Costs of Car Ownership
Basics
The ‘Affordability Crisis’ Conversation Can’t Leave Out the Cost of Cars
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks.
January 7, 2026
Find Out Exactly How Much Downtown Highways Cost Your City
"How much does it actually cost to be car dependent?" This Dallas-based analyst set out to answer that question for cities across the U.S.
December 15, 2025
Zivarts: How ‘Week Without Driving’ Is Having An Impact
Needing to drive in a car-dependent society is not some sort of moral failure. A one-week teach-in can help elected officials see that.
August 5, 2025
SEE IT! Small Japanese Pickup Truck Shows Bigger is Definitely Not Better
One Brooklyn business has seen the future of safe streets and heavy lugging — and it's going to be O-KEI!
July 31, 2025
Cost of Transportation Soaring … Because of Cars
Transportation costs have risen by more than 39 percent for the average household in the metro area — and it's because so many households got cars.
October 18, 2024
Study: How Car Ownership is Keeping Americans From Financial Stability
As car costs continue to surge, American drivers are taking drastic measures to stay on the road — with troubling societal implications.
March 25, 2024
How To Bring ‘Zero Auto Ownership’ Out of the Shadows
Cars are so ubiquitous in the United States it’s hard for some people to believe it’s possible to live without one. But in order to meet a host of urgent local, regional and national environmental and public health goals, we must drastically cut down on vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
In short: people need to drive less.
May 5, 2022
OPINION: The Cost of ‘Free’ Parking is Dirty Streets and Foul Air
Our policy of forcing cars to move for street cleaning has many hidden costs, most notably the environmental effects of trading clean streets for polluted air.
March 21, 2022
STUDY: What A Lifetime of Car Ownership Costs — And Who Pays
The average motorist will pay a whopping $650,000 on the low end to own a car over his or her lifetime, and society will pick up over 40 percent of the tab, a new study finds.
February 9, 2022
How the U.S. Transportation System Fuels Inequality
Transportation policies prioritizing private vehicle use leave the poor and people of color behind.
February 4, 2022
