The Real Cost of Owning a New Car in 2026: $12,863 a Year - Where Every Dollar Goes (AAA Data)

AAA's Your Driving Costs 2026 (September 15, 2026): owning and operating a new vehicle averages $12,863 a year ($1,071.92 a month) over five years and 75,000 miles. Depreciation $4,422/yr, fuel 17.3 cents/mile (gas at $4.152), insurance $2,098, maintenance 11.7 cents/mile, finance $1,184, taxes and fees $802. Small sedans $9,259/yr vs half-ton pickups $16,449/yr; EV vs hybrid vs gas comparison. Methodology changed from 2025, so years aren't directly comparable. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Where the money goes 3:59 Which cars cost the most 6:18 How far you drive 6:54 Gas, hybrid or electric? 8:22 How to spend less Sources: AAA, Your Driving Costs 2026 news release (September 15, 2026), fact sheet and brochure AAA, Your Driving Costs 2025 news release (September 16, 2025) Image credits (resized and cropped for video): 130 public-domain / CC0 images (no attribution required). Additional footage: Pixabay (pixabay.com), Pixabay Content License. Additional photos: Pixabay (pixabay.com), Pixabay Content License. --- Voiceover is produced with AI text-to-speech. Images are licensed (public domain or Creative Commons) and credited in each video description. Sources are listed above for every number in the video. #cars #automotive #MitchTannerCar