I worked out how much it'd cost to own a Tesla Model Y, a Honda CR-V and a Toyota Camry over 10 years and it's striking how different they are

How do the costs compare between a Tesla Model Y, a Honda CR-V, and a Toyota Camry over a 10 year period? We ran the numbers to find out.

On paper, these cars aren’t all that similar, except for one thing – their popularity.

The Honda CR-V is the most popular SUV in the US this year, while the Model Y is the most popular EV, and the Toyota Camry is the top-selling traditional passenger car.

These cars all do well when it comes to sales, but which one would come out top as the most affordable when it came to long-term costs?

The Tesla Model Y is considerably cheaper when it comes to fueling

One obvious benefit of owning a Tesla Model Y would be all the money saved on gas.

Let’s face it, it’s one of the biggest perks of EV ownership that people talk about.

Figures from the Department of Energy put charging costs of the Model Y at between $6,500 to $8,500 over a decade, which equals out to around $650 to $850 a year.

The Model Y also does favorably when it comes to maintenance, thanks to its lack of engine oil, spark plugs, and transmission fluid.

Consumer Reports puts 10-year maintenance costs at around $4,035.

Assuming this car would be driven 150,000 miles, it’s anticipated that the Model Y’s maintenance would cost somewhere between $3,977 and $4,035.

And how about those insurance premiums? The bane of every driver’s existence.

Due to specialized repair networks, structural battery integration, and costly collision bodywork, premiums would come between $32,000 and $46,000 over a decade.

That puts the overall 10 year costs in the field of between $45,477 and $63,035.

The Honda CR-V would be the cheapest to insure

For the sake of this comparison, we’ll be looking at figures associated with the gas version of the Honda CR-V.

Fuel wise, EPA figures put this car at between $17,500 and $19,500 over a decade – that’s between $1,750 and $1,950 a year.

That’s a lot more than what you’d be paying on a Tesla Model Y, isn’t it?

Things also prove costly in the maintenance department, with figures from CarEdge and Consumer Reports putting the costs between $5,834 and $7,636.

It starts to look cheaper for the CR-V on the tires front, as it comes out between $1,800 and $2,400 over the decade.

And as for insurance premiums, this car has consistently ranked as among the lowest vehicles to insure in the crossover segment.

This is due to its strong safety ratings.

Therefore, a decade of premiums could set you back anywhere from $15,100 to $19,500.

Rounding up those figures, we estimated that the overall cost would be between $40,234 and $49,036.

Here’s why the Toyota Camry came out as the most affordable overall

The reigning champion of this comparison is the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Hybrids tend to do quite well in these types of comparisons, and that’s certainly true here.

Powering one over a decade would cost around $11,000 to $12,500 over a 10-year period.

Maintenance and repairs would come to about $4,580 to $4,900 over that same length of time.

On this front, the Camry benefits from mature hybrid powertrains and the widespread availability of parts.

The replacement tires figure would be in the same ballpark as the Honda CR-V, at between $1,800 and $2,400.

In the insurance category, the Camry scores modestly well with premiums of between $34,780 and $40,200.

This puts the Camry as the cheapest out of the three over a 10-year-period.

While these figures aren’t a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, they show why looking beyond a car’s sticker price is important.

The cheapest car to maintain isn’t necessarily the cheapest to own, and your annual mileage, insurance costs and driving habits can all change the final bill.