---
title: The Most & Least Affordable Cars To Drive In America
description: Of the 50 cars ranked, the Chevrolet Tahoe is the most expensive car to run in the analysis from Self Financial.
---

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# [The Most & Least Affordable Cars To Drive In America](https://www.carpro.com/blog/the-most-least-affordable-cars-to-drive-in-america)

 Written by [CarPro](https://www.carpro.com/blog/author/carpro) | Feb 6, 2025 4:48:15 PM

A new study from [Self Financial ](https://www.self.inc/info/expensive-cars-to-run/)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](https://www.self.inc/info/expensive-cars-to-run/), 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:**

| **Expense** | **Cost** | **% of annual costs** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual fuel costs | **$2,246** | **34.8%** |
| Annual insurance costs | **$1,763** | **27.3%** |
| Annual maintenance costs | **$1,633** | **25.3%** |
| Annual fees and taxes | **$820** | **12.7%** |
| **Total ** | **$6,462** |   |

 

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, ](https://www.self.inc/info/expensive-cars-to-run/)including the cost to run the 50 best-selling vehicles in America.**

 

****

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