For the second year in succession, Suzuki’s Alto was named the cheapest car to own over the first five years, according to the RACQ’s annual vehicle running costs survey.
This year’s investigation sampled 110 cars and took into consideration fuel consumption, servicing, replacement tyres, loan interest and deprecation.
The V8-petrol powered Nissan Patrol was named the worst offender, just trumping the Toyota LandCruiser GXL diesel and petrol models for the infamous title.
An Alto, over five years doing about 15,000km annually, will cost on average $113 a week. The Patrol ST-L on the other hand will set you back $402.
But comparing the two is an unfair assessment, with both serving dramatically different purposes.
Motorists must identify their needs and future wants before making a buying commitment.
That is one of the key messages from this year’s survey which revealed downsizing can mean monumental savings over the long term. For example, getting out of a Toyota Aurion and buying a Mazda3 adds up to more than $3600 in annual savings.
“Just by making one category downshift, there are real weekly savings that appear fairly quickly,” says RACQ’s Steve Spalding.
“When you consider there is an ongoing ownership cost issue past the sticker price, that’s when you can literally pay for that decision over the next three to five years.
“Once you have decided on a category of vehicle, you really need to compare models and take into account their full range of operating costs. There is quite a difference between the cheapest and most expensive in a category.
“For vehicles of similar characteristics there are fairly big savings to be made.”
The complete breakdown of vehicles can be viewed HERE.
Join the conversation