Each year, Kelly Blue Book awards automakers with the five-year cost to own awards, and for 2013, Mazda and Lexus take top honors.
The award goes to 22 different vehicles, as well as two automakers. In this case Mazda, and Lexus, for best mass-market brand and luxury brand in terms of ownership costs.
The winners are calculated by tallying up the fair purchase price, projected depreciation, financing costs, insurance costs and state fees as well as the anticipated total cost of fuel, scheduled maintenance and repairs. The vehicles with the lowest number are deemed the best in their class.
At just $27,006, KBB found the Scion iQ to be the most affordable car to own. The car’s excellent fuel mileage paired with the Toyota brand’s well-regarded reliability and maintenance costs pay dividends for the micro-subcompact, as it takes home the big awards.
The 22 winning vehicles are as follows:
SUBCOMPACT CAR: Scion iQ
COMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Jeep Patriot
COMPACT CAR: Hyundai Veloster
MID-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Mitsubishi Outlander
SPORTY COMPACT CAR: Hyundai Veloster Turbo
FULL-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Ford Explorer
MID-SIZE CAR: Hyundai Sonata
LUXURY COMPACT SUV/CROSSOVER: Acura RDX
FULL-SIZE CAR: Chevrolet Impala
LUXURY MID-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Lincoln MKX
ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY CAR: Buick Verano
LUXURY FULL-SIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: Lincoln MKT
LUXURY CAR: Lexus GS
MID-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK: Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
HIGH-END LUXURY CAR: Porsche Panamera
FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Regular Cab
SPORTS CAR: Ford Mustang
MINIVAN/VAN: Mazda MAZDA5
HIGH-PERFORMANCE CAR: Ford Mustang GT
HYBRID SUV/CROSSOVER: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
HYBRID/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CAR: Honda Insight
ELECTRIC VEHICLE: Chevrolet Volt
