SUV costs go beyond price

SUV buyers have been urged to look beyond the ticket price when looking for their dream car.

Service and maintenance costs vary from model to model, while other factors to consider include fuel, insurance and depreciation.

Research of the SUV sector undertaken by cap found that the best value vehicles are not necessarily those with the cheapest retail prices.

Philip Nothard, cap consumer and retail editor said, ‘Our figures show that consumers need to consider more than just the price tag when it comes to investing in a SUV.

‘There are a number of factors that can swing overall ownership costs quite dramatically, such as service and maintenance, fuel, insurance and depreciation, so all of these should be considered to ensure those buyers whose purchase decision is based on a budget, get the best value for money.’

According to cap data, the best value vehicle on the market is the petrol DACIA Duster Estate, with the total cost of ownership starting from £9,771 and a monthly running cost starting from £271.44.

Cap also found that the three SUVs with the lowest service and maintenance costs were the Skoda Yeti Diesel Estate (£241), the Hyundai Estate 1.6 gdi (£237) and the VW Tiguan Diesel Estate 2.0 tdi (£229).

However, despite its low service and maintenance costs, the Dacia-Duster Diesel Estate 1.5 was only ranked 10th in cap’s best SUV buys, with a total cost of ownership of £12,322.

Peugeot, Citroen, Suzuki, Renault, Nissan and Ford also feature in the top ten, with total cost of ownership of less than £12,000.

Suzuki has two models in the top ten – in fourth was the petrol Suzuki Vitara Estate while the petrol Suzuki SX4 S Cross Hatchback was eighth.

At the other end of the spectrum, the prestige Land Rover Range Rover Estate 5.0 V8 S/C SV Autobiography LWB 4dr Auto (15-) has the highest total cost of ownership of all cars, coming in at just over £122,068.

When calculating these figures, cap considered monthly running cost, cost per mile, service and maintenance, depreciation, insurance group, costs new, delivery costs, road tax and RRP.