The June 2021, Vol 86 No. 6 issue of Consumer reports evaluates 5 and 10 year old cars looking at which are the least ($200-300/month) and most ($500-800/month) expensive to keep on the road. Most expensive are primarily German cars, and least expensive are American.
Amongst the least expensive there is an outlier - The Nissan Leaf. Keep in mind that ten years ago, 2011, the Leaf was the only fully electric car available, making it’s debut in 2010. Even as late as 2016 there were 3 options: Leaf, Tesla Model S, and BMW i3. The tabulated average monthly cost for the Leaf is $0. I can attest to the accuracy of this value. In 5 years/ 16,000 miles of use I have spent a grand total of $60 for a set (front and rear) of windshield wipers. Granted this includes 2 free tire rotations thanks to coupons from Nissan. Nonetheless - very inexpensive to maintain, and with an electricity cost of 2 cents per mile, inexpensive to operate. (Compare to 5 cents a mile for gas for a 45 mpg Prius assuming $2.35/gallon). Low operating and maintainence costs, not eco friendlines are the reasons to buy an electric car.
