Compact Cars With the Lowest Ownership Costs
Most car shoppers don't realize that the true cost of a vehicle is much larger than the initial price paid. It includes things such as depreciation, fuel, insurance, repair and maintenance.
Over a five year period, a vehicle's ownership costs will easily outweigh the actual price you paid for it.
Kelly Blue Book, a leading provider of vehicle pricing information, released their rankings of ownership costs for compact cars and SUVs.
The winner in the compact car segment was the Toyota Corolla, with a total 5 year ownership cost of $32,811 - nearly $1,500 less expensive than the runner up.
For the compact SUV segment, the Hyundai Tucson achieved the number one ranking.
5 Year Ownership Costs: Compact Cars
Rank |
Model |
Five-Year Total Cost of Ownership |
1 |
Toyota Corolla |
$32,811 |
2 |
Hyundai Elantra |
$34,123 |
3 |
Chevrolet Cruze |
$34,705 |
4 |
Honda Civic |
$36,344 |
5 |
Ford Focus |
$36,591 |
6 |
Volkswagen Jetta |
$36,865 |
5 Year Ownership Costs: Compact SUVs
Rank |
Model |
Five-Year Total Cost of Ownership |
1 |
Hyundai Tucson |
$38,735 |
2 |
Honda CR-V |
$40,515 |
3 |
Nissan Rogue |
$41,050 |
4 |
Toyota RAV4 |
$42,004 |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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