Do you know the cost of running your vehicle each week? The Royal Automobile Club Tasmania (RACT) does a survey each year to help you keep track.
Its 2017 survey reveals the cost of running 134 popular vehicles in 14 categories. The final cost is based on owning them privately for 5 years and driving about 12,000kms per year. It includes all expenses: purchase price, fuel, servicing, interest, insurance, new tyres and depreciation.
2017 survey selection
| Category | Vehicle | $/week |
| Micro | Suzuki Celerio LF Hatchback | $94.12 |
| Small | Kia Cerato S 5d Hatchback | $119.16 |
| Small SUV | Suzuki Vitara RT-S | $142.84 |
| Medium SUV | Mazda CX-5 Maxx (4×4) | $177.70 |
| Average | Of all categories | $178.09 |
| Large SUV | Subaru Outback 2.5i WAGON | $203.91 |
| 4WD Dual-Cab Ute | Mitsubishi Triton GLX | $211.83 |
| Electric | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | $245.64 |
The cheapest car to run is the Suzuki Celerio, which has been the cheapest for 3 years now. It is $25 cheaper to run than the small Kia Cerato hatchback and approximately half the average cost of all categories.
The most expensive car to run, the Mitsubishi Outlander, is a plug-in hybrid costing $245.64. While electric vehicles are much cheaper to run, the purchase price and depreciation cost is very high. (If you owned a Tesla Model X it would cost more like $500 per week.)
In the fast-growing medium SUV category, Mazda CX-5 was the cheapest to run at $177.70 and sitting on the average cost. Mitsubishi Triton 4WD dual-cab ute topped the list for the third year running at $211.83 per week.
Register your vehicle
In Tasmania, it currently costs $314 to register a motor car or light goods vehicle ($255 for pensioners). Find more information about registration or CTP insurance in Tasmania .