Cost example updated October 24, 2026
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That is the full five-year cost of the gas Equinox example below, not just the loan payment. The payment itself is $624 a month; insurance, gas, upkeep, and the value the car loses make up the rest. The rest of this page shows where every dollar comes from.
Start with the price you will actually pay
For a representative example, use a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox LT with front-wheel drive at $30,795 including destination (the $28,800 base price Edmunds lists, plus the $1,995 destination charge GM Authority lists, the two add up to exactly $30,795). All-wheel drive on the same LT runs $32,495, and the ACTIV and RS trims start at $35,595, so replace this starting point with a written quote for the exact trim you are considering.
One honest gap, stated not settled: not every source shows the same sticker. Some dealer pages still list the LT at $29,995, which reflects an older $1,195 destination charge, and GM Authority listed the LT at $30,495 earlier in the model year with a $1,795 destination charge. The destination charge rose during the model year, and this example uses the latest figure, $30,795 with the $1,995 charge. The 2027 Equinox LT is already listed at $30,995, $200 more, so check which model year a quote is actually for.
The down payment does not make the Equinox cheaper; it changes how much you finance. With 10% down ($3,080), 8% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan) and 60 months, this example rolls the 7% sales tax ($2,156) and $900 in title and dealer fees into the loan, tax and fees are borrowed, not paid separately up front, and finances $30,771 at $624 a month, and the loan costs about $6,665 in interest over five years.
A note kept separate on purpose: the Equinox EV is a different, fully electric model with its own price, running costs, and resale pattern. None of its numbers appear anywhere in this page's math. If you are comparing gas and electric, the EV vs. gas guide runs the same kind of comparison without mixing the two cars together.
Fuel: the everyday line item
The gas Equinox uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (a small engine with a turbocharger, which is a part that pushes extra air in so a small engine can pull harder). With front-wheel drive it is rated 27 mpg combined (26 city, 29 highway, per fueleconomy.gov; Edmunds lists the same 27 combined). At 12,000 miles a year that is about 444 gallons annually, roughly $1,846 a year, $9,229 over five years at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). The method is miles divided by mpg, times price, times years.
All-wheel drive costs a little more at the pump: it is rated 26 mpg combined, which works out to about $9,584 over five years at the same price, roughly $355 more than front-wheel drive. If your winters are mild, front-wheel drive keeps the fuel line lower; all-wheel drive earns its keep on slick roads, not at the pump.
Depreciation is the biggest bucket
Depreciation is the plain word for the value a car loses over time. iSeeCars' data puts the Equinox's five-year value loss at about 49.6%, it keeps roughly 50.4% of its price. On a $30,795 purchase, plan on roughly $15,521 after five years, about $15,274 of depreciation, roughly $255 a month, and still the largest single cost on this page.
A second source is a touch less kind: Kelley Blue Book's work on the ACTIV trim lands near 50.1% kept ($17,819 left on a $35,595 ACTIV), while CarEdge puts the Equinox at 47.9% kept, which would leave about $14,748 and about $16,047 of depreciation on this example's price. The example uses the iSeeCars figure; run a second scenario with resale 10% lower so the decision does not depend on an optimistic used market.
Insurance runs compact-SUV money
Full-coverage averages for the Equinox cluster tightly: Insurify lists about $168 a month and Compare.com about $171 a month for full coverage, and The Zebra's model-year figure lands near $177 a month. This example uses $170 a month, or $10,200 over five years. Premiums depend heavily on the driver, ZIP code, coverage and insurer, so get a quote on the exact trim with matching deductibles and limits before treating any average as yours.
Equinox maintenance costs: small-SUV sized
CarEdge puts the Equinox's routine maintenance near $575 a year, and another published comparison puts repairs and maintenance near $537 a year. This example allows $600 a year, or $3,000 all-in, which leaves room for a set of tires inside five years at 60,000 miles plus the scheduled services. The Equinox's smaller wheels and tires cost noticeably less to replace than a big SUV's, one reason its upkeep line stays modest.
The full five-year example
Every figure below comes from the site's own calculator math. The stated inputs are: 2026 Chevrolet Equinox LT front-wheel drive (gas), $30,795 price, 10% down ($3,080), 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, tax and fees rolled into the loan, 12,000 miles per year, 27 mpg, $4.153 per gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), $170 per month insurance, $600 per year maintenance, $15,521 resale value after five years.
- Depreciation: $15,274 ($30,795 minus $15,521 resale)
- Insurance: $10,200 ($170 x 60 months)
- Fuel: $9,229 (12,000 / 27 x $4.153 x 5 years)
- Maintenance: $3,000 ($600 x 5 years)
- Tax, fees and interest: $9,721 ($2,156 sales tax, $900 fees, $6,665 loan interest)
That totals roughly $47,424, or about $790 a month. Notice what that says about the $624 payment: on this vehicle the payment is not the whole story, it is about 79% of the average month's true cost, and during the loan years the cash actually going out is the payment plus insurance, fuel and upkeep.
