SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–High gas prices, the housing crisis and general economic uncertainty are motivating consumers to look for the least expensive cars to own and operate. A new study by Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, indicates that many compact and subcompact vehicles are actually better choices than hybrids for consumers looking to save money. The data also suggests that only one hybrid, the Honda Civic Hybrid, would break into the top ten least expensive vehicles if gas prices were to increase to $5 per gallon. The results are based on Edmunds.com’s True Cost to Own^SM data, which accounts for total vehicle costs over a five-year period.

Unlike some other analyses that look only at fuel economy and sticker price, including one released by Consumer Reports last week, the True Cost to Own^SM study incorporates projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs, consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs. When all of the factors are considered, some popular vehicles look considerably less appealing on a cost-per-mile basis than their fuel economy would suggest.

“When consumers think about cars that will save them money, hybrids are typically top of mind because of their fuel efficiency,” said Jesse Toprak, Edmunds.com Executive Director of Industry Analysis. “But when you take a look at the real-world costs of car ownership, you realize that many subcompact and compact cars are actually a much better value proposition.”

The study evaluated the True Cost to Own^SM of vehicles assuming gas prices of $4.06 (the national average on June 23), $5 and $6. With gas prices at $4.06 per gallon, the standard model Toyota Prius costs owners $0.50 per mile — ranking 33^rd among all vehicles. The top-seeded Chevrolet Aveo, on the other hand, costs $0.42 per mile, resulting in annual savings of $1,200 to consumers who choose the Aveo over a Prius. In the event gas prices rise to $5 or $6 per gallon, the Aveo remains in the top spot and the Prius moves to positions 25 and 17 respectively.

The following are the 10 least expensive vehicles to own (all 2008 models):

Cost-Per-Mile: Least Expensive Vehicles to Own
Make		Model		Style		Cost-Per-Mile at $4.06 Per Gallon	Rank	Cost-Per-Mile at $5 Per Gallon	Rank	Cost-Per-Mile at $6 Per Gallon	Rank
Chevrolet		Aveo		5 Special Value 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M)		$0.427	1	$0.461	1	$0.496	1
Hyundai		Accent		GS 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M)		$0.430	2	$0.463	2	$0.498	2
Honda		Fit		4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl 5M)		$0.442	3	$0.474	3	$0.507	4
Toyota		Yaris		2dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl 5M)		$0.445	4	$0.475	4	$0.507	3
Honda		Civic		DX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)		$0.455	5	$0.488	5	$0.522	5
Nissan		Versa		1.8 S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6M)		$0.458	6	$0.492	6	$0.529	7
Mazda		MAZDA3		i Sport 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)		$0.463	7	$0.498	8	$0.535	11
Kia		Rio		4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)		$0.464	8	$0.497	7	$0.533	9
Scion		xB		4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 5M)		$0.467	9	$0.506	12	$0.548	17
Toyota		Corolla		CE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)		$0.468	10	$0.498	9	$0.530	8

The following are the 10 least expensive hybrid vehicles to own (all 2008 models):

Cost-Per-Mile: Hybrids1
Make		Model		Style		Cost-Per-Mile at $4.06 Per Gallon	Rank	Cost-Per-Mile at $5 Per Gallon	Rank	Cost-Per-Mile at $6 Per Gallon	Rank
Honda		Civic Hybrid		Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.476	14	$0.499	10	$0.524	6
Toyota		Prius		Standard 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.503	34	$0.525	26	$0.548	18
Nissan		Altima Hybrid		4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.540	66	$0.569	59	$0.601	54
Chevrolet		Malibu		Hybrid 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 4A)		$0.563	81	$0.598	78	$0.635	76
Ford		Escape Hybrid		4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.583	94	$0.615	86	$0.649	80
Mercury		Mariner Hybrid		4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.596	102	$0.628	98	$0.662	89
Toyota		Camry Hybrid		Hybrid 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.630	134	$0.660	118	$0.691	106
Mercury		Mariner Hybrid		4dr SUV AWD (2.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.634	136	$0.670	133	$0.709	122
Toyota		Highlander Hybrid		4dr SUV AWD (3.3L 6cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.725	190	$0.764	190	$0.806	182
Lexus		RX 400h		4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)		$0.897	260	$0.937	260	$0.980	256

¹ The Edmunds.com study takes into account the federal tax credits when applicable.

“Many consumers neglect to consider total ownership costs when deciding which vehicle to buy,” said Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor for Edmunds.com. “Shoppers should look beyond fuel economy and consider the big picture when determining how a vehicle purchase will fit into their household budget.”

Edmunds.com’s True Cost to Own^SM calculations make the following assumptions:

• Ownership expenses are for a five-year time span
• Vehicles are driven 15,000 miles per year
• Vehicles are financed using traditional financing and not leased
• Buyers pay 10 percent down on the vehicle
• Buyers are in the “Gold” credit tier for the purpose of determining the finance rate
• The loan term is 60 months
• Buyers represent the average demographic in their state for insurance rates

Edmunds.com True Cost to Own^SM is available at no charge to Web site visitors, and provides ownership costs regionally for both new and used vehicles. The True Cost to Own^SM tool is available at http://www.edmunds.com/apps/cto/CTOintroController.

Tags: hybrid car

This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 10:01 am and is filed under hybrid car. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.