Toyota Prius Best, Nissan Armada Worst in Consumer Reports' Cost Per Mile Rankings

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

The Toyota Prius was ranked at the top of Consumer Reports’ Best New Car Value scoring for the second year in a row. CR’s analysis ranked over 200 vehicles on performance, reliability and costs and determined that over five years the Prius will cost 47 cents per mile to own and operate. Lower depreciation and operating costs for the Prius offset paying a premium for the hybrid.

“The Prius’ 44 mpg overall is the best fuel economy of any non-plug-in car that Consumer Reports has tested,” Rik Paul, the magazine’s automotive editor, said in a statement. “Though it’s not particularly cheap to buy, the Prius’ depreciation is so low that it costs less to own over the first five years than its initial MSRP. We call that a bargain.”

At the other end of the cost of ownership spectrum is the Nissan Armada, which costs consumers $1.20 per mile.

Factors going into the rankings are Consumer Reports’ own road tests, reliability predicted from the magazines’ reader generated data, plus a score calculated from depreciation, fuel, insurance premiums, maintenance, sales tax and repairs costs over five years. Ten car categories were ranked, with the Prius coming out as the overall winner.

Compact /Subcompact CarsBest, Toyota Prius Four; Worst, Volkswagen Beetle 2.5L


Midsized Cars


Best, Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium; Worst, Nissan Altima 3.5 SL


Large Cars


Best, Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited; Worst, Ford Taurus Limited


Luxury Cars


Best, Lexus ES 300h; Worst, BMW 750Li


Sports Cars/Convertibles


Best: Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring; Worst, Chevrolet Camaro convertible 2SS (V8)


Wagons/Minivans


Best, Mazda5 Grand Touring; Worst, Chrysler Town & Country Touring-L


Small SUVs


Best, Subaru Frester 2.5i Premium; Worst, Ford Escape SE (1.6T)


Midsized SUVs


Best, Nissan Murano SL; Worst, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara


Luxury/Large SUVs


Best, BMW X1 xDrive28i; Worst, Nissan Armada Platinum


Pickups


Best, Honda Ridgeline RTS; Worst, Ford F-250 Lariat (6.7L V8)
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  • Jacob_coulter Jacob_coulter on Dec 20, 2013

    Will there ever be a domestic vehicle from the Big 3 in the "best" category for reliability? And it's no surprise that most of the "worst" categories are filled with offerings from the Big 3. I think the gap has narrowed, but would it kill the Big 3 to actually make a more reliable car than the competition? Or have they just figured consumers don't care about the gap enough to base their purchase decision on? I know, I know, all of these poor rankings are the result Consumer Reports being owned by the Japanese and the fact that people are too stupid to figure out Ford's MyTouch.

    • See 1 previous
    • Golden2husky Golden2husky on Dec 21, 2013

      Yeah, the Camaro convertible SS is a "worst" car by CR. If that is really the case, we have reached the point where the worst car is amazingly awesome. I guess the "best" models fill themselves with free fuel overnight.

  • Salguod Salguod on Dec 20, 2013

    A Prius is 47 cents per mile? That seems rather high, frankly. The 2010 Outlook that I owned for a bit over 3 years cost me $0.412 per mile to own. That includes everything but insurance and registration. Given the enormous difference in fuel economy and the fact that my Outlook depreciated nearly 50% in that time, it seems that 47 cents for a Prius over 5 years is a bit high as does $1.20 for the Armada. My 1999 Odyssey cost me $0.256 over 9 years, my 2005 Mazda3 is at $0.246 from new in Feb 2006 to date. I'm curious why CRs numbers are so much higher than mine.

  • Ajla Those letters look like they are from AutoZone.
  • Analoggrotto Kia EV9 was voted the best vehicle in the world and this is the best TOYOTA can do? Nice try, next.
  • 3-On-The-Tree 4cyl as well.
  • Luke42 I want more information about Ford’s Project T3.The Silverado EV needs some competition beyond just the Rivian truck. The Cybertruck has missed the mark.The Cybertruck is special in that it’s the first time Tesla has introduced an uncompetitive EV. I hope the company learns from their mistakes. While Tesla is learning what they did wrong, I’ll be shopping to replace my GMC Sierra Hybrid with a Chevy, a Ford, or a Rivian — all while happily driving my Model Y.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I wished they wouldn’t go to the twin turbo V6. That’s why I bought a 2021 Tundra V8.
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