Whether you’re looking for a conventionally powered car or an electrified ride, it pays to look beyond a new vehicle’s sticker price and consider its total cost of ownership to ensure you’re getting the best deal over the long haul.
We’re featuring estimates for what are expected to be the cheapest-to-own electric vehicles for 2019, based on five-year cost data provided by the valuation authorities at Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.com.
The biggest ownership expense for any vehicle is one that’s too-often overlooked, namely depreciation. It’s especially critical when shopping for an EV in that they’ve tended to suffer from below-average resale values because of the federal one-time tax credit that effectively cuts the transaction price by as much as $7,500, along with other factors. That situation is beginning to change, however, as new models that can run for more than 200 miles on a charge are predicted to hold onto their values more tenaciously.
Be aware that this factor is just as critical if you’re among the many EV aficionados who lease instead of buying a vehicle outright. That’s because lease payments are largely based on the difference between a vehicle’s transaction price and what it’s expected to be worth at the end of the contract.
Insurance premiums are also a bit higher among electric cars than other vehicle types. That’s largely because they can cost more to repair after getting into a wreck because of their pricey battery packs.
On the other hand, EV owners tend to come out ahead in terms of powering their rides. It costs far less to keep an electric car charged than to keep a gas tank filled. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency, says a Nissan Leaf that gets the equivalent of 112 miles per gallon (expressed as “MPGe”) will cost an average owner $500 a year in electricity costs. That’s $5,000 less than it would take to run the average new vehicle for five years at 15,000 miles driven annually.
An electric car is also cheaper to maintain. An EV doesn’t require fluid changes or tune-ups, and there are fewer moving parts that would eventually fail and need replacing. EVs use a simple one-speed transmission and eliminate wear-and-tear items like spark plugs, valves, muffler/tailpipe, distributor, starter, clutch, drive belts, hoses, and a catalytic converter. What’s more, an EV‘s warranty covers the battery pack for at least 8 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first).
All of the models in our list are eligible for a one-time $7,500 federal tax credit with the exception of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The Bolt’s incentive is being phased out since General Motors reached 200,000 total sales of EV and plug-in hybrids last year. It’s currently $3,750, but will drop to $1,875 on October 1, and is scheduled to go away altogether on March 31, 2020.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) and five-year ownership cost predictions for each vehicle in the slideshow are for base models without options, taxes, and registration fees, but include the mandatory destination charge. It should be noted that five-year-ownership cost data is not yet available for some recently introduced models including the Honda Clarity Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, and the Tesla Model 3.