Compare 3 Cars Side by Side: RAV4 $40,957 vs CR-V $46,892 vs Rogue $52,124

Cost examples updated November 8, 2026

Get the free Car Buyer’s Cheat Sheet, 7 things to know before you sign anything. The numbers that matter, in plain English, on one page.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

You’re in! Check your inbox, your cheat sheet is on its way.

Pick any 3 cars

Choose three cars and the table below fills in each one's true five-year cost, bucket by bucket, from its own true-cost page. The lowest five-year total gets the badge. The numbers are the totals, not a recommendation: the cheapest car on paper is not always the right car for you.

Go ahead, play with it. Change any car and watch the totals move.

Car 1

Car 2

Car 3

Each total comes from that car's own true-cost page. Most examples use the site standard method: 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in fees, 12,000 miles a year, $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). A few pages state different assumptions, and those are shown on the car's own page. Electric cars count electricity instead of gas, and the Model Y counts a one-time home charger allowance.

The three examples

Both the table above and the worked example below use the site's standard method: 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in fees, 12,000 miles a year, $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). Only the vehicle inputs differ. The RAV4 example is the RAV4 XLE AWD at $32,710 including destination; the CR-V example is the CR-V EX-L AWD at $37,950 including destination; the Rogue example is the 2025 Rogue SV with front-wheel drive at $32,360 including destination, the volume trim of each, not the base.

Five-year costs, bucket by bucket

Depreciation: RAV4 $8,308 · CR-V $10,968 · Rogue $16,115
Insurance: RAV4 $10,800 · CR-V $10,800 · Rogue $10,800
Fuel: RAV4 $8,592 · CR-V $8,899 · Rogue $7,551
Maintenance: RAV4 $3,000 · CR-V $4,500 · Rogue $7,500
Tax, fees and interest: RAV4 $10,257 · CR-V $11,725 · Rogue $10,158

Totals: RAV4 $40,957 (about $683 a month) · CR-V $46,892 (about $782 a month) · Rogue $52,124 (about $869 a month). The RAV4 costs about $5,935 less than the CR-V and about $11,167 less than the Rogue over five years, and the CR-V costs about $5,232 less than the Rogue. Note where the gaps come from. Depreciation is the biggest piece: the RAV4 keeps about 75% of its value against the CR-V's about 71% and the Rogue's about 50%, and loses $8,308 against $10,968 and $16,115. The Rogue wins on fuel, $7,551 at 33 miles a gallon against $8,592 and $8,899, but it gives that back on upkeep, $7,500 against $3,000 and $4,500, and on depreciation. The payments run $662 a month for the RAV4, $765 for the CR-V, and $655 for the Rogue.

Formula

All three examples use the site standard method: 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in fees, 12,000 miles a year, $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). Only the vehicle inputs differ. The RAV4 example is the XLE AWD at $32,710 including destination; the CR-V example is the EX-L AWD at $37,950 including destination; the Rogue example is the 2025 Rogue SV with front-wheel drive at $32,360 including destination, the volume trim of each, not the base. RAV4 buckets: depreciation $8,308 plus insurance $10,800 plus fuel $8,592 plus maintenance $3,000 plus tax, fees and interest $10,257, which is $40,957, or about $683 a month. CR-V buckets: depreciation $10,968 plus insurance $10,800 plus fuel $8,899 plus maintenance $4,500 plus tax, fees and interest $11,725, which is $46,892, or about $782 a month. Rogue buckets: depreciation $16,115 plus insurance $10,800 plus fuel $7,551 plus maintenance $7,500 plus tax, fees and interest $10,158, which is $52,124, or about $869 a month. The gaps are $46,892 minus $40,957, which is $5,935, and $52,124 minus $40,957, which is $11,167.

The gap's biggest piece is depreciation: the RAV4 holds a better percentage of its value, about 75% kept against the CR-V's about 71% and the Rogue's about 50%, and loses fewer dollars, $8,308 against $10,968 and $16,115, a $2,660 difference against the CR-V and a $7,807 difference against the Rogue. The Rogue wins on fuel, $7,551 against $8,592 and $8,899, a $1,041 difference against the RAV4 and a $1,348 difference against the CR-V, at 33 miles a gallon against 29 and 28. The Rogue gives it back on upkeep, $7,500 against $3,000 and $4,500, and on tax, fees and interest the RAV4 wins at $10,257 against $11,725 and $10,158, because its entry price is about $5,240 lower than the CR-V's. Insurance is a tie on national averages at $180 a month each. The payments are $662 a month for the RAV4, $765 for the CR-V, and $655 for the Rogue.

