5-Year TCO by Vehicle Class
Side-by-side 5-year total cost of ownership for Sedan, SUV, Pickup Truck, and EV. We hold mileage, driver, ZIP, and APR constant — the only thing that changes is the vehicle class — so the deltas you see are real, not artifacts of cherry- picked baselines.
Step 1 · Your driving + market inputs
Baselines from AAA Your Driving Costs 2024, Edmunds True Cost to Own, KBB 5-Year Cost to Own, and FHWA mileage averages. 60-month loan at the class-typical APR; insurance, maintenance, and repair averages are national class baselines — your specific ZIP and model will vary.
Lowest 5-year all-in cost at your inputs
Sedan — $37,418
vs $53,317 for the most expensive class — a $15,899 spread over 5 years.
Sedan
Honda Civic / Toyota Camry
$37,418
5-year all-in cost
EV / Electric
Tesla Model 3 / Hyundai Ioniq 5
$43,906
5-year all-in cost
SUV / Crossover
Toyota RAV4 / Honda CR-V
$44,545
5-year all-in cost
Pickup Truck
Ford F-150 / Toyota Tacoma
$53,317
5-year all-in cost
5-year cost breakdown by category
| Category | Sedan | SUV / Crossover | Pickup Truck | EV / Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | $11,760 | $15,300 | $18,000 | $19,680 |
| Fuel / Electricity | $6,961 | $7,955 | $10,125 | $3,086 |
| Insurance | $7,200 | $7,800 | $8,400 | $8,600 |
| Scheduled maintenance | $3,200 | $3,400 | $3,800 | $1,400 |
| Out-of-warranty repairs | $1,400 | $1,700 | $2,200 | $1,800 |
| Tax, registration, fees | $1,800 | $2,200 | $2,600 | $2,400 |
| Financing interest | $5,097 | $6,190 | $8,192 | $6,940 |
| 5-year total | $37,418 | $44,545 | $53,317 | $43,906 |
How to read the numbers
Why EV looks more expensive year 1 — and cheaper year 5
Depreciation is the single largest line item in any 5-year TCO calculation — typically 38-48% of the original MSRP — and EVs historically depreciate the steepest. That math is why the matrix shows EV as the most expensive class in year 1 even though the per-mile fuel cost is dramatically lower than ICE. By year 4-5 the depreciation curve flattens (EV resale values have improved every model year since 2021) and the fuel + maintenance savings compound, swinging the EV class to the cheapest by total 5-yr TCO for high-mileage drivers.
Pickup trucks show the highest absolute 5-yr TCO not because of fuel cost (sedans actually get worse fuel economy per dollar than full-size pickups when normalized for cargo capacity) but because trucks carry the highest MSRP baseline and the highest insurance premiums (more value to protect + higher liability exposure when loaded). SUVs sit in the middle of every category — making them the most “average” choice, which is why ~52% of new US car sales in 2025 were crossovers.
The matrix above lets you adjust MSRP, APR, and annual mileage on every class simultaneously — useful when you’re comparing a $35k sedan to a $45k truck at the same financing terms. If your annual mileage is below 8k, the per-mile fuel savings of an EV may not offset the higher depreciation; above 15k miles/yr, the EV usually wins by year 3.