These Are The 10 Cheapest Cars To Drive
Based on purchase price and the average number of miles driven per vehicle, some cars cost their owners way less to drive than others.
With an average new purchase price of $18,281 and an average number of miles driven per year of 16,342, the Mitsubishi Mirage has proven to be the cheapest car to drive over the last three years. In fact, according to a study from iSeeCars.com, it’s more than two-thirds cheaper to drive over the course of three years than the average new car.
Cheapest 3-Year-Old Cars per 1,000 Miles Driven |
|---|
Mitsubishi Mirage: $1,119 |
Kia Rio: $1,326 |
Chevrolet Spark: $1,345 |
Nissan Versa: $1,384 |
Mitsubishi Mirage G4: $1,408 |
Kia Soul: $1,424 |
Toyota Corolla: $1,525 |
Chevrolet Malibu: $1,526 |
Hyundai Accent: $1,559 |
Nissan Sentra: $1,695 |
As you can see from the above list, when determining how much it costs per 1,000 miles driven it pays for the initial purchase to be as cheap as possible. Six of the top 10 cheapest cars to drive over the last three years had a purchase price below $20,000. Sadly, it’s darn near impossible to find a new car under that price barrier in 2025 (and we don’t know how much longer the Mitsubishi Mirage will be on sale), but the premise is still sound: the cheaper the car, the better the math works out.
Every car in the top 10 on the cheapest-to-drive list is powered by a traditional gasoline engine. If we were to keep going, we’d hit our first hybrid, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, in 15th place ($1,852 per 1,000 miles driven). The Honda Insight in 17th ($1,920) is the only other hybrid to crack into the top 20.
“These cars are both relatively low cost while seeing high use, and with their hybrid technology they will also have relatively low fuel costs,” said iSeeCars.com executive analyst Karl Brauer. Note that these results don’t factor in fuel costs. They are based on the initial purchase price and the average number of miles that each car’s owner puts on the vehicle every year.
When all vehicle types are averaged out, however, the tables turn. The average hybrid vehicle costs $2,978 per 1,000 miles to drive based on purchase price and miles driven. The average gasoline-powered car costs $3,503 using the same criteria. Keep in mind that this includes all vehicle types, including everything from Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford Mustangs to Jeep Wranglers and Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUVs.
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Growing up in a family obsessed with performance and as the son of an automotive engineer, Jeremy Korzeniewski has spent his entire life as a car enthusiast. Also an avid motorcyclist, Jeremy has spent the last two decades writing about the transportation industry and providing insights to many of the largest automotive publications in the world.
More by Jeremy Korzeniewski
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There are some lame cars on this list... wow.
With freedom comes choices!