From tax to tire: check out the expenses to maintain a car

The car is almost a member of the family for Brazilians. Not only for the care and attention that the property receives, but the ‘status’ can also be felt in the costs of maintaining a vehicle, whether for everyday use or just on weekends.

As well as spending on health, education, food and leisure, consumers must put on paper how much they pay to maintain their vehicle and, above all, be careful not to turn the good into a budget deficit.

The list of expenses with the car must consider not only the installments of the financing. Personal finance experts point out that the debt list should include seasonal and ongoing spending. To assist in the task of calculating the cost of the vehicle in your pocket, the CNN Brasil Business heard guidance from experts in the automotive sector, the insurance market and personal finance and collected data from federal government agencies.

seasonal

The first group brings the IPVA (Tax on Motor Vehicle Properties) and Licensing. Each state has a payment schedule and a table of values ​​for both taxes.

Licensing can only be done if the vehicle has no record of traffic fines. Otherwise, the fine must be paid in advance. Anyone caught circulating without a license will be fined R$ 293.47 and will receive seven points on their CNH, according to the CTB (Brazilian Traffic Code).

Remembering that in 2022 there is one less expense with the vehicle. For the second year in a row, DPVAT insurance will not be charged.

Continuous and heavy on the pocket

The second set of expenses, the ongoing ones, mainly includes fuel, maintenance, insurance and parking. For some people, the cost of tolls should also be part of the planning.

Regarding fuels, the reference is the price list published by the ANP (National Petroleum Agency). In the last wash, valid for the period from January 2 to 8, the average cost was R$ 6.5 (common gasoline), R$ 6.7 (additive gasoline), R$ 5.05 (ethanol) , R$ 5.3 (diesel) and R$ 5.4 (diesel S10).

For those who have a flex-fuel car in the garage, the question is whether alcohol is the best choice for your pocket and, consequently, for the environment. According to engineer Cassio Pagliarini, from Bright Consulting, the option for ethanol is indicated when the cost per liter is equivalent to 75% (3/4) of the liter of gasoline.

If the percentage is above 80%, the way is to fill up with gasoline. “Up to 78%, more because of the environmental issue, it is still viable to opt for ethanol. We have to remember that alcohol has approximately 75% of the energy of a liter of gasoline. On the other hand, it is less aggressive for the environment”.

As for maintenance expenses, Pedro Luiz Scopino, director of Sindirepa-SP (Union of Vehicle Repair and Accessories Industry of the State of São Paulo) and professor of auto mechanics, says that a complete annual review, including the mechanical part, will cost up to 4% of the value of the vehicle. “This percentage applies to vehicles with more than five years of life or 50 thousand kilometers driven. A newer car will cost less,” he explains.

The so-called preventive maintenance, which involves replacing filters, changing oil and pads, must be carried out every six months or 10 thousand kilometers. Regarding the cost, Scopino says that the owner of a 1.0 vehicle must pay, on average, R$ 700.

In the case of superior models, this average value will be R$ 2 thousand. “Leaving it for the moment when the problem appears will raise this expense to R$ 4,500”. Changing tires should be done between 40,000 and 60,000 kilometers. This difference takes into account the make and weight of the vehicle.

Regarding the cost of automotive parts, Pedro explains that the sum of two factors, the rise in the dollar and the stoppage of the production chain due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resulted in an increase of about 15% in the price of products on the shelves.

Sure

In the list of expenses for those who have a car, taking out insurance is probably at the top. The amount to be paid by the contractor is formed by a number of factors. Marcelo Sebastião, president of the Car Commission of FenSeg (National Federation of General Insurance), says that the main ones are: data of the proponent and driver (age, sex, address, among others), vehicle use profile, circulation region , overnight zip code, make, type and year of vehicle.

The proposal may be adjusted depending on the frequency of collisions, partial or complete, theft and theft, cost of parts and repair labor, in addition to federal, state and municipal tax rates. Today, the country has 19.7 million vehicles insured, according to FenSeg data.

Conducted by insurtech TEx, the IPSA (Automobile Insurance Price Index) points out that, in November 2021, the value of insurance represented, on average, 5.1% of the car’s list price. That is, in the case of a car valued at R$ 50 thousand, the disbursement was R$ 2.5 thousand.

Conducted from information from brokers located in 4,000 cities in Brazil, the survey shows that, when divided by gender, the percentage was 5.3% for men and 4.9% for women. In the case of the age group, the highest, 8.8%, was charged to those aged between 18 and 25, and the lowest, 4%, to drivers aged 56 or over.

Emir Zanatto, CEO of TEx, says that the year 2021 was totally atypical for the insurance industry. The value of the contracts was directly impacted by the rise in used vehicles, an average appreciation of 20%, the lack of new cars for prompt delivery and the scarcity of spare parts and components. “These are unusual factors that have resulted in this situation in insurance prices. In 2022, in the post-pandemic period, the trend is for an accommodation of the value tables “.

Zanatto says that, from January to December 2021, the consumer looked for alternatives to continue with the insured vehicle, mainly the choice of policies with a deductible reduced by 50% and the installment of the service in 10 installments.

Known for its conservatism, the sector also began to evaluate new ways of acting and facing the effects of the pandemic. Emir informs that tests are already carried out with contracts that use as a reference the way the vehicle is driven and the period of use.

In the first case, a device makes, through an application, a report with average speed, dexterity in curves and other factors. In the second, the value is defined by the circulation days. A driver who only drives on weekends will not pay the same insurance as someone who takes his car out of the garage every day.

Do you need to have a car?

Today, the decision to purchase a car is motivated more by convenience than by necessity. This is the assessment made by Fabrizio Gueratto, professor of finance at Faculdade Trevisan and Unisinos. “The car has lost its status as a symbol of success, something that was common for 10 years. Today, young people do not have this quest for freedom through the purchase of a vehicle. The cell phone, much cheaper, fulfills this role. You go anywhere using the mobility apps”.

Before going to a dealership and making a purchase, Gueratto suggests that consumers put on paper all the costs they will have, from the amount invested to those already mentioned above, and compare how much this money can yield a conservative application, an investment in fixed income, for example.

“This valuation of used cars from last year will not be repeated, the tendency is for a devaluation of the vehicle over the years. The expense with the acquisition and maintenance of a vehicle is only valid if the use is above 2 thousand kilometers per month”, he explains.