A new study from Self Financial, a credit-building company, has calculated that the Tesla Model 3 is the least expensive car to operate among the 50 best-selling vehicles in the United States, according to Teslarati.
The popular Model Y also ranked in the top 10, placing the two Tesla cars among the likes of Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas, and other stalwart gas burners.
This study proves that while the price tags on Tesla electric vehicles haven't always been as low as they are now, what it costs to own one after buying can't be beat. The Model 3's running costs clocked in at just over $5,000, about $1,400 lower than the industry average, Teslarati reported.
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Cost 
According to the outlet, Self Financial's calculations factored average costs for things like fuel or energy, maintenance, insurance, and fees and taxes.
Gas was the biggest cost for most vehicles, which gave Tesla models an immediate advantage. The Model 3 required just $636 each year to stay charged up, while the study's energy cost average was $2,246. The EV's maintenance costs were also 30% less than the study's average.
The runner-up, the Hyundai Elantra, was only $43 behind the Model 3, thanks to its lower fees and taxes than Tesla's. Plus, driving it off the lot will cost less than a Tesla.
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However, as the purchase price of EVs continues to drop, gas burners like the Elantra, Civic, and Corolla will likely get edged out of the affordable-running-costs conversation by other EVs. That's a good sign for consumers' pockets and the planet's atmosphere, which is kept cleaner and cooler the more non-gas-burning cars there are on the road.
Some readers even reported their Tesla maintenance costs were drastically lower than the averages found in the Self Financial study.
"54,000 miles on our 3-year old Model Y," one commenter explained. "One set of tires, a pair of wiper blades and a cabin air filter have been our only expenses. We are never going back to an ICE vehicle."
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