Formula
The five-year total is the sum of five buckets: depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and tax, fees and interest. Depreciation is the $30,795 price minus the $15,521 resale value after five years, which is $15,274. Insurance is $170 a month times 60 months, which is $10,200. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 27 miles per gallon, times $4.153 a gallon, times 5 years, which is about $9,229. Maintenance is $600 a year times 5 years, which is $3,000. Tax, fees and interest is 7% sales tax on $30,795, which is $2,156, plus $900 in title and dealer fees, plus about $6,665 of loan interest, which is $9,721.
Added together, $15,274 plus $10,200 plus $9,229 plus $3,000 plus $9,721 equals $47,424, or about $790 a month. The amount financed is the $30,795 price plus $2,156 sales tax plus $900 in fees, minus the $3,080 down payment, which is $30,771. The tax and fees are rolled into the loan. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $30,771 is $624 a month, and the loan costs about $6,665 in interest over five years.
Why Equinox owners should think past year five
Compact SUVs are often keepers, families run them well past the loan, and that is where the economics can improve: the loan ends at year five, and the depreciation curve flattens. The costs that arrive in years six through ten are the wear-and-repair years: a second tire set, brakes, and the out-of-warranty items a repair cushion exists for. The keep it 10 years guide shows how to extend this same math honestly.
Shopping the Equinox against its closest rivals? The Car Showdown runs any two vehicles through the same five buckets side by side, try it against the RAV4 or the CR-V, and the why cars lose value page explains the biggest bucket in plain words. Cross-shopping a Trax too? See what a Chevrolet Trax really costs over 5 years. Cross-shopping a Trailblazer too? See what a Chevrolet Trailblazer really costs over 5 years.
Enter the Equinox purchase price, insurance quote, your real annual mileage, local fuel price, tire allowance and conservative resale value in the calculator. Then change only the inputs that differ to test an all-wheel-drive Equinox, a used Equinox, or a longer ownership horizon.
Calculation transparency
Jurisdiction. United States. Sales tax, titling, registration and insurance rules are set by your state, so your exact numbers depend on where you buy and register the car. The 7% sales tax and $900 in fees in this example are planning figures, not any one state's actual rates.
Rules and time period. Five years, 12,000 miles a year, gas at $4.153 a gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), 8% APR, 60 months, 10% down. The resale value is a planning assumption, not a forecast.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Insurance and maintenance are planning figures, not quotes. Get a real quote for the same trim, coverage and loan before you decide.
iSeeCars' own pages disagree on the Equinox's five-year value loss: its model resale page reports 47% while its comparison pages report 49.6%, so the 49.6% figure used here is kept as a planning assumption, not as a current reading.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: EPA combined fuel economy, 27 mpg front-wheel drive and 26 mpg all-wheel drive; EIA weekly gas prices (week ending November 2, 2026); Insurify Chevrolet Equinox full-coverage average, $168 a month.
Primary sources: fueleconomy.gov, 2026 Chevrolet Equinox fuel economy; EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update; Insurify, average car insurance rates by vehicle model. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Depreciation. The value a car loses over time. On this page, the $30,795 price minus the $15,521 resale value after five years, which is $15,274.
Resale value. What the car is worth after five years in this example, $15,521. A planning assumption, not a forecast.
APR. Annual percentage rate, the yearly cost of borrowing before fees. This example uses 8%.
Down payment. The cash paid up front. Here it is 10%, or $3,080.
Combined mpg. The EPA city and highway ratings blended into one figure. It is 27 for the front-wheel-drive Equinox, 26 in the city and 29 on the highway, and 26 for all-wheel drive.
Full coverage. Insurance that covers damage to your own car as well as damage to others. This example uses $170 a month.
Sales tax. A percentage tax charged by the state on the purchase price. This example uses 7%, or $2,156 on the $30,795 price.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a Chevrolet Equinox cost per month?
About $790 a month over five years in the example above: $47,424 in total. The loan payment itself is $624 a month; insurance, gas, upkeep, and the value the car loses make up the rest.
How much does a Chevrolet Equinox lose in value in 5 years?
About $15,274 in this example. iSeeCars puts the Equinox's five-year value loss at 49.6%, so a $30,795 Equinox is worth about $15,521 after five years. A second source is a touch less kind, keeping 47.9%.
What gas mileage does a Chevrolet Equinox get?
The gas Equinox with front-wheel drive is rated 27 miles per gallon combined (26 city, 29 highway). All-wheel drive is rated 26 miles per gallon combined. At 12,000 miles a year and $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026), the front-wheel-drive version uses about $9,229 of gas over five years.
How much does it cost to insure a Chevrolet Equinox?
Full-coverage averages cluster around $168 to $171 a month (Insurify and Compare.com). This example uses $170 a month, or $10,200 over five years. Your own quote depends on the driver, the ZIP code, the coverage, and the insurer.
How much does it cost to maintain a Chevrolet Equinox?
This example allows $600 a year, or $3,000 all-in, which leaves room for a set of tires inside five years at 60,000 miles plus the scheduled services. CarEdge puts the Equinox's routine maintenance near $575 a year, and another published comparison puts repairs and maintenance near $537 a year.
Related: Compare the Nissan Rogue, the Kia Sportage and the Mazda CX-5, or browse all models.