Cash for clunkers: Fuel and owner costs

The final rule on the Car Allowance Rebate System (aka “cash for clunkers”) is set to be released Friday. Consumers have until November 1st, 2009 to take advantage of the program and trade in their gas guzzler for a credit towards a more fuel-efficient new vehicle. Besides only choosing a new car that is better on gas, it’s also important to look at annual fuel costs as part of total ownership costs. There are a number of attractive deals out there, but if the car will cost you more to own and operate in the long run, then it’s not a good deal after all.  

For car shoppers pursuing the Car Allowance Rebate System (aka “cash for clunkers”), there are numerous considerations to ensure this is the right move and the new car is a smart choice. We previously created a list of Consumer Reports Recommended cars that qualify for the program, focused on vehicles that score well in our testing, have solid marks for safety, and average or better predicted reliability.

Here, we are going a step further to present the overall mpg from Consumer Reports’ tests to illustrate real-world fuel economy numbers. To judge the benefits from making a switch, we used these figures to calculate the annualized fuel costs based on 12,000 miles a year at an average price of $2.50 a gallon for gas. 

To give a long-term view, we present the owner cost rating that factors depreciation, fuel, interest, insurance, maintenance and repair, and taxes over the first five years. In some cases, a rating was not available at the model level, just for a specific trim. A much more detailed view of owner costs, with ratings and dollar amounts, is available for three, five, and eight years in the model overviews for each new car (available to online subscribers).

Make & model	EPA mpg	CR's overall mpg	Annual CR fuel costs	Minimum fuel savings	Owner cost score (1-5 years)
SMALL CARS
Ford Focus	27	26	$1,154	$556
Honda Civic	29	28	1,071	632
Honda Fit	31	30	1,000	699
Hyundai Elantra	28	27	1,111	595
Mazda3 (2.0L, 2010)	27	28	1,071	556
Mazda3 (2.5L, 2010)	25	25	1,200	467
Mini Cooper (base, MT)	32	33	909	729
Nissan Sentra	28	26	1,154	595
Scion tC	23	26	1,154	362
Subaru Impreza	22	24	1,250	303
Suzuki SX4 (FWD)	26	26	1,154	513
Toyota Corolla	30	32	938	667
Volkswagen Jetta (2.5L)	24	24	1,250	417
Volkswagen Rabbit	24	24	1,250	417
SEDANS
Acura TSX	25	25	$1,200	$467
Chevrolet Malibu (4-cyl.)	26	25	1,200	513
Ford Fusion (4-cyl., 2010)	25	24	1,250	467	N/A
Ford Fusion Hybrid (2010)	39	34	882	897	N/A
Honda Accord (4-cyl.)	24	23	1,304	417
Hyundai Sonata (4-cyl.)	25	26	1,154	467
Kia Optima (4-cyl.)	25	23	1,304	467
Nissan Altima 2.5S	26	25	1,200	513
Toyota Camry (4-cyl.)	25	24	1,250	467
Toyota Camry Hybrid	34	34	882	784
Toyota Prius	46	44	682	1,014
HATCHBACKS/WAGONS
Chevrolet HHR	24	24	$1,250	$417
Mazda5	23	23	1,304	362
Nissan Versa hatchback	29	28	1,071	632
Pontiac Vibe 1.8L	28	29	1,034	595
Scion xB	24	23	1,304	417
Scion xD	28	29	1,034	595
Toyota Matrix S (2.4L)	24	27	1,111	417
Volvo C30	23	25	1,200	362
SUVs
Ford Escape (4-cyl.)	21	21	$1,429	$238
Ford Escape Hybrid	28	26	1,154	595
Honda CR-V	22	21	1,429	303
Hyundai Santa Fe	19	18	1,667	167
Hyundai Tucson (V6)	20	18	1,667	167
Kia Sportage (V6)	20	18	1,667	167
Mitsubishi Outlander (4-cyl.)	22	22	1,364	303
Nissan Murano	20	19	1,579	167
Nissan Rogue	23	22	1,364	362
Subaru Forester	22	22	1,364	303
Toyota Highlander	19	18	1,667	88
Toyota Highlander Hybrid	26	24	1,250	513
Toyota RAV4 (4-cyl.)	24	23	1,304	417
MINIVANS
Honda Odyssey	18	19	$1,579	-
Toyota Sienna	19	19	1,579	88

To see a complete list of Consumer Reports recommended models check out our ratings, available to online subscribers. See our guide to the cash for clunkers program and visit our New car buying and leasing forum to share your experience and give advice to others making the trade.

—Liza Barth

Comments

[Alan Green]

This is getting close to being very useful information. In fact, if you could develop a simple calculator based on the concept with the user variable of "expected years of ownership" then this would be really helpful. I've always believed that COO (costs of ownership), estimated over expected ownership period, is the best way of evaluating the financial side of the decision to buy; the other being subjective satisfaction with the vehicle. But I don't understand the "minimum fuel savings" column. Savings compared to what? What does that number tell me and how is it calculated?

Thanks!

[joe]

1999 buick sentury- Is it considered for cash for clunkers?