Cost example updated October 26, 2026
The F-150 takes 2.8% of 1- to 5-year-old used sales in the iSeeCars 2025 study, more than any other model. Its 5-year example total is $63,053, about $1,051 a month. The lowest 5-year example total on this page is the Toyota Corolla at $31,620, about $527 a month. Sales rank and cost rank are not the same thing, and this page keeps them apart: the table is in sales order first, and the cost column is there so you can see what each popular model costs to keep, not just how many sold.
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The ranking: best-selling used cars, with a 5-year cost for each
The ranking comes from the iSeeCars 2025 study of more than 9 million used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars. Share means that model's share of those used sales. The starting price for each row is the iSeeCars 2026 average for a 3-year-old example of that model, so every row starts from a used car of the same age. Combined miles per gallon means the mix of town and highway driving, how far the car goes on one gallon on average. Upkeep means routine work plus repairs, oil changes, brakes, tires, and fluids. The rows are in sales order, highest share first. They are not in cost order, and the cheapest row is not presented as the best pick.
| Sales rank | Model | Share of used sales | 3-year-old price | MPG combined | Fuel, 5 years | Insurance, 5 years | Upkeep, 5 years | Value lost | 5-year total | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford F-150 | 2.8% | $43,121 | 21 | $11,866 | $11,700 | $7,000 | $19,315 | $63,053 | $1,051 |
| 2 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 2.5% | $38,778 | 18 | $13,843 | $10,800 | $5,500 | $15,395 | $57,494 | $958 |
| 3 | Ram 1500 | 1.8% | $40,060 | 21 | $11,866 | $12,000 | $9,000 | $17,146 | $62,327 | $1,039 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Equinox | 1.8% | $21,813 | 27 | $9,229 | $10,200 | $3,000 | $10,819 | $40,453 | $674 |
| 5 | Nissan Rogue | 1.7% | $22,085 | 33 | $7,551 | $10,800 | $7,500 | $10,998 | $44,130 | $736 |
| 6 | Toyota Camry | 1.7% | $24,829 | 46 | $5,417 | $12,000 | $4,500 | $8,814 | $38,780 | $646 |
| 7 | Ford Explorer | 1.5% | $32,614 | 24 | $10,383 | $10,500 | $7,500 | $17,253 | $55,866 | $931 |
| 9 | Toyota Corolla | 1.5% | $19,971 | 35 | $7,119 | $10,500 | $1,800 | $5,512 | $31,620 | $527 |
Every row uses the same inputs, so the only things that change from row to row are the starting price, the gas mileage, the insurance figure, the upkeep figure, and the value-loss percentage. The inputs behind every row: 12,000 miles a year; gas at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026); insurance and upkeep from that model's own Driveonomics cost page; sales tax at 7% as the site's standard example assumption, not any state's actual rate; $900 in title and dealer fees; 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months. The 5-year total is value lost plus insurance plus fuel plus upkeep plus tax plus fees plus loan interest. The monthly figure is the 5-year total divided by 60, rounded to the nearest dollar. Yearly registration and renewal fees are not in the total, because they change by state.
How the list is built
The ranking comes from the iSeeCars 2025 study of more than 9 million used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars. Share means that model's share of those used sales. The starting price for each row is the iSeeCars 2026 average for a 3-year-old example of that model, so every row starts from a used car of the same age. The rows are in sales order, highest share first. They are not in cost order, and the cheapest row is not presented as the best pick.
Every row uses the same inputs, so the only things that change from row to row are the starting price, the gas mileage, the insurance figure, the upkeep figure, and the value-loss percentage: 12,000 miles a year; gas at $4.153 a gallon, the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026; sales tax at 7% as the site's standard example assumption, not any state's actual rate; $900 in title and dealer fees; 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months. The 5-year total is value lost plus insurance plus fuel plus upkeep plus tax plus fees plus loan interest. The monthly figure is the 5-year total divided by 60, rounded to the nearest dollar. Yearly registration and renewal fees are not in the total, because they change by state.
Why each total is what it is
1. Ford F-150 $63,053 over 5 years, about $1,051 a month
Starting price $43,121 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 21 miles per gallon, so fuel is $2,373 a year and $11,866 over 5 years. Insurance at $195 a month is $11,700 over 5 years. Upkeep at $1,400 a year is $7,000 over 5 years. Value lost at 44.8% of the starting price is $19,315. Sales tax at 7% is $3,018, plus $900 in fees, plus $9,254 in loan interest. $19,315 plus $11,700 plus $11,866 plus $7,000 plus $3,018 plus $900 plus $9,254 equals $63,053.
2. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 $57,494 over 5 years, about $958 a month
Starting price $38,778 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 18 miles per gallon, so fuel is $2,769 a year and $13,843 over 5 years. Insurance at $180 a month is $10,800 over 5 years. Upkeep at $1,100 a year is $5,500 over 5 years. Value lost at 39.7% of the starting price is $15,395. Sales tax at 7% is $2,769, plus $900 in fees, plus $8,342 in loan interest. $15,395 plus $10,800 plus $13,843 plus $5,500 plus $2,769 plus $900 plus $8,342 equals $57,494.
3. Ram 1500 $62,327 over 5 years, about $1,039 a month
Starting price $40,060 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 21 miles per gallon, so fuel is $2,373 a year and $11,866 over 5 years. Insurance at $200 a month is $12,000 over 5 years. Upkeep at $1,800 a year is $9,000 over 5 years. Value lost at 42.8% of the starting price is $17,146. Sales tax at 7% is $2,804, plus $900 in fees, plus $8,611 in loan interest. $17,146 plus $12,000 plus $11,866 plus $9,000 plus $2,804 plus $900 plus $8,611 equals $62,327.
4. Chevrolet Equinox $40,453 over 5 years, about $674 a month
Starting price $21,813 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 27 miles per gallon, so fuel is $1,846 a year and $9,229 over 5 years. Insurance at $170 a month is $10,200 over 5 years. Upkeep at $600 a year is $3,000 over 5 years. Value lost at 49.6% of the starting price is $10,819. Sales tax at 7% is $1,527, plus $900 in fees, plus $4,778 in loan interest. $10,819 plus $10,200 plus $9,229 plus $3,000 plus $1,527 plus $900 plus $4,778 equals $40,453.
5. Nissan Rogue $44,130 over 5 years, about $736 a month
Starting price $22,085 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 33 miles per gallon, so fuel is $1,510 a year and $7,551 over 5 years. Insurance at $180 a month is $10,800 over 5 years. Upkeep at $1,500 a year is $7,500 over 5 years. Value lost at 49.8% of the starting price is $10,998. Sales tax at 7% is $1,546, plus $900 in fees, plus $4,835 in loan interest. $10,998 plus $10,800 plus $7,551 plus $7,500 plus $1,546 plus $900 plus $4,835 equals $44,130.
6. Toyota Camry $38,780 over 5 years, about $646 a month
Starting price $24,829 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 46 miles per gallon, so fuel is $1,083 a year and $5,417 over 5 years. Insurance at $200 a month is $12,000 over 5 years. Upkeep at $900 a year is $4,500 over 5 years. Value lost at 35.5% of the starting price is $8,814. Sales tax at 7% is $1,738, plus $900 in fees, plus $5,411 in loan interest. $8,814 plus $12,000 plus $5,417 plus $4,500 plus $1,738 plus $900 plus $5,411 equals $38,780.
7. Ford Explorer $55,866 over 5 years, about $931 a month
Starting price $32,614 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 24 miles per gallon, so fuel is $2,077 a year and $10,383 over 5 years. Insurance at $175 a month is $10,500 over 5 years. Upkeep at $1,500 a year is $7,500 over 5 years. Value lost at 52.9% of the starting price is $17,253. Sales tax at 7% is $2,283, plus $900 in fees, plus $7,047 in loan interest. $17,253 plus $10,500 plus $10,383 plus $7,500 plus $2,283 plus $900 plus $7,047 equals $55,866.
9. Toyota Corolla $31,620 over 5 years, about $527 a month
Starting price $19,971 for a 3-year-old example. Combined mileage 35 miles per gallon, so fuel is $1,424 a year and $7,119 over 5 years. Insurance at $175 a month is $10,500 over 5 years. Upkeep at $360 a year is $1,800 over 5 years. Value lost at 27.6% of the starting price is $5,512. Sales tax at 7% is $1,398, plus $900 in fees, plus $4,391 in loan interest. $5,512 plus $10,500 plus $7,119 plus $1,800 plus $1,398 plus $900 plus $4,391 equals $31,620.
What the ranking does not say
Sales volume is a count of cars sold, not a score for quality, and not a price for your car. A model can sell in large numbers because many were made, because fleets bought many of them, or because the price is low, and none of those reasons by itself makes one car a better fit than another for a given household. The cost column is also an average example, not a quote: insurance swings by driver and city, fuel swings by miles and local price, and resale swings by condition and trim. Use the calculator with the exact car in front of you before counting on any total here.
