Lowest True Cost to OwnSM Vehicles for December 2007

Have you ever wondered which new vehicles are the least expensive to own? We're talking about the vehicles not necessarily with the lowest purchase price, but with the lowest total ownership cost? Well, Edmunds.com's editors and data analysts decided to roll up their sleeves and figure that out.

We started by gathering all of the necessary data, and then used our proprietary True Cost to Own^SM (TCO^SM) algorithms to estimate the five-year cost of owning each new vehicle currently in the market. The result is our list of those vehicles with the lowest overall ownership cost in their respective segments. A vehicle's competitive segment is determined by body type and the sales-weighted average MSRP of all styles within the model/body type combination.

For more information on how we calculate TCO, and the assumptions that we use, see our About TCO article.

The models listed on this page are updated monthly.

Sedans | Wagons | Coupes | Convertibles | Trucks | SUVs | Vans

Sedans

Sedan Under $15,000: Chevy Aveo

Sedan Under $20,000: Honda Fit

Sedan Under $25,000: Toyota Prius

Sedan Under $30,000: Toyota Camry Hybrid

Sedan Under $35,000: Toyota Avalon

Sedan Under $45,000: Acura TL

Sedan Under $60,000: Lexus GS 350

Sedan Over $60,000: Lexus LS 460

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Wagons

Wagon Under $15,000: Kia Rio

Wagon Under $20,000: Toyota Matrix

Wagon Under $30,000: Subaru Impreza

Wagon Under $40,000: Audi A4

Wagon Over $40,000: Audi A6

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Coupes

Coupe Under $20,000: Toyota Yaris

Coupe Under $30,000: Honda Accord

Coupe Under $40,000: Nissan 350Z

Coupe Under $60,000: BMW Z4

Coupe Over $60,000: Jaguar XK-Series

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Convertibles

Convertible Under $25,000: Volkswagen New Beetle

Convertible Under $35,000: Toyota Camry Solara

Convertible Under $45,000: BMW Z4

Convertible Under $60,000: BMW 3-Series

Convertible Over $60,000: Lexus SC 430

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Trucks

Compact Truck: Chevrolet Colorado

Large Truck: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Classic

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SUVs

SUV Under $25,000: Jeep Patriot

SUV Under $35,000: Ford Escape Hybrid

SUV Under $45,000: Lexus RX 350

SUV Over $45,000: Lexus GX 470

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Vans

Minivan: Mazda MAZDA5

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