[redpoint5]

I ran 20 different cars through my vehicle cost of ownership spreadsheet and the results are interesting. I assumed a 10 year ownership, and for the most part held variables like registration, maintenance, and insurance consistent. The variables I customized for each vehicle was purchase price, sell price, and fuel economy.

Out of 20 vehicles, by far the cheapest to own for 10 years is a 2001 Honda Insight - manual gearbox. It has a 10 year cost of $14,600. Interestingly, a 2000 Nissan Sentra or 2005 Toyota Corolla is in the middle of the pack at $23,000 for 10 years of ownership. The 2011 Nissan Leaf SV came in as the 2nd cheapest car to own at $18,500.

Even driving a cheap old beater that gets relatively good gas mileage won't save you money over 10 years of driving compared to a 2011 Leaf.

Of course, this all assumes things such as my low cost of maintenance, electric rates, etc. Your costs of ownership will be different, but should still favor a used EV. If you don't believe me, run the numbers yourself.

20 cars compared. Sorted from lowest cost of ownership to highest.
Model - Year - Purchase Price - 10 Year Cost
Insight Manual 2001 $3,000.00 $14,600.00
Leaf SV 2011 $12,200.00 $18,500.00
Jetta TDI Wagon 2003 $4,842.00 $20,000.00
Golf TDI 2003 $5,250.00 $20,300.00
Prius Pkg3 2007 $7,070.00 $21,522.00
Leaf SL 2013 $19,161.00 $21,991.00
Sentra 2000 $1,200.00 $23,100.00
Corolla 2005 $4,800.00 $23,100.00
Prius Pkg3 2010 $13,354.00 $25,082.00
C-max 2013 $15,500.00 $25,800.00
Prius Pkg3 2012 $15,436.00 $26,138.00
Prius Plug-in 2012 $18,949.00 $26,298.00
Ford Fusion Hybrid 2010 $13,400.00 $26,500.00
Mazda 3 2012 $10,751.00 $27,769.00
Legacy Sedan 2010 $11,100.00 $30,000.00
Escape Hybrid 2009 $13,700.00 $31,000.00
Accord Hybrid 2014 $22,000.00 $31,200.00
Outback 2010 $13,700.00 $33,450.00
Outback 2015 $23,100.00 $38,400.00