It’s been a few months since my last Tesla Model 3 cost of ownership update. Since then, I’ve had an air filter replaced and I got 4 new tires. Let’s dig in and see where I stand 4 years and 4 months after buying my Tesla Model 3 Standard Range … [continued]
There are plenty of climate and air quality reasons to buy an electric vehicle (EV), but is it cheaper to drive? While this is a complicated question that has befuddled car shoppers for years, in most cases, an EV will indeed be cheaper in the long run. And with automakers … [continued]
When I saw the news that all Tesla Model 3 vehicles now qualify for the the full $7,500 federal tax credit, I knew it was time to write a new lifecycle analysis, or total cost of ownership (TCO) article. My last article like this (almost a year ago) was backward … [continued]
My recent article on the lifecycle cost of BEVs vs ICEVs was well received, so I thought I’d write another one, this time looking at trucks now that many OEMs are producing them — or are about to. A lifecycle cost analysis captures the full financial impact of BEVs across … [continued]
CleanTechnica has published many excellent 5-year total cost of ownership (TCO) articles comparing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) against similar internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). A 5-year timeframe is the norm for this type of analysis since many people flip their vehicles at this point. Invariably, BEVs prove to be cheaper … [continued]
We’ve written about the total cost of ownership of automobiles for a decade, comparing the total cost of ownership of electric cars to the total cost of ownership of fossil-powered cars. The short and sweet of it is that due to lower operational and maintenance costs, as well as higher … [continued]
The Volkswagen ID.4 is one of our 4 finalists for the 2021 CleanTechnica Car of the Year award. It’s a good all-around vehicle, not a bare-bones budget car, but one key thing I noted about the ID.4 as potential justification for winning your vote is that it’s cheaper than the … [continued]
Here on CleanTechnica, we’ve had a number of stories showing how much cheaper, in total, owning a Tesla can be compared to common gas-powered economy cars. While the purchase price of cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are a lot lower than a basic Model 3, the costs of ICE (internal combustion engine) maintenance and fuel often end up adding up to more than what the Model 3 would have cost. Despite this, people keep buying the “cheaper” cars.
For this analysis, I’m comparing the Volkswagen ID.3 to the lowest trim Volkswagen Golf and the highest trim Golf, but not adding any options/extras. The ID.3 likely has top-of-the-line technology, so even the base ID.3 should probably be compared to higher-trim versions of the Volkswagen Golf. Consider this an unfair handicap for the incumbents.
I’ve been thoroughly digging through our archives lately and ran across a series of articles published in the middle of 2017 that seemed to be worth a refresh and rerun. These are simple comparisons I conducted between the Tesla Model 3 and other premium-class cars in its general price range and size. Let’s revisit how current BMW options compare to the Model 3, this time adding in some 5 year cost of ownership scenarios.
