BREAK-EVEN POINT BASED ON OUR COMPARISON-COMMUTE SNAPSHOT
... The cost to power each car for a year based on the above parameters and the
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BREAK-EVEN POINT BASED ON OUR COMPARISON-COMMUTE SNAPSHOT I must emphasize that this is based on our test -- its length (64.5 miles) and current prices. Shorter trips improve the Volt's performance, while the Leaf can't take much longer trips at all. (We had 11 miles of range left on the Leaf at the end, and there are circumstances, like colder temps, in which the car wouldn’t have made it.) We're comparing the four cars for this one purpose, but obviously there are other factors in a buyer's decision. Let's assume each of these four cars is used only for commuting the distance we traveled, and no other trips at all. (Unlikely, but we must simplify.) Multiply the cost per day by five days per week and then by 50 weeks (take a couple weeks off!), and we're talking about 16,125 miles per year, not far above average, which is roughly 15,000 miles per year. The cost to power each car for a year based on the above parameters and the gas and electricity prices as of the test is: Leaf: Volt: Prius: Focus:
$600/year $1,198/year $1,255/year $2,180/year
It's a bit of an oversimplification because the tax credit isn't exactly a rebate, but, again, to simplify I subtracted $7,500 from the total price column in the last table to determine an adjusted price to compare with the non-EVs. I then added $2,000 to the Leaf for a home charging setup. This is the estimated average price for the hardware plus installation, and is really required. The Volt can get by with regular household voltage. NISSAN LEAF The Leaf costs $4,320 more than the Prius and $10,040 more than the Focus. You'd break even on the Leaf's initial price premium over the Prius in 6.6 years and over the Focus in 6.4 years. CHEVROLET VOLT The Volt costs $9,690 more than the Prius and $15,410 more than the Focus. To break even on the Volt's initial price premium over the Prius would take 168.5 years based on our test cycle. It would take 15.7 years to break even with the Focus. So what this tells us is you're not going to break even on the Volt's higher price unless you drive shorter distances or can charge at both ends of your commute. There's a good chance you could break even in a reasonable period with the Leaf (again, based on these energy prices), but its limited range disqualifies it for many buyers. And let's not forget the realities of high-efficiency cars. Their supply is limited, and gas prices have driven demand higher than ever. The calculations we've made on base list price simply wouldn't be realistic in the real world. Even Priuses are
in short supply, and typically all you'll find are trim levels that are higher priced than our base-list example.
Joe Wiesenfelder Senior Editor
Cars.com
