America’s Cheapest New Car To Run Is The One Almost No One Wants

24 August, 2026 admin 0 Comments 1 category

A study ranked 50 new cars by what they cost to own each year.
The Porsche 911 topped the list at nearly $11,000 annually.
Interestingly, average hybrids are cheaper to run than the average EV.

Cheap to buy and cheap to own are two different things, and the gap between them is where most new car shoppers get caught out. If you’re shopping in the US and want something that costs almost nothing to keep on the road, there’s one clear winner: the Fiat 500e. Yes, the pint-sized three-door electric hatchback that virtually nobody is buying happens to be the cheapest new car in America to live with.

Fiat moved 150 of them in the first half of the year, down 81 percent from the 788 it managed over the same stretch in 2025, a figure that was hardly worth celebrating in the first place.

A recent study from Self.Inc set out to determine the average running costs of 50 popular new cars sold across the country. We’re not sure how these 50 were selected, but the results show that the 500e has annual running costs of just $3,557, easily beating the next-most-affordable option, the Honda Civic Hybrid, with average annual costs of $4,833.

Read: Dealers Can’t Move The 500e At $15,000 Off. Fiat’s Response Is A $5,200 Price Hike

A key reason for the 500e’s affordability is its efficiency. The car is small and, on average, costs $779 to charge. Average annual insurance at $779 is also well below the industry average, and annual maintenance of $1,275 is also low. Annual fees and taxes of $724 are higher than some of the competition, but that’s not enough to outdo the other savings.

Average Running Costs By Brand

Rank	Brand	Avg. Fuel Costs	Avg. Annual Maintenance	Avg. Annual Insurance	Annual Fees & Taxes	Total Avg. Per Year
1	Hyundai	$1,347	$1,318	$1,945	$775	$5,385
2	Kia	$1,502	$1,582	$1,701	$621	$5,407
3	Mazda	$1,572	$1,636	$1,686	$609	$5,503
4	Honda	$1,503	$1,762	$1,643	$678	$5,586
5	Toyota	$1,533	$1,823	$1,782	$635	$5,773
6	BMW	$1,567	$1,696	$2,521	$1,705	$7,489
7	Genesis	$2,084	$1,760	$2,529	$1,383	$7,755
8	Audi	$2,060	$1,714	$2,701	$1,391	$7,866
9	Mercedes	$1,776	$2,562	$2,654	$1,680	$8,672
10	Porsche	$2,091	$2,741	$2,448	$1,781	$9,062
11	Cadillac	$2,736	$2,554	$2,580	$1,511	$9,380

SWIPE

Sources: Self

Positioned in a surprising third place was the Hyundai Elantra N with average annual running costs of $4,904. We’re not sure how the Elantra N made the list, as opposed to the standard Elantra, particularly given it can use quite a lot of fuel when driven as most N owners drive. Nonetheless, the average maintenance cost is low at just $1,278, which helps.

America’s Cheapest New Car To Run Is The One Almost No One Wants

Other affordable cars to run in the US include the Nissan Versa at $4,949 in annual costs, the Toyota Camry Hybrid at $5,031, the Honda Accord HEV at $5,047, and the gas-powered Honda Civic at $5,062. Included in the affordable options are also the Mini Cooper, Kia K4, and Mazda3.

What About The Most Expensive?

At the other end of the spectrum are some very expensive cars to run. The Porsche 911 was listed as the most expensive car to run, with average annual costs of $10,832, positioning it ahead of the Audi RS7 at $10,334, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing at $10,265, the Chevrolet Corvette at $10,213, and the Lucid Air at $10,049, primarily due to high insurance fees for the luxurious electric sedan.

Compared to the last time the study was conducted in 2024, average annual fuel costs have fallen from $2,246 to $1,727. While this is good news for car buyers, annual insurance costs have jumped from $1,763 to $2,219, and annual maintenance costs are also up from $1,633 to $1,817. Annual fees and taxes have also increased from $820 to $1,151.

The study also sheds light on differences in ownership costs among EVs, gas-powered vehicles, and hybrids. After analyzing each of the 50 models, hybrids came out on top with average annual running costs of $5,734, less than the $6,189 for EVs, primarily due to cheaper insurance, fees, and taxes. Gas-powered vehicles came last, with an average cost of $7,025.

