Fiat 500e Tops Study as Cheapest Car to Own
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- Self.Inc ranked the Fiat 500e as America's cheapest new car to own at $3,557/year, beating the Honda Civic Hybrid ($4,833) by nearly $1,300 in average annual costs.
- Dodge Charger Daytona EV landed as the second-most affordable EV to own at $5,298/year — about $200 less than a Tesla Model 3 or Hyundai IONIQ 6, and about $200 less than the Honda Accord.
- The Dodge Charger EV's annual cost broke down to $911 in energy, $1,364 in maintenance (almost all tires), $1,907 in insurance, and $1,117 in taxes and fees.
- Across all 50 vehicles, the average annual cost of ownership was $6,913 — up $451 from Self's 2024 study.
- By powertrain, hybrids averaged $5,734/year to own, undercutting BEVs at $6,189 and ICE vehicles at $7,025.
- At the opposite end, the Porsche 911 and Audi RS7 topped the list with annual running costs well over $10,000, and the Lucid Air was the priciest EV at $10,049/year.
Why it matters: Stellantis quietly claimed both the #1 and #2 affordable-EV spots — and Dodge's Charger EV undercutting the Tesla Model 3 by about $200 a year is a counter-intuitive data point for shoppers who assume EVs universally beat ICE on running costs. Self's finding that hybrids averaged cheaper annual ownership than BEVs ($5,734 vs $6,189) further blunts the 'EVs are always cheaper to own' narrative.
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