Buying a new car is a complicated process. There’s more to it than just figuring out the final purchase price and how much you’ll be paying each month. Along with pride of ownership comes costs. And some of them aren’t as readily apparent as your loan payment, insurance bill, or fuel costs. Regular and unscheduled maintenance costs can take some time to surface. But perhaps the biggest single item that affects what you’ll pay over the time you own your vehicle is depreciation. It’s a big number that doesn’t hit most owners until the time comes to sell it or trade it in.
Kelley Blue Book has you covered when it comes time to calculate all these costs. It starts with the Fair Purchase Price you may expect to pay and goes right through to the resale or trade-in value when it comes time for your next one. While you can find these individual numbers using the various tools on KBB.com, there’s one measure, Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own, that neatly ties all these figures together. Our projected 5-Year Cost to Own data is the basis for these awards.
While most of the numbers, like expected fuel costs, insurance, maintenance, and repairs, are easy to digest, it’s the depreciation component that should be a critical element in your car buying decision. The value of your vehicle on the resale market can have a major impact on your overall expenses. That low initial price of a low trim vehicle may look good out the door, but a buyer of one with more features — or even a competing model with lower depreciation — may come out ahead when all is said and done.
That’s why Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own Awards can be a valuable addition to your new car shopping tool kit. We’ve identified the brands and individual models across a wide range of vehicle classes that perform the best when it comes to protecting your investment in transportation.
Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own Brands
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Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own BrandToyota’s brand is based on quality first, which leads to reliability and durability. Read more |
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Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own Luxury BrandLexus pays careful attention to detail and offers quality and luxury at a value price. Read more |
2021 Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own SUVs
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2021 Hyundai VenueBest Subcompact SUV |
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2021 Subaru ForesterBest Compact SUV |
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2021 Subaru OutbackBest 2-Row Midsize SUV |
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2021 Subaru AscentBest 3-Row Midsize SUV |
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2021 Jeep Wrangler 2-DoorBest Off-Road SUV |
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2021 Nissan ArmadaBest Full-Size SUV |
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2021 Lexus UXBest Subcompact Luxury SUV |
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2021 Lexus NXBest Compact Luxury SUV |
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2021 Lexus RXBest 2-Row Midsize Luxury SUV |
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2021 Volvo XC90Best 3-Row Midsize Luxury SUV |
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2021 Infiniti QX80Best Full-Size Luxury SUV |
2021 Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own Cars
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2021 Hyundai ElantraBest Compact Car |
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2021 Volkswagen PassatBest Midsize Car |
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2021 Dodge ChargerBest Full-Size Car |
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2021 Mazda MX-5 MiataBest Sports Car |
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2021 Acura ILXBest Entry-Level Luxury Car |
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2021 Volvo S90Best Luxury Car |
2021 Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own Trucks, EVs, Minivan
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2021 Toyota Corolla HybridBest Hybrid Car |
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2021 Nissan LeafBest Electric Vehicle |
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2021 Chrysler VoyagerBest Minivan |
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2021 Ford RangerBest Midsize Pickup Truck |
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2021 Ford F-150Best Full-Size Pickup Truck |
About the 5-Year Cost to Own Awards
Our 5-Year Cost to Own projections comes from data developed by Kelley Blue Book analysts who calculate projected resale value while taking into consideration insurance costs and state fees, plus fuel, maintenance and repair outlays. Underlying these projections are the vehicle’s initial cost as calculated from KBB’s Fair Purchase Price. These data points are determined at the model level and are sales-weighted, with popular trims given greater influence so that average buyers have a better idea of what to expect from the ownership experience.
The data-generated 5-Year Cost to Own Awards is a powerful tool that shoppers can use in evaluating a new vehicle purchase. By making an informed decision, you’ll be spending your transportation dollars wisely with benefits that will accrue over the life of your ownership experience.