Top 20 Least-Expensive New Cars To Run In The US

Rank	Brand	Model	Type	Annual Fuel Cost	Annual Maintenance	Annual Insurance	Annual Fees & Taxes	Annual Running Cost
1	Fiat	500e	Electric	$779	$1,275	$779	$724	$3,557
2	Honda	Civic	Hybrid	$996	$1,683	$1,541	$613	$4,833
3	Hyundai	Elantra	Gasoline	$1,400	$1,278	$1,661	$564	$4,904
4	Nissan	Versa	Gasoline	$1,558	$1,579	$1,425	$387	$4,949
5	Toyota	Camry	Hybrid	$966	$1,681	$1,745	$640	$5,031
6	Honda	Accord	Hybrid	$1,017	$1,699	$1,610	$721	$5,047
7	Honda	Civic	Gasoline	$1,324	$1,682	$1,509	$548	$5,062
8	MINI	Cooper	Gasoline	$1,509	$1,329	$1,543	$709	$5,090
9	Kia	K4	Gasoline	$1,421	$1,498	$1,635	$538	$5,092
10	Mazda	Mazda3	Gasoline	$1,534	$1,552	$1,605	$518	$5,208
11	Dodge	Charger Daytona	Electric	$911	$1,364	$1,907	$1,117	$5,298
12	Tesla	Model 3	Electric	$699	$1,378	$2,370	$1,017	$5,464
13	Hyundai	Ioniq 6	Electric	$884	$1,271	$2,284	$1,037	$5,476
14	Acura	Integra	Gasoline	$1,486	$1,705	$1,606	$699	$5,496
15	Honda	Accord	Gasoline	$1,464	$1,843	$1,604	$598	$5,509
16	Volkswagen	GTI	Gasoline	$1,726	$1,336	$1,663	$815	$5,540
17	Kia	K5	Gasoline	$1,584	$1,666	$1,768	$704	$5,722
18	Hyundai	Sonata	Gasoline	$1,756	$1,404	$1,891	$724	$5,776
19	Mazda	MX-5 Miata	Gasoline	$1,610	$1,719	$1,767	$700	$5,797
20	Ford	Mustang	Gasoline	$1,756	$1,608	$1,888	$837	$6,089

SWIPE

Top 20 Most Expensive New Cars To Run In The US

Rank	Brand	Model	Type	Annual Fuel Cost	Annual Maintenance	Annual Insurance	Annual Fees & Taxes	Annual Running Cost
1	Porsche	911	Gasoline	$2,247	$3,149	$2,906	$2,530	$10,832
2	Audi	RS 7	Gasoline	$2,684	$1,852	$3,438	$2,359	$10,334
3	Cadillac	CT5-V Blackwing	Gasoline	$2,928	$2,743	$2,780	$1,814	$10,265
4	Chevrolet	Corvette	Gasoline	$2,415	$2,855	$2,798	$2,146	$10,213
5	Lucid	Air	Electric	$699	$2,590	$4,655	$2,106	$10,049
6	Audi	S8	Gasoline	$2,478	$1,843	$3,382	$2,106	$9,809
7	Mercedes-Benz	S-Class	Gasoline	$1,858	$2,829	$2,975	$2,116	$9,778
8	BMW	M5	Hybrid	$2,165	$1,824	$2,706	$2,228	$8,923
9	Audi	S7	Gasoline	$2,147	$1,876	$2,901	$1,587	$8,512
10	Cadillac	CT4-V Blackwing	Gasoline	$2,543	$2,365	$2,379	$1,208	$8,495
11	Genesis	G90	Gasoline	$2,195	$1,821	$2,723	$1,662	$8,401
12	Porsche	Boxster	Gasoline	$2,013	$2,562	$2,227	$1,429	$8,230
13	Audi	S6	Gasoline	$2,147	$1,794	$2,816	$1,406	$8,163
14	Porsche	Cayman	Gasoline	$2,013	$2,513	$2,212	$1,385	$8,123
15	Audi	A7	Gasoline	$1,858	$1,763	$2,623	$1,342	$7,586
16	Mercedes-Benz	E-Class	Gasoline	$1,694	$2,295	$2,333	$1,244	$7,567
17	Audi	A6 Allroad	Gasoline	$1,858	$1,703	$2,620	$1,347	$7,529
18	Honda	Civic Type R	Gasoline	$2,715	$1,902	$1,949	$912	$7,478
19	Audi	A6	Gasoline	$2,230	$1,713	$2,398	$1,028	$7,369
20	BMW	i7	Electric	$1,002	$1,756	$2,539	$1,988	$7,286

SWIPE

Source: Self. Inc

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