The Most & Least Affordable Cars To Drive In America

A new study from Self Financial takes a look at the most and least affordable cars to drive in America.   It looks at the running costs of America's 50 best-selling cars in the last couple of years (2022-24), and ranks them from most affordable to least affordable based on a number of factors including annual fuel, maintenance and insurance costs.  The Chevrolet Tahoe is the most expensive vehicle to run on the list.

"This is a really well done and extensive look at the cost of operating a vehicle today," Car Pro Show host Jerry Reynolds. "I recommend you take a good look at it, especially the breakdown of the top 50 best-selling vehicles in America, car by car."

Here are some key takeaways:

• It costs on average $2,246 to fuel a best-selling car – the largest expense and 34.8% of all annual running costs.
• Tesla Model 3 is the most affordable best-selling car to run per year ($5,061), followed by the Hyundai Elantra ($5,104) and Toyota Corolla ($5,182). 
• Chevrolet Tahoe ($8,644), Lexus RX ($8,046), and RAM Pickup ($7,981) models are the most expensive common cars to run per year.
• Taking the average cost from the car models, Tesla, Nissan, and Honda make the most affordable cars to run annually.
• Lexus, RAM and GMC make the least affordable cars to run annually.

To find out how much a common car costs to run, the study looked at the average costs for four factors: annual fuel or energy costs, annual maintenance costs, annual insurance costs, and annual fees and taxes. 

The average annual costs of running a best-selling car:

According to the Self Financial study:

Here are the top five least expensive car models to run per year:

1. Tesla Model 3: $5,061
2. Hyundai Elantra: $5,104
3. Toyota Corolla: $5,182
4. Kia Forte: $5,235
5. Honda Civic: $5,282

These are the top five most expensive car models to run per year:

1. Chevrolet Tahoe: $8,644
2. Lexus RX: $5,104
3. RAM Pickup: $7,981
4. Toyota 4Runner: $7,820
5. Chevrolet Silverado: $7,699

Read the full study here, including the cost to run the 50 best-selling vehicles in America.