If you drive for work — whether you’re delivering food, driving rideshare, visiting clients, or running errands for your freelance business — your vehicle costs are one of the biggest deductions available to you. But the IRS doesn’t just hand you one way to claim it. You get to choose between two methods: the standard mileage rate and actual expenses.

Picking the wrong one could mean leaving hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on the table. Let’s break down both methods so you can make the right call for 2026.

The Two Methods at a Glance

Feature Standard Mileage Rate Actual Expenses
2026 rate $0.70 per mile Varies by vehicle
Tracking required Mileage log only All receipts + mileage log
Includes gas, insurance, repairs Yes (bundled into rate) Yes (itemized separately)
Depreciation Built into rate Claimed separately
Best for High-mileage, low-cost vehicles Expensive vehicles or high repair costs
Complexity Low High

How the Standard Mileage Rate Works

This is the simpler option. For 2026, the IRS standard mileage rate is $0.70 per business mile. You multiply your total business miles by $0.70, and that’s your deduction. Done.

The rate is designed to cover the “average” cost of operating a vehicle — gas, oil, insurance, repairs, registration, depreciation, and lease payments are all baked in. The only things you can deduct on top of the standard rate are parking fees and tolls directly related to business use.

What you need to track:

How the Actual Expenses Method Works

With this method, you add up every single cost of operating your vehicle for the year, then multiply by your business-use percentage. If you drove 15,000 miles total and 10,000 were for business, your business-use percentage is 66.7%.

Expenses you can include:

You still need to track your mileage to calculate the business-use percentage, and you need receipts for every expense. It’s more work, but the payoff can be significant — especially if you drive a newer or more expensive vehicle.

The Year-One Lock-In Rule

This is the rule most people don’t know about until it’s too late. If you use the actual expenses method in the first year you use a vehicle for business, you are locked into actual expenses for the life of that vehicle. You can never switch to the standard mileage rate for that car.

However, if you start with the standard mileage rate in year one, you can switch to actual expenses in a later year (though you’ll use straight-line depreciation instead of MACRS). The standard mileage rate gives you more flexibility, which is why many tax pros recommend starting there if you’re unsure.

Example 1: Standard Mileage Rate Wins

Meet Sarah. She drives a 2020 Honda Civic for her freelance photography business. The car is paid off, reliable, and cheap to maintain.

Sarah’s Numbers: 18,000 Business Miles

Standard Mileage Rate
18,000 miles × $0.70 $12,600
Actual Expenses (75% business use)
Gas ($2,400 × 75%) $1,800
Insurance ($1,400 × 75%) $1,050
Maintenance ($600 × 75%) $450
Registration ($200 × 75%) $150
Depreciation ($1,800 × 75%) $1,350
Actual expenses total $4,800

Standard mileage rate saves Sarah $7,800 more in deductions.

Sarah drives a lot of miles in an inexpensive car. The standard rate overwhelmingly wins because the $0.70-per-mile rate is generous relative to her low actual costs.

Example 2: Actual Expenses Win

Now meet David. He drives a 2024 Ford F-150 for his contracting business. He has a monthly truck payment and higher fuel costs.

David’s Numbers: 10,000 Business Miles

Standard Mileage Rate
10,000 miles × $0.70 $7,000
Actual Expenses (80% business use)
Gas ($4,200 × 80%) $3,360
Insurance ($2,200 × 80%) $1,760
Loan interest ($1,800 × 80%) $1,440
Repairs ($1,500 × 80%) $1,200
Depreciation ($6,000 × 80%) $4,800
Registration ($350 × 80%) $280
Actual expenses total $12,840

Actual expenses save David $5,840 more in deductions.

David drives fewer miles but in a much more expensive vehicle with high depreciation. Actual expenses win decisively because his per-mile costs far exceed $0.70.

When to Use Each Method

Choose the standard mileage rate if:

Choose actual expenses if:

Pro Tip: Run Both Calculations

You can’t use both methods at the same time, but nothing stops you from calculating both at the end of the year and picking whichever gives you the bigger deduction (as long as you haven’t locked yourself into actual expenses from a prior year). Track your mileage and your expenses all year, then decide at tax time.

Don’t Forget: Parking and Tolls

Regardless of which method you choose, you can always deduct parking fees and tolls for business trips on top of your vehicle deduction. Airport parking for a client meeting, toll roads on your delivery route, metered parking at a gig — all of it counts. Keep those receipts.

The Bottom Line

For most gig workers and freelancers driving modest vehicles, the standard mileage rate at $0.70 per mile in 2026 is hard to beat — it’s simple, generous, and keeps your options open. But if you drive an expensive vehicle or have unusually high operating costs, the actual expenses method could save you significantly more.

The only wrong choice is not claiming the deduction at all. Either way, the key is tracking your mileage consistently from day one.

See How Mileage Affects Your Tax Bill

Plug your income and deductions into TallyO’s free tax calculator to see how much your vehicle deduction actually saves you.

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This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, financial, or legal advice. I am not a tax or financial services professional. Please consult a qualified tax professional, CPA, or financial advisor for guidance specific to your situation.