Two ranks have no cost row, and the reason is stated rather than filled in. The Chevrolet Malibu ranks 8th at 1.5% of used sales, and the same iSeeCars 2026 study lists a 3-year-old Malibu average of $17,275, but Driveonomics has no Malibu cost page, so its insurance, upkeep, and value-loss inputs could not be verified to the same standard as the rows above, and no row was built from a partial set. That page now exists: see what a Chevrolet Malibu really costs over 5 years. The Toyota Tacoma ranks 10th at 1.5%, and its 3-year-old average is $36,621 in the same study, but its published value-loss figures conflict: the iSeeCars 2026 study lists 19.9% lost in 5 years, while the Tacoma cost page's own worked example uses about 28.8%. With two different load-bearing figures for the same line, the Tacoma row is held, not built on one of them.
How this page differs from its two neighbors
Best used cars under $10,000 groups cars by price only, with every car at or under $10,000, and it does not rank them. What cars hold their value best ranks cars by value retention, meaning how little value they lose. This page ranks by sales volume, across all prices, with no price ceiling and no value-retention order. If you want the cheapest starting point, use the under $10,000 page. If you want the smallest value loss, use the hold-value page. If you want to know what America actually bought used, and what those sellers cost to keep, you are on the right page.
Calculation transparency
Scope. A sales ranking with a 5-year cost for each row: the top 10 best-selling used models in the iSeeCars 2025 study, with a cost row for the eight models whose insurance, upkeep, and value-loss inputs could be verified to the same standard. Two ranks have no cost row: the Chevrolet Malibu at 8th, because Driveonomics has no Malibu cost page, and the Toyota Tacoma at 10th, because its published value-loss figures conflict.
Rules and time period. Ranking from the iSeeCars 2025 study, more than 9 million used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars. Starting prices are iSeeCars 2026 averages for 3-year-old examples, August 11, 2026 study. Every row: 12,000 miles a year, gas at $4.153 a gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), 7% sales tax as a site example assumption, $900 in title and dealer fees, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, insurance and upkeep from that model's own Driveonomics cost page.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Sales volume is a count of cars sold, not a score for quality, and not a price for your car. The cost column is an average example, not a quote: insurance swings by driver and city, fuel swings by miles and local price, and resale swings by condition and trim. The Malibu row is held because its inputs could not be verified to the same standard, and the Tacoma row is held because its value-loss figures conflict: the iSeeCars 2026 study lists 19.9% lost in 5 years, while the Tacoma cost page's own worked example uses about 28.8%. Insurance quotes, gas prices, and local rates vary by driver and address. Get a real quote for the same car, coverage, and loan before you decide.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: iSeeCars 2025 most popular used cars study, more than 9 million used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars: Ford F-150 2.8%, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2.5%, Ram 1500 1.8%, Chevrolet Equinox 1.8%, Nissan Rogue 1.7%, Toyota Camry 1.7%, Ford Explorer 1.5%, Chevrolet Malibu 1.5%, Toyota Corolla 1.5%, Toyota Tacoma 1.5%; iSeeCars 2026 averages for 3-year-old examples, August 11, 2026 study; gas mileage, insurance, and upkeep from each model's own Driveonomics cost page; EIA national average gas $4.153 a gallon, week ending November 2, 2026. The iSeeCars 2026 starting-price averages and the model cost pages are named only, not linked.
Primary sources: iSeeCars most popular used cars study; EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Share of used sales. That model's share of used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars in the iSeeCars 2025 study. The Ford F-150 is first at 2.8%.
Sales order. Highest share first. The rows are in sales order, not cost order, and the cheapest row is not presented as the best pick.
3-year-old price. The iSeeCars 2026 average price for a 3-year-old example of that model, so every row starts from a used car of the same age.
Combined miles per gallon. The mix of town and highway driving, how far the car goes on one gallon on average.
Upkeep. Routine work plus repairs: oil changes, brakes, tires, and fluids.
Value lost. The value the car loses over five years, shown as a percentage of the starting price and in dollars. The F-150 loses 44.8%, or $19,315; the Corolla loses 27.6%, or $5,512.
Value retention. How little value a car loses in 5 years. The hold-value page ranks by it; this page ranks by sales volume, and the two orders are different.
