The True Cost of Owning a Hyundai Santa Cruz

Cost example prepared October 24, 2026

What it costs to keep a Santa Cruz running

About $900 a year, or $4,500 over five years. That is the maintenance number in this page's example. The table below shows where it comes from, service by service, and the schedule after it shows when the factory says each job is due.

Prices are YourMechanic example estimates for 2022 to 2024 Santa Cruz models, except tires, which are Tire Rack prices for parts only, before mounting and balancing. YourMechanic's own headline averages run lower than its example rows, so the table uses the example rows. Shop and dealer prices run higher.

When the factory says each job is due

Schedule from the 2025 Santa Cruz Owner's Manual, Chapter 9. Severe use, towing, dusty roads or lots of short trips, shortens the oil interval to 5,000 miles or 6 months. Hyundai covers scheduled oil changes and tire rotations for 3 years or 36,000 miles. Prices checked November 11, 2026.

Start with the price you will actually pay

For a representative example, use a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL with front-wheel drive at $31,945, SEL is the mid-range trim with heated seats and leather-style seats, and front-wheel drive means power goes to the front wheels only (Kelley Blue Book's MSRP, the sticker price, for this trim). The SEL is the trim most buyers land on: it adds the comfort items over the base SE without the turbo engine and price jump of the XRT and Limited. One pricing conflict is stated plainly: dealer listings show the SEL at $30,200 before destination and fees, and the Kelley Blue Book figure used here is the destination-included price, so the gap is destination and fees treatment, not a different truck. Trims run from the SE near $30,000 to the Limited past $44,000, so replace this starting point with a written quote for the exact trim you are considering.

The down payment does not make the Santa Cruz cheaper; it changes how much you finance. With 10% down ($3,195), 8% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan) and 60 months, this example finances $31,886 at $647 a month, and the loan costs about $6,906 in interest over five years.

Fuel: the everyday line item

The SEL's 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes 191 horsepower and is rated 25 mpg combined (22 city, 30 highway, per EPA figures) with front-wheel drive. At 12,000 miles a year that is 480 gallons annually, exactly $1,993 a year, $9,967 over five years at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). The same trim with all-wheel drive (power to all four wheels) is rated 24 mpg combined and would burn about $415 more fuel over five years, while the turbocharged XRT trim is rated 21 mpg combined and would burn about $1,899 more. The method behind that math is in the EV vs. gas guide: miles divided by mpg, times price, times years.

Depreciation is still the biggest bucket

iSeeCars' comparison pages put the Santa Cruz's five-year value loss at 38.6%, depreciation is just the word for the value a car loses over time, so it keeps about 61.4% of its price. That is the figure this page uses, and the published range around it is stated in full: iSeeCars' own dedicated resale page gives a lower 34.9% loss ($11,149 on a $31,945 truck), a summary citing iSeeCars gives 