🚗 TrueCostAuto Help Center

Car ownership is more than just the sticker price—it’s about knowing your true Total Cost of Ownership.
Welcome to the TrueCostAuto Help Center! Whether you are shopping for your very first car, deciding between an EV and a gas vehicle, or forecasting your driving expenses over the coming years, our practical and accessible guides will empower you to become a smart, confident car buyer.

📑 Core Guide Navigation

	01. Quick Start Guide Essential foundations when launching TrueCostAuto for the first time. • What problems TrueCostAuto solves for you • What is vehicle Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) • Configuring country/region and billing preferences • Add your first vehicle in 3 easy steps • Launch your first deep-dive TCO health check

	02. Garage & Vehicle Management Build and maintain your candidate vehicle garage. • Adding, editing, and removing vehicles • Configuration essentials for EV, ICE, and PHEV/EREV • Key differences and tax rules between new and used cars • On-road price, taxes, subsidies, and auto loans • Projecting annual mileage and ownership duration

03. TCO Cost Analysis & Insights Uncover hidden expenses beneath the surface and reveal your true bill. • TCO dashboard and 4 high-frequency metrics (per-mile/km, monthly, daily, on-road) • Annual operating costs: fuel/electricity, insurance, maintenance, tolls & parking • Depreciation and residual value actuarial modeling • Upfront on-road acquisition expenses and statutory taxes • Opportunity cost of tied-up cash vs. financing interest • Real-world consumption and efficiency analysis • 13 subjective factors & annual cost distribution donut chart • 5-dimensional cost health radar & optimal replacement timing curve

04. Vehicle Comparison & Decision Analysis Compare multiple shortlisted vehicles side by side to find the most cost-effective and satisfying match. • Side-by-side multi-vehicle PK comparison dashboard • Proprietary Purchase Recommendability Score (PRS): balancing rational savings and subjective preferences • 65+ objective metric matrix with support for custom factors • Mileage vs. annual cost sensitivity analysis: finding the EV breakeven point • Mileage vs. lifetime cumulative TCO sensitivity trend • Stacked cost component bar charts by mileage (fuel, depreciation, insurance, etc.) • One-click high-resolution summary export for sharing with friends and advisors

05. Regional Presets & Preferences Align calculations with your local driving environment and living habits for maximum precision. • Built-in presets for 20+ countries and regions worldwide • Customizable currency symbols and units (km vs. miles, L vs. gal, kWh) • Baseline fuel prices, electricity tariffs, and highway toll rates • Opportunity cost rate, loan interest rates, and 3 powertrain depreciation models • Value-for-money weighting balance and adding custom factors via ”+ Add Factor” • Complete decoupling of interface display language from country/region settings

06. Data Management & Settings Center Protect your personal privacy and migrate your vehicle records with complete peace of mind. • Multi-language support (10+ languages) and Dark/Light appearance modes • 100% local on-device storage: total privacy for vehicle financial records • Ultra-compact backup engine: 70% storage reduction • Seamless device restore: dynamic recomputation using the latest actuarial model • Lifetime purchase vs. subscription management with one-tap purchase restore • 7-day offline grace period and one-tap email technical support (with auto-attached debug diagnostics)

07. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Authoritative answers to the 9 most common questions from car buyers. • Differences between True Net Cost and everyday cash outflow perceptions • Where to centrally adjust fuel, electricity, and toll rates (Presets) • Three independent powertrain depreciation models and three-stage residual value calculations • How PRS scoring works and extending it with ”+ Add Factor” • Winter EV range attainment and PHEV electric driving ratio adjustments • Accurately pinpointing the EV/PHEV financial breakeven mileage during side-by-side PK • Device migration purchase restore and ultra-compact backup mechanism • 100% offline computing, 7-day offline grace period, and email technical support

📖 Complete Manual & Detailed Reference

If you prefer a continuous, in-depth operating manual, explore our comprehensive technical guide:

• 📘 TrueCostAuto Full User Manual: Complete end-to-end user manual covering UI walk-throughs, field definitions, four-step TCO actuarial formulas, and vehicle comparison methodologies.

💡 Make Every Car Purchase Your Smartest Decision

The sticker price is just the beginning. TrueCostAuto cuts through marketing noise to unveil your complete financial commitment across the entire ownership lifecycle, empowering you to choose a vehicle that fits your budget and elevates your driving life.

Compare intelligently, calculate true costs, and drive forward with confidence.