Cheapest green cars to own in 2020

Interested in making your next car an eco-friendly car? Then we advise you not to stare blindly at either the price tag or bonuses when we talk about money, instead it's about looking at the car's total cost of ownership. Here we have ranked the TCO of 19 common eco-friendly cars - from cheapest to most expensive.

We have mapped the total cost of ownership (TCO) for 19 common green cars; eight of which are electric cars, six are plug-in hybrids and five are electric hybrids. The compilation includes costs for depreciation, tax, insurance, service and fuel over a period of 36 months and 4,500 kilometers driven.

Big price difference between models

The highest cost of ownership in the sample is the electric car Tesla Model X 100D with a cost of 18,185 SEK per month, followed by the electric hybrid Porsche Cayenne E-hybrid. These models also have the highest purchase prices. The cheapest to own is the Renault Zoe with an ownership cost of 3,569 SEK per month, followed by the Toyota Yaris which has the lowest purchase price. The difference between owning the most expensive and the cheapest car in the comparison is a whopping 14,612 SEK per month.

– There are surprisingly large differences in ownership costs. Despite the green car premium of SEK 60,000 for the most environmentally friendly models, which also run on electricity, it cannot be said that they are the cheapest to own, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager at Kvdbil .

The biggest difference is the depreciation

The single largest cost is depreciation. The Nissan Leaf has the largest percentage depreciation over a three-year period, after environmental bonuses (57%), while the Toyota Rav4 has the lowest depreciation (42%).

– For most models, the value is halved during the first three years, so to ensure that buying a new car doesn't dig deep holes in your wallet, I really recommend calculating the total cost of ownership. If you want to save money, it's always best to buy used, says Odsberg.

The comparison shows that electric hybrids have higher fuel costs and taxes, while plug-in hybrids generally have higher insurance costs.

About the survey
Kvdbil has calculated the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for a selection of Sweden's most common green cars. This means that we have taken into account all the costs that result from the purchase decision of a new car. In the comparison, a calculation has been made on the average cost per month after three years of ownership and approximately 4,500 kilometers of mileage, including fuel. Fuel prices are based on an electricity price of 2.5 SEK/kWh and a fuel price of 14 SEK/liter. Insurance costs and service costs are estimates based on a persona (male, Stockholm, 30s) and can vary greatly.