Buying an EV, plug-in hybrid or even a conventional hybrid can save you thousands on gas over its lifetime, but there are other costs involved in owning a car that can either keep them cheap, or make them comparably expensive to normal gas cars. MarketWatch Guides recently ranked the least expensive EVs to own over a five-year period, and there are several great options on the list.
The Nissan Leaf was the least expensive EV/electrified vehicle to run after five years, averaging $18,509 in ownership costs.
The 10 least expensive electric cars to operate over 5 years:
- Nissan Leaf: $18,509
- Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: $20,735
- Kia Niro EV: $21,845
- Honda CR-V Hybrid: $22,165
- Honda Accord PHEV: $23,708
- Toyota RAV4 Prime: $25,831
- Ford Escape PHEV: $27,811
- Mini Cooper Electric Hardtop: $28,266
- Ford Mustang Mach-E: $28,505
- Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: $33,836
MarketWatch didn’t include depreciation to calculate these costs, leaning on gas/charging costs, insurance, and finance costs to come up with its numbers. Adding in depreciation could result in significant changes to some of the cars on this list.
And while these are the cheapest, MarketWatch also looked at the other end of the spectrum. The most expensive EV to run was the Porsche Taycan, which cost $53,065 over five years, almost three times the cost of the Nissan Leaf. It was followed closely by the Audi E-Tron GT, at $48,886, and the BMW iX, at $45,076.