> These are somewhat contradictory: someone spending less upfront on an internal combustion engine will be paying considerably more for maintenance and fuel. Y

> These are somewhat contradictory: someone spending less upfront on an internal combustion engine will be paying considerably more for maintenance and fuel. Yes, but the salient bit is that the average car isn’t brand new nor high end (my Model Y cost $62k). The payments and insurance for a mid-range used car will certainly be a lot lower, and the difference should more than make up for fuel and maintenance costs. > It's also a bit of a challenge to talk about this since it's a distribution — the _average_ new car bought in the United States was $47,000 which is more than the Tesla Model 3's base price of $40k: But the average car certainly isn’t a new car? > The other big thing to remember is that taxes, insurance, parking, and tolls add up quickly. I factored in insurance already, parking and tolls vary widely (most places these aren’t an issue) > Now, if we look at used cars it's cheaper but that's still $28k and since a used car is going to need more maintenance you're definitely looking at a substantial amount of money: That reflects the chip shortage. Per your own article, that figure is 42% higher than December 2019 ($20k). And again, this is the average cost, which reflects what the average car buyer can afford—it doesn’t indicate the entry level. > In a city or area with high car theft rates, insurance is going to be steep even if you're a low-mileage driver and the cost of parking can easily hundreds of dollars a month. I have name brand insurance in Chicago and my coverage (brand new, high end car) is only $130/month. Plenty of car theft here, and I haven’t bothered to cost-optimize my insurance yet. Agreed that parking, tolls, etc vary widely depending on where you live (certainly biking in the city is a much more practical choice than in a rural or exurban environment).