# Total Cost of Ownership API

> Estimated costs of owning a vehicle, including taxes, fees, and other expenses, based on a given VIN.

Total Cost of Ownership estimates what a vehicle will cost to own, by VIN and ZIP code, in total and year by year: depreciation, insurance, maintenance, repairs, fuel, finance interest, taxes and fees, and the average cost per mile. Send GET /tco/{vin} with your API key. It costs $0.06 per call on Growth, or $0.04 on Scale.

## Endpoint

`GET https://api.auto.dev/tco/{vin}`

- `vin` (path): 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (letters and digits, excluding I, O, and Q). Format: `[A-HJ-NPR-Z0-9]{17}`.
- `zip` (query, optional): ZIP code (auto-detected from the caller's location when omitted).
- `fromZip` (query, optional): Origin ZIP code.

Authenticate with `Authorization: Bearer <key>`, `?apiKey=<key>` or `X-API-Key: <key>`.

```sh
curl "https://api.auto.dev/tco/1GYKPDRSXSZ102995?zip=76548" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AUTODEV_API_KEY"
```

## What it returns

- Five-year total
- Cost per year
- Depreciation
- Insurance, maintenance and repairs
- Fuel and finance interest
- Cost per mile

Response:

```json
{
  "vehicle": {
    "vin": "1GYKPDRSXSZ102995",
    "year": 2025,
    "make": "Cadillac",
    "model": "XT6",
    "manufacturer": "General Motors LLC"
  },
  "zip": "76548",
  "tco": {
    "total": {
      "federalTaxCredit": 0,
      "insurance": 8505,
      "maintenance": 6695,
      "repairs": 1881,
      "taxesAndFees": 4067,
      "financeInterest": 11134,
      "depreciation": 34660,
      "fuel": 10950,
      "tcoPrice": 77892,
      "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
    },
    "years": {
      "1": {
        "insurance": 1586,
        "maintenance": 546,
        "repairs": 0,
        "taxesAndFees": 3823,
        "financeInterest": 3814,
        "depreciation": 14166,
        "fuel": 2063,
        "tcoPrice": 25998,
        "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
      },
      "2": {
        "insurance": 1642,
        "maintenance": 918,
        "repairs": 0,
        "taxesAndFees": 61,
        "financeInterest": 3078,
        "depreciation": 5800,
        "fuel": 2124,
        "tcoPrice": 13623,
        "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
      },
      "3": {
        "insurance": 1699,
        "maintenance": 735,
        "repairs": 0,
        "taxesAndFees": 61,
        "financeInterest": 2286,
        "depreciation": 4739,
        "fuel": 2188,
        "tcoPrice": 11708,
        "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
      },
      "4": {
        "insurance": 1758,
        "maintenance": 2515,
        "repairs": 745,
        "taxesAndFees": 61,
        "financeInterest": 1436,
        "depreciation": 5313,
        "fuel": 2254,
        "tcoPrice": 14082,
        "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
      },
      "5": {
        "insurance": 1820,
        "maintenance": 1981,
        "repairs": 1136,
        "taxesAndFees": 61,
        "financeInterest": 520,
        "depreciation": 4642,
        "fuel": 2321,
        "tcoPrice": 12481,
        "averageCostPerMile": 1.04
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Pricing

- Free: not available on this plan, 5 requests per second
- Growth: $0.06 per call, 10 requests per second
- Scale: $0.04 per call, 50 requests per second

## Use it from an AI agent

Hosted MCP server (recommended): https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp, named `auto-dev`. Sign-in is OAuth on first use, so agents never handle an API key.

- Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http auto-dev https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`. Then run /mcp in Claude Code and choose Authenticate for auto-dev.
- Claude Desktop: In Settings, open Connectors, choose Add Custom Connector, name it auto-dev and paste https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp, then sign in
- Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json): `{"mcpServers":{"auto-dev":{"url":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. Restart Cursor. Sign-in opens on the first tool call.
- VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json): `{"servers":{"auto-dev":{"type":"http","url":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. For Copilot agent mode, VS Code 1.99 or later. Sign-in opens on first use.
- Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json): `{"mcpServers":{"auto-dev":{"serverUrl":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. Restart Windsurf. Sign-in opens on the first tool call.
- Grok Bot: send `Add a custom MCP server called auto-dev at https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`. Confirm, then choose Authorize and sign in. Type @auto-dev in a chat to use it.
- Muse: send `Connect Auto.dev`. Or open Settings, then Connectors, and choose Connect next to Auto.dev. Sign in when asked.
- ChatGPT and dots: At chatgpt.com/plugins, choose + and Add custom MCP server, paste https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp and choose OAuth, then Create as a plugin. Your dot uses the same plugin

Or install the `auto` CLI, the local MCP server (`auto --mcp`) and the JavaScript SDK in one package:

```sh
npm install -g @auto.dev/sdk
auto login
auto mcp install
```

- Agent skill: `npx skills add drivly/auto-dev-skill`

This API is the `auto_tco` MCP tool. From the terminal: `auto tco 1GYKPDRSXSZ102995 --zip 76548`

## Questions

### What does the Total Cost of Ownership API return?

Five-year total, cost per year, depreciation, insurance, maintenance and repairs, fuel and finance interest, cost per mile. Every response is JSON from `https://api.auto.dev/tco/{vin}`.

### How much does the Total Cost of Ownership API cost?

Total Cost of Ownership is available from the Growth plan. It costs $0.06 per call on Growth and $0.04 per call on Scale, on top of the plan's subscription.

### How do I call the Total Cost of Ownership API?

Send `GET /tco/{vin}` to `api.auto.dev` with your API key as a Bearer token in the `Authorization` header, or as an `apiKey` query parameter. The path takes `vin`, the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (letters and digits, excluding I, O, and Q).

### What are the rate limits for Total Cost of Ownership?

Rate limits follow your plan: 5 requests per second on Free, 10 on Growth and 50 on Scale. Total Cost of Ownership needs Growth or above.

### Can AI agents use the Total Cost of Ownership API?

Yes. Connect the hosted MCP server, `https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`, and agents such as Claude Code and Cursor call it as the `auto_tco` tool, signing in with OAuth instead of an API key. Or run it locally: `npm install -g @auto.dev/sdk`, then `auto login` and `auto mcp install`.

## Related APIs

- [Interest Rates](https://www.auto.dev/interest-rates.md): Real-time automotive financing rates and lending information.
- [Vehicle Payments](https://www.auto.dev/vehicle-payments.md): Calculate monthly payments, financing options, and payment estimates.
- [Taxes & Fees](https://www.auto.dev/taxes-fees.md): Registration fees, taxes, and location-specific vehicle costs.

## References

- Docs: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/total-cost-ownership
- OpenAPI: https://www.auto.dev/openapi.json (JSON), https://www.auto.dev/openapi.yaml (YAML)
- llms.txt: https://www.auto.dev/llms.txt
- Pricing: https://www.auto.dev/pricing
- Sign up: https://www.auto.dev/signin?redirectUrl=%2Fonboarding