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Understanding Each Input
The 8 questions you answer directly shape the scoring weights and filter logic. Here's what each one does under the hood.
$Budget
Your budget sets a hard ceiling — vehicles priced above 115% of your stated budget are excluded. There's also a tiered budget floor that scales up with your budget, so a $150K budget won't surface a $51K vehicle as your "top pick" just because it has the lowest running cost. The floor rises from 0% (under $30K) up to 50% of budget at $120K+.
If you're open to used vehicles, set your budget lower. The dataset includes six 2022 used models that often beat newer alternatives on value.
PProvince
Province affects three live calculations: fuel price, insurance multiplier, and EV incentive — applied to every vehicle's 5-year TCO.
BC
$1.85/L fuel
$4,000 EV incentive
AB
$1.45/L fuel
No EV incentive
ON
$1.60/L fuel
$5,000 EV incentive
QC
$1.65/L fuel
$7,000 EV incentive
MB
$1.50/L fuel
$2,500 EV incentive
SK
$1.48/L fuel
No EV incentive
NS
$1.72/L fuel
$3,000 EV incentive
OTHER
$1.60/L fuel
$2,000 EV incentive
QC has the highest EV incentive in Canada ($7,000). If you're in QC, an EV's effective purchase price drops significantly — this shows up clearly in your TCO and in the EV vs Hybrid breakeven chart.
KMAnnual KM & Driving Type
Annual KM is the biggest variable in fuel cost:
Fuel Cost = (Annual KM × Consumption / 100) × Fuel Price × Years
Driving type affects the Fit Score: city drivers benefit from EVs and hybrids (regenerative braking), highway drivers benefit from lower fuel consumption per km on gas engines. Above 25,000 km/year, the engine automatically increases the weight of cost efficiency.
Not sure of your exact KM? Check your car insurance renewal — it asks this annually. Or divide your last odometer reading by years owned.
❄Cold Climate
Answering Yes increases the Climate Fit score for AWD-equipped vehicles and penalises vehicles without AWD — except for Sports/Performance vehicles, which get a reduced penalty since RWD sports cars are a known, intentional choice. In the EV vs Hybrid tab, it also triggers a cold-weather warning about EV range loss (20–40% in winter) and home charger costs.
If you're in MB, SK, AB, or northern ON/QC — always select Yes. The AWD boost is substantial and reflects real-world winter driving needs.
→Body Type
Choose from Sedan, SUV/Crossover, Truck, Sports/Performance, or No Preference. Sports/Performance covers the Corvette, Mustang GT, Subaru WRX, Toyota GR86, Porsche 911, and BMW M4 — vehicles scored for driving enjoyment, not just cost efficiency.
⚖Priority
Priority shifts the scoring weights dynamically:
| Priority | Cost | Reliability | Fit | Risk | Resale |
|---|
| Balanced | 30% | 25% | 20% | 15% | 10% |
| Cost First | 40%+ | 20% | 15% | 15% | 5% |
| Reliability | 25% | 35%+ | 15% | 15% | 10% |
| Comfort | 25% | 25% | 30%+ | 10% | 5% |
Try running the engine twice — once on Balanced and once on your real priority. Compare the results. The difference often reveals which vehicles are genuinely versatile across every dimension.
YROwnership Years
Multiplies every recurring cost (fuel, insurance, maintenance) and determines how far out resale value is calculated. A 3-year horizon favours low-depreciation vehicles. A 10-year horizon rewards low-maintenance vehicles like Toyota and Lexus.
If you're leasing, use 3 years. If you're buying to keep, use 7–10. The difference in TCO rankings between 3yr and 10yr ownership can be dramatic.