separately because you can usually add them under either method. Parking tickets and fines don't count.
Standard rate or actual expenses?
The standard mileage rate is simpler: you only need the mileage log. Actual expenses take more records, but can come out higher for a car that costs a lot to run or gets driven mostly for work. There are rules about switching between the two methods from year to year, especially for a car you started on actual expenses, so check before you change. Track both logs all year and the choice is just math at tax time. This calculator is an estimate for planning, not tax advice. The self-employed mileage calculator handles the two 2026 rates if you drove for business in both halves of the year.
Keep both logs in one file
The Mileage Log & Car Expense Tracker ($5) is a spreadsheet with a 400-row trip log and a 300-row car expense log. Its summary shows business vs. personal miles by month, your business %, a mileage total at the rate you enter, and cost per mile. You type the trips in yourself; there's no GPS tracking. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Get the mileage log on Gumroad – $5
We make this template, so take that into account. The calculator above is free to use either way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to track vehicle expenses?
Keep a running expense log with receipts and a mileage log written at the time of each trip. A spreadsheet or notebook works, as long as you record the date, miles, purpose and amount.
What is the 2026 IRS standard mileage rate?
For business use, 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026.
Can I deduct both mileage and gas?
No. Under the standard mileage rate, gas, insurance and repairs are already built into the per-mile rate. You can usually still add business parking and tolls.
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