Car upgrade cost calculator
Finance the new car or pay cash? See the real cost per km — loan payment, depreciation and maintenance — and how many kilometers a month you need to drive just to cover the car, before any ride turns into real profit.
Your car
Interest and depreciation are market estimates, not a law. ~1.79% a month is an average vehicle-financing rate in Brazil; ~15% a year is typical depreciation for a new popular-segment car. Swap both for the real numbers on your offer.
How the break-even point is calculated
The car has a variable cost, which only exists while you drive (fuel divided by consumption, plus maintenance per km — the same fields as the ride-margin calculator), and a fixed cost, which exists whether you drive or not: the loan payment, if any, plus the month's estimated depreciation. Add the two fixed costs and divide by the margin left on each kilometer — earnings per km minus the variable cost — to find the break-even point: how many km a month you need to drive just to cover the car, before any km turns into real profit.
Financed or cash: what changes in cost per km
Financing trades a smaller down payment for a loan payment with interest built in — that raises the car's fixed monthly cost and, with it, the break-even point in kilometers. Paying cash removes the loan payment entirely: only depreciation counts as a fixed cost, and the break-even point drops a lot. In exchange, the money leaves your cash flow all at once — this calculator shows the cost per km of each option, not the impact on your available balance.
Where the interest and depreciation numbers come from
There's no official table for vehicle-financing interest, nor a depreciation rate set by law — so, unlike JOBU's tax calculators, this one doesn't cite a legal source. The suggested values reflect averages observed in vehicle financing and in the depreciation of popular cars in their first years of use in Brazil, but they vary by bank, model and region. Swap both fields for the real numbers on your offer before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
How is the car upgrade break-even point calculated?
First the car's fixed monthly cost: the loan payment (if any) plus the estimated depreciation for the month. Then the break-even point: fixed monthly cost divided by the margin left on each km (earnings per km minus the cost of fuel and maintenance). That's how many kilometers a month you need to drive just to cover the car, before any km turns into profit.
Where do the interest rate and depreciation used here come from?
They're market estimates, not a law — unlike JOBU's other calculators. The default interest rate (around 1.79% a month) reflects an average vehicle financing rate in Brazil, and the default depreciation (around 15% a year) a typical depreciation for a new popular-segment car. Your bank's or dealer's actual financing terms may differ — adjust both fields to your case.
Does financing or paying cash change the cost per km of the car?
A lot. Financing turns the loan payment, with interest built in, into a high fixed monthly cost, which raises the break-even point in kilometers. Paying cash removes the loan payment — only depreciation counts as a fixed cost, so the break-even point drops. In exchange, the money leaves your cash flow all at once; this calculator shows the cost per km of each option, not the impact on your available balance.
This math, automatic, on top of Uber
The JOBU app is a floating bubble that sits on top of Uber, 99 or Waze. You tap, type the distance and the fare, and see the net profit instantly — without leaving the map or opening a browser. Want to be notified at launch?