diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.test.tsx
index 006da4f2725..2820a9dce83 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.test.tsx
@@ -187,10 +187,10 @@ describe("AutoRouterBenchmarksTab", () => {
   });
 
   it.each([
-    { spend: 20665.28, classifier_cost: 342.18, turns: 140815, llm: "$20,323.10", cost: "$342.18" },
-    { spend: 0, classifier_cost: 0, turns: 0, llm: "$0.00", cost: "$0.00" },
-    { spend: 0.002, classifier_cost: 0.0004, turns: 100, llm: "$0.0016", cost: "$0.0004" },
-  ])("shows total classification cost across $turns turns without a per-turn rate", ({ llm, cost, ...values }) => {
+    { spend: 20665.28, classifier_cost: 342.18, turns: 140815, llm: "$20,323.10", cost: "$342.18", rate: "$2.43" },
+    { spend: 0, classifier_cost: 0, turns: 0, llm: "$0.00", cost: "$0.00", rate: "$0.00" },
+    { spend: 0.002, classifier_cost: 0.0004, turns: 100, llm: "$0.0016", cost: "$0.0004", rate: "$0.0040" },
+  ])("shows total classification cost and its rate across $turns turns", ({ llm, cost, rate, ...values }) => {
     const stats = totals({ ...values, saved_spend: 10126.28, baseline_spend: values.spend + 10126.28 });
     mockHook({ data: response([group(stats)], stats) });
     renderTab();
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ describe("AutoRouterBenchmarksTab", () => {
         .map((node) => node.textContent)
         .slice(1, 3),
     ).toEqual([llm, cost]);
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/1K turns/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(`(${rate} / 1K turns)`)).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getAllByText("$10,126.28").length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ describe("AutoRouterBenchmarksTab", () => {
     expect(terms).toEqual([
       "Actual auto-router spend",
       "LLM spend",
-      "Classification cost",
+      "Classification cost($2.00 / 1K turns)",
       "Estimated spend at highest-tier model",
     ]);
     expect(values).toEqual(["$359.86", "$353.71", "$6.15", "$2,534.45"]);
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.tsx
index 33ad1bfe555..ce5ab1c6776 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/AutoRouterBenchmarksTab.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import {
   type BenchmarkView,
   type BucketRow,
 } from "./autoRouterBenchmarks";
-import { formatRangeLabel, usd } from "./costOptimizationUtils";
+import { classificationRatePer1kTurns, formatRangeLabel, usd } from "./costOptimizationUtils";
 import ShadowEvalSection from "./ShadowEvalSection";
 import TierTurnsChart from "./TierTurnsChart";
 import { useAutoRouterBenchmarks } from "./useAutoRouterBenchmarks";
@@ -52,9 +52,17 @@ const Metric: React.FC<{ label: string; value: string; hint?: string }> = ({ lab
   </Card>
 );
 
