{"id":3424,"date":"2026-03-13T10:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/?p=3424"},"modified":"2026-03-13T10:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:52:29","slug":"can-car-repairs-be-tax-deductible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/can-car-repairs-be-tax-deductible\/","title":{"rendered":"Can car repairs be tax deductible?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are self-employed, a freelancer, or a business owner and use your car for work, some repair costs may be tax-deductible. Repairs such as brake replacements, engine fixes, tire changes, or oil changes can qualify if they are needed to keep the car running for business use. However, you can only deduct the part that is related to business purposes. For example, if you use your car 60% for work and 40% for personal use, then only 60% of the repair cost can be deducted.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">You can also opt for the standard mileage deduction, which provides a set rate per mile instead of claiming individual repair costs. When using the standard mileage method, repair expenses\u00a0generally cannot\u00a0be deducted separately because they are already included in the mileage rate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Employees who use their personal cars for work typically cannot deduct repair costs under current federal tax rules.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">What counts as a \u201crepair\u201d for tax deduction?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Deductible repairs:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Repairs that keep the car in working order, such as replacing a radiator, fixing brakes, or changing the oil, are tax-deductible.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Non-deductible improvements:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Changes that are expensive and intended to extend the car&#8217;s long-term life are considered improvements and are usually not deductible.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are self-employed, a freelancer, or a business owner and use your car for work, some repair costs may be tax-deductible. Repairs such as brake replacements, engine fixes, tire changes, or oil changes can qualify if they are needed to keep the car running for business use. However, you can only deduct the part&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/can-car-repairs-be-tax-deductible\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Can car repairs be tax deductible?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-auto-refinance","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can car repairs be tax deductible?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Car repairs are not tax deductible for personal vehicles, but business use may qualify. 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