Depreciation costs on the average sedan have climbed just modestly this year, according to the latest “Your Driving Costs” study released by AAA, which said this uptick may actually stem from the new-vehicle sales improvements.

Specifically, the average annual depreciation cost on a sedan is now $3,572, a 0.78-percent increase.  Compare that to a year ago, when depreciation expenses dipped 4.9 percent and helped to offset rising overall ownership costs.

“This change may be a consequence of recovering new-vehicle sales, resulting in more used cars available in the marketplace and thus the softening of the resale value of clean older models,” AAA indicated.

Overall, AAA indicated that the average cost to own and operate a sedan in the U.S. was up nearly 2 percent this year. Per mile, it cost 60.8 cents — which represents an annual cost of $9,122 (based on 15,000 miles driven per year).

AAA uses its proprietary methodology to determine these costs. The study considers variable operating costs (including fuel, maintenance and repair, and tires) and factors in fixed ownership costs (including insurance, license and registration fees, taxes, depreciation and finance charges).

AAA bases its ownership cost calculations on a new-vehicle purchase driven more than five years and 75,000 miles.

“Many factors go into the cost calculation of owning and operating a vehicle,” said John Nielsen, AAA director of automotive engineering and repair. “This year, changes in maintenance, fuel and insurance costs resulted in the increase to just over 60 cents a mile.”

Breaking down those costs, AAA indicated that maintenance expenses were up 11.26 percent at 4.97 cents per mile, and insurance costs came in at an annual average of $1,029 (up 2.76 percent). Gas costs were up 1.93 percent at 14.45 cents per mile.

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.