Why the RAV4 costs least

Depreciation, then upkeep. The RAV4 loses $8,308 in value over five years, the smallest depreciation line of the three, and its upkeep allowance is $3,000, helped by two years of included ToyotaCare maintenance. Its entry price, $32,710, is about $5,240 lower than the CR-V's, which also keeps its tax, fees and interest line the lowest of the three at $10,257.

Where the Rogue wins

Fuel and sticker price. The Rogue gets 33 miles a gallon, the best of the three, so its fuel line is $7,551 over five years, and its $32,360 price is the lowest of the three. Its payment is the lowest too, $655 a month. What pushes its total to the top is depreciation: it keeps about 50% of its value at year five, worth about $16,245, so it loses $16,115, roughly double the RAV4's $8,308.

What would change the answer

These totals stand on stated assumptions, and your own quotes can move them: insurance (a $25-a-month difference between your quotes is $1,500 over five years), your mileage (at 20,000 miles a year, fuel lines grow and the Rogue's mileage edge matters more), and your resale market at year five. That is precisely why all three models have their own pages here, RAV4 true cost, CR-V true cost, and Rogue true cost, where every input can be replaced with your own numbers.

Run your exact three.

Use the pickers at the top of this page to compare any three cars with a true-cost page here, these three, different trims, a hybrid against a gas model, and the table runs the same five buckets with each car's own numbers.

Browse every model we cover →

Calculation transparency

Scope. Three worked examples, the volume trim of each, the RAV4 XLE AWD, the CR-V EX-L AWD, and the 2025 Rogue SV with front-wheel drive, on the site standard method over 5 years, gas compared first.

Rules and time period. Common basis: 10% down; 8% APR; 60 months; 7% sales tax; $900 in fees; 12,000 miles a year; gas at $4.153 a gallon, the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026; only the vehicle inputs differ; resale values are stated assumptions, the RAV4 worth about $24,402 at year five, the CR-V about $26,982, and the Rogue about $16,245; insurance is a tie on national averages at $180 a month each.

Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Your own quotes can move the totals: insurance, mileage, and your resale market at year five. Prices vary by car, shop, and city. Get a written quote for your own car before you decide.

Source links checked November 8, 2026. Figures: Purchase prices, gas mileage, insurance, upkeep, and value loss from the Driveonomics RAV4, CR-V, and Rogue cost pages; gas at $4.153 a gallon, the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026.

Primary sources: EIA, U.S. weekly retail gasoline prices; Toyota RAV4 true cost; Honda CR-V true cost; Nissan Rogue true cost. 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 RAV4 loses $8,308 over five years, the CR-V loses $10,968, and the Rogue loses $16,115.

Resale value. What the car is worth when you sell it. The RAV4 is worth about $24,402 at year five, the CR-V about $26,982, and the Rogue about $16,245.

Upkeep. Maintenance, the work that keeps a car running. On this page, $3,000 over five years for the RAV4, $4,500 for the CR-V, and $7,500 for the Rogue.

ToyotaCare. Two years of included Toyota maintenance, which helps the RAV4 upkeep allowance.

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. A tax on the purchase price, charged by your state. On this page, the examples use 7% sales tax.

Questions people actually ask

Which of these three costs least over 5 years?

The Toyota RAV4, at $40,957 over 5 years, or about $683 a month, against the Honda CR-V at $46,892, or about $782 a month, and the Nissan Rogue at $52,124, or about $869 a month. The RAV4 costs about $5,935 less than the CR-V and about $11,167 less than the Rogue over five years.

Why does the RAV4 cost least?

Depreciation is the biggest reason. The RAV4 loses $8,308 in value over five years, against $10,968 for the CR-V and $16,115 for the Rogue. The RAV4 also has the lowest upkeep allowance, $3,000 against $4,500 for the CR-V and $7,500 for the Rogue, helped by two years of included ToyotaCare maintenance.

Where does the Rogue win?

On fuel and on sticker price. The Rogue gets 33 miles a gallon, so its fuel line is $7,551 over five years, against $8,592 for the RAV4 and $8,899 for the CR-V. Its $32,360 price is also the lowest of the three. Its depreciation, $16,115, is what pushes its total to the top.

Can I compare three different cars?

Yes. Use the pickers at the top of this page to compare any three of the 84 cars with a worked five-year cost on this site. Each total comes from that car's own true-cost page, on the same five buckets, so the comparison is apples to apples.

What would change the answer?

Your own quotes can move the totals: insurance, where a $25-a-month difference between your quotes is $1,500 over five years, your mileage, where at 20,000 miles a year the fuel lines grow and the Rogue's mileage edge matters more, and your resale market at year five.