Cheapest green cars to own in 2020

Keen to let your next car be an environmental car? Then we advise you not to stare blindly at either the price tag or the bonus 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 green cars - from cheapest to most expensive.

We have mapped the total cost of ownership (so-called TCO - Total Cost of Ownership) for 19 common green cars; of which eight 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 miles driven.

Big price difference between models

The electric car Tesla Model X 100D has the highest cost of ownership in the sample with a cost of SEK 18,185 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 SEK 3,569 per month, followed by the Toyota Yaris which has the lowest purchase price. The difference between owning the most expensive versus the cheapest car in the comparison is a whopping SEK 14,612 a month.

- There are surprisingly large differences in ownership costs. Despite the environmental 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 decrease in value the biggest difference

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

- For most models, the value is halved in the first three years, so that the new car purchase does not dig deep holes in the wallet, I really recommend calculating the total cost of ownership. If you want to save money, it is 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 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 decision to purchase a new car. In the comparison, a calculation has been made of the average cost per month after three years of ownership and approximately 4,500 miles of mileage, including fuel. The fuel prices are based on an electricity price of SEK 2.5/kWh and a fuel price of SEK 14/litre. Insurance cost and service cost are estimates based on a persona (male, Stockholm, 30s) and can vary greatly.