It is costing owners of large, powerful four-wheel drives more than $400 a week to pay for the privilege.

According to the RACQ’s annual survey of private motor vehicle expenses, big sports utility vehicles are costing their owners anywhere between $16,000 and $21,000 a year to own and operate whereas light cars at the other end of the motoring scale come in at $6600 to $8600.

The automatic Toyota Landcruiser turbo diesel is the most expensive vehicle to own and operate in Queensland at $405.16 a week or $21,068 a year.

By contrast the Hyundai Getz 1.4 litre manual hatchback cost its owners $126.41 a week or $6573 annually and qualified as Queensland’s cheapest car.

While Hyundai was the champion and Toyota beat LPG models from Ford and Holden to claim the large car prize, the top-selling Australian brand’s hybrid Prius and 200 Series LandCruiser V8 diesel finished last in the small and large SUV segments respectively.

The motorist organisation surveyed the costs associated with 60 popular vehicles based on a five-year ownership period under average operating conditions for motorists travelling 15,000km a year.

Taken into account were standing costs (financing, insurance, registration, depreciation and RACQ membership) and running costs (fuel, tyres, servicing and repairs) for light, small, mid-size and large-size cars, people movers, recreational and large 4WDs and utes.

RACQ vehicle technologies executive manager Steve Spalding said spiralling fuel costs and higher interest rates had pushed the cost of running a typical family sized car to around $12,000 a year – which equated to 80 cents for every kilometre travelled.

“Not surprisingly, our survey showed staggering increases in fuel costs since we calculated running costs in 2007,” he said. “Unleaded and premium petrol increased 29 per cent and 27 per cent respectively with diesel skyrocketing upwards by nearly 40 per cent.

“And while increasing fuel prices mean its important that motorists make every effort to use their vehicle as efficiently as possibly, by far the largest cost of owning a car is its depreciation, a hidden cost only felt when it is traded in for another one.”

Apart from slight reductions in CTP and comprehensive insurance premiums for some vehicles, most of the expenses associated with owning and operating a vehicle increased since the club’s 2007 survey. “Queenslanders opting for large sports utility vehicles or big sedans need deeper and deeper pockets, particularly when it comes to fuel costs,” Mr Spalding said.

“While vehicles using diesel have a fuel consumption advantage over those using petrol, given the higher purchase price for diesel vehicles and their higher standing costs, diesel vehicles actually cost more to own and operate overall.

“By comparison those with LPG-powered vehicles were slightly better off in the fuel department as their fuel went up by just under 24 per cent.”

Mr Spalding said hybrid cars did not stack up too well on economic grounds due largely to their substantially higher purchase price and the consequent effects on standing cost components.

“The petrol Civic was cheaper to own and run than the hybrid variant and the petrol-driven Corolla was cheaper than its closest equivalent of Prius hybrid,” Mr Spalding said. “It’s doubtful if consumers will flock to buy hybrids unless their pricing is much more closely aligned with equivalent petrol models or there are other financial ‘offsets’ that improve their economical attractiveness.”

Copies of the 2008 edition of Facts on Private Vehicle Expenses will be available to club members free of charge at RACQ branches and agencies from early July and can be downloaded from the club’s website racq.com.

Share this article