-const SpendRow: React.FC<{ label: string; value: string; subdued?: boolean }> = ({ label, value, subdued }) => (
+const SpendRow: React.FC<{ label: string; value: string; hint?: string; subdued?: boolean }> = ({
+  label,
+  value,
+  hint,
+  subdued,
+}) => (
   <dl className="flex flex-wrap items-baseline justify-between gap-x-6 gap-y-1 py-2">
-    <dt className="min-w-0 text-sm text-muted-foreground">{label}</dt>
+    <dt className="flex min-w-0 flex-wrap items-baseline gap-x-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+      {label}
+      {hint && <span className="text-xs">{hint}</span>}
+    </dt>
     <dd
       className={`min-w-0 break-all tabular-nums ${subdued ? "text-sm font-normal text-muted-foreground" : "text-base font-semibold text-foreground"}`}
     >
@@ -99,6 +107,11 @@ const HeroCard: React.FC<{ view: BenchmarkView }> = ({ view }) => {
               subdued
               label="Classification cost"
               value={stats.classifier_cost == null ? "Unavailable" : usd(stats.classifier_cost)}
+              hint={
+                stats.classifier_cost == null
+                  ? undefined
+                  : classificationRatePer1kTurns(stats.classifier_cost, stats.turns)
+              }
             />
           </div>
           {stats.classifier_cost == null && (
@@ -277,9 +290,10 @@ const BenchmarksBody: React.FC<BenchmarksBodyProps> = ({ isPending, error, data,
       <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
         Compares your actual routed spend with the estimated cost of using only the most expensive model configured in
         the auto-router. It accounts for both the cache savings from staying on one model and the added cache costs from
-        switching models. Savings are net of recorded LLM classification cost, which is included in actual spend. The
-        range counts whole sessions that overlap it, so totals can differ slightly from the Overall tab, which buckets
-        savings by UTC day.
+        switching models. Savings are net of recorded LLM classification cost, which is included in actual spend.
+        Classification cost per 1K turns is averaged over all auto-router turns, including those that skip
+        classification. The range counts whole sessions that overlap it, so totals can differ slightly from the Overall
+        tab, which buckets savings by UTC day.
       </p>
 
       <div className="space-y-4">
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.test.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.test.ts
index 9a2d7a0b0ec..5d2c48e6440 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.test.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   SAVINGS_DRIVERS,
   SAVINGS_SERIES,
   buildDailyToolSeries,
+  classificationRatePer1kTurns,
   computeCacheLeakage,
   formatRangeLabel,
   isAnthropicModel,
@@ -401,6 +402,23 @@ describe("usd", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("classificationRatePer1kTurns", () => {
+  it("normalizes total classification cost to one thousand turns", () => {
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(342.18, 140815)).toBe("($2.43 / 1K turns)");
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(0.0004, 100)).toBe("($0.0040 / 1K turns)");
+  });
+
+  it("shows a floor instead of rounding a real cost down to zero", () => {
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(0.00001, 1000)).toBe("(<$0.0001 / 1K turns)");
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(0.0001, 1000)).toBe("($0.0001 / 1K turns)");
+  });
+
+  it("reports zero when there are no turns or no classification cost", () => {
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(0, 0)).toBe("($0.00 / 1K turns)");
+    expect(classificationRatePer1kTurns(0, 100)).toBe("($0.00 / 1K turns)");
+  });
+});
+
 describe("savings driver colours", () => {
   it("keeps a driver's colour when a driver above it is filtered out", () => {
     // Charts colour by position in the data they are given, and the donut is given
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.ts
index 7019b0d3301..464c779aa2b 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/app/(dashboard)/cost-optimization/_components/costOptimizationUtils.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ export const usd = (value: number): string => {
   return `${value < 0 ? "-" : ""}$${formatNumberWithCommas(magnitude, decimals)}`;
 };
 
+export const classificationRatePer1kTurns = (classifierCost: number, turns: number): string => {
+  if (turns <= 0) return `(${usd(0)} / 1K turns)`;
+  const rate = (classifierCost * 1000) / turns;
+  if (rate > 0 && rate < 0.0001) return "(<$0.0001 / 1K turns)";
+  return `(${usd(rate)} / 1K turns)`;
+};
+
 export const pct = (ratio: number): string => `${formatNumberWithCommas(ratio * 100, 1)}%`;
 
 export const shortDate = (iso: string): string =>
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/templates/KeyAutoRouterUsageTab.integration.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/templates/KeyAutoRouterUsageTab.integration.test.tsx
index be95c0e600d..1f6a67b27ac 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/templates/KeyAutoRouterUsageTab.integration.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/templates/KeyAutoRouterUsageTab.integration.test.tsx
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ describe("KeyAutoRouterUsageTab", () => {
     expect(screen.getByText("$1.00")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Classification cost")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("$0.2500")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/1K turns/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("($62.50 / 1K turns)")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Estimated spend at highest-tier model")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("$10.00")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Auto-router prompt caching")).toBeInTheDocument();