APR. Annual percentage rate, the yearly interest rate on the loan. This example uses 8%. For context, Experian reported average rates of 6.35% on new cars and 11.19% on used cars in the second quarter of 2026.
Sales tax. The tax on the purchase, 7% on this page as the site's standard example assumption, not any state's actual rate.
Questions people actually ask
What are the best-selling used cars in America?
In the iSeeCars 2025 study, the Ford F-150 is first at 2.8% of 1- to 5-year-old used sales, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 at 2.5%, the Ram 1500 at 1.8%, the Chevrolet Equinox at 1.8%, the Nissan Rogue at 1.7%, the Toyota Camry at 1.7%, the Ford Explorer at 1.5%, and the Toyota Corolla at 1.5%. The Chevrolet Malibu ranks 8th and the Toyota Tacoma ranks 10th in the same study, but they have no cost row on this page, for the reasons given further up this page.
How much does a best-selling used car cost over 5 years?
In the examples on this page, from $31,620 for a 3-year-old Toyota Corolla at $19,971 to $63,053 for a 3-year-old Ford F-150 at $43,121, over 5 years, or about $527 to $1,051 a month. Each total covers depreciation, insurance, fuel, upkeep, sales tax at 7%, $900 in fees, and loan interest at 8% over 60 months with 10% down. Your own insurance, fuel use, and resale value will move your total.
Why is this ranking different from the cars that hold their value best page?
That page is ranked by value retention, meaning how little value a car loses in 5 years. This page is ranked by sales volume, meaning how many used cars sold. The two orders are different. The Toyota Corolla, for example, holds value well and also sells well, but the Ford F-150 tops this sales ranking while losing a larger share of its value than the Corolla does.
What inputs are the same for every row?
Every row uses 12,000 miles a year, gas at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026), 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, and the insurance and upkeep figures from that model's own Driveonomics cost page. Gas for each row is 12,000 divided by that car's combined miles per gallon, times $4.153, times 5 years. The gas price is the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026, and the tax rate is a site example assumption, not a claim about the pump price or the tax rate where you live.
Do these prices apply to a specific car I find for sale?
No. Every price and cost on this page is a typical example, not a quote for a specific car. The starting price for each row is the iSeeCars 2026 average for a 3-year-old example of that model. Two cars of the same year and model can be priced far apart because of condition, mileage, trim, and where they are sold, so check the exact car in front of you before you count on any figure here.
Related: Certified or not? See whether certified pre-owned is worth the premium.
Related: Mileage moves the price. See how mileage affects car value.
Related: Found one you like? See how much the monthly payment would be.
Run your own numbers
Compare two of these models side by side on the calculator, or start from the wider picture on the true cost of a used car and new vs. used. For why value loss moves the way it does, see why cars lose value. Full model costs for the ranked models with Driveonomics pages are linked in the table above.
Figures: iSeeCars 2025 most popular used cars study (more than 9 million used sales of 1- to 5-year-old cars): Ford F-150 2.8%, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2.5%, Ram 1500 1.8%, Chevrolet Equinox 1.8%, Nissan Rogue 1.7%, Toyota Camry 1.7%, Ford Explorer 1.5%, Chevrolet Malibu 1.5%, Toyota Corolla 1.5%, Toyota Tacoma 1.5%. Starting prices are iSeeCars 2026 averages for 3-year-old examples (August 11, 2026 study): F-150 $43,121, Silverado 1500 $38,778, Ram 1500 $40,060, Equinox $21,813, Rogue $22,085, Camry $24,829, Explorer $32,614, Corolla $19,971, Malibu $17,275, Tacoma $36,621. Gas mileage, insurance, and upkeep from each model's own Driveonomics cost page: F-150 21 mpg, $195 a month, $1,400 a year; Silverado 1500 18 mpg, $180 a month, $1,100 a year; Ram 1500 21 mpg, $200 a month, $1,800 a year; Equinox 27 mpg, $170 a month, $600 a year; Rogue 33 mpg, $180 a month, $1,500 a year; Camry 46 mpg, $200 a month, $900 a year; Explorer 24 mpg, $175 a month, $1,500 a year; Corolla 35 mpg, $175 a month, $360 a year. Value-loss percentages are each model's worked-example ratio from its own Driveonomics cost page, except Ram 1500 42.8%, Camry 35.5%, and Corolla 27.6%, which match published iSeeCars figures quoted on those pages. Gas is the EIA national average of $4.153 a gallon for the week ending November 2, 2026, and 7% sales tax is a site example assumption. Every figure is a typical example, not a quote for a specific car.