Cheapest cars to own

The cost of your car is so much more than just the purchase price, taxes and insurance. We've compiled the total monthly cost of ownership for some of the most popular used cars. There are thousands of dollars to save!

So we have calculated

It's easy to forget certain costs when trying to compile the cost of car ownership. But to get an accurate picture of the costs, you need to calculate all expense items, even those that are hidden, such as depreciation. This is exactly what we have done in an analysis of 15 best-selling models on kvd.se.

The calculation, which is based on three years of ownership, has cars with model years 2019-2021 and that have driven approximately 4,500 kilometers.

That car is the cheapest – in a double sense

Our calculation shows that the electric hybrid Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid (116 hp) is the cheapest with a monthly cost of only SEK 3,592. As a bonus, it is also the cheapest car to buy.

The Yaris delivers in all areas, but it is above all the minimal depreciation that makes the car a winner. The price of a three-year-old Toyota Yaris is just under SEK 160,000, and the expected residual value after a three-year period is approximately SEK 118,000, which means a depreciation of around SEK 40,000. To put this in perspective, we can compare it with the Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor AWD, one of the more expensive cars in the comparison, which is expected to lose almost three times as much (SEK 114,000).

– Our analysis shows why it is so important to take the time to buy a car and carefully compare different options. This applies not least to the hidden cost of depreciation, which is only noticeable when it is time to sell. There can be a huge difference between different car models and brands, says Daniel Odsberg, Sales Manager Kvdbil .

According to Odsberg, a rule of thumb is that the cheaper a car is to buy, the cheaper it is to own.

– You should always do your homework and calculate it, but it's almost always true, he says.

After the Yaris, we find the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro PHEV (141 hp) at a monthly cost of just under 4,000 kronor. The Niro has a slightly greater depreciation than the VW Golf 1.0 TSI Sportscombi (115 hp) in third place, but compensates for this with lower fuel costs, which is possible thanks to its electric motor. The fuel cost for the Niro is estimated at just over 10,000 kronor per year, a figure that only the fully electric cars can match. If you choose the Golf instead, you can expect to spend an additional 5,000 kronor per year on fuel.

Top 5 cheapest cars to own

This can make the electric car expensive to own.

In fourth and fifth place are two other fuel-efficient cars with plug-in hybrid technology, namely the Kia Optima 2.0 GDI PHEV (205 hp) and the VW Passat GTE Sportscombi (218 hp). Then, in sixth place, comes the first fully electric car. It is the Kia e-Niro 64 kWh (204 hp), with a monthly cost of just under SEK 5,000. The Kia e-Niro has the lowest fuel costs of all the cars in the comparison. At the same time, the insurance cost is higher and the depreciation is greater, which overall does not make the car one of the most economical choices, says Daniel Odsberg.

– Many people choose an electric car to cut mileage costs. But it is important to understand that there are other things that can ruin the calculation. For electric cars, it is often a matter of greater depreciation and more expensive insurance.

Over SEK 17,000 a year separates the car with the highest insurance costs, the Tesla Model 3 (SEK 24,525), from the one with the lowest, the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro (SEK 7,190).

The car with double the monthly cost of the Yaris

However, those who choose the four-wheel drive diesel car Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 4x4 (190 hp) will have to spend the most money. Here the monthly cost is close to 7,000 SEK. That is almost twice as much as the winner Toyota Yaris. Kodiaq mainly suffers from a relatively low residual value, but is also the car with the highest fuel costs. According to the WLTP test, consumption is 0.72 liters per mile in mixed driving, which with current fuel prices means almost 26,000 SEK a year, based on a mileage of 1,500 kilometers.

Read more: See the full table of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of 15 best-sellers in the passenger car market

Read more:Cheapest cars to own in 2025

About the survey
Kvdbil has analyzed the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for a selection of best-selling cars on the second-hand market. This means that we have taken into account all costs that result from the purchase decision, including the hidden ones such as depreciation. The calculation is based on an ownership period of three years and an average annual mileage of 1,500 km. When it comes to fuel costs, we have assumed the current prices of SEK 21 per liter for gasoline, SEK 24 per liter for diesel and SEK 3.50 per kWh for electric cars. Costs for insurance and service are estimated and have been obtained from the insurance company Trygg-Hansa and the car service chain Mekonomen. The estimate is based on an average person (male, 30 years old, living in Stockholm) and can vary greatly depending on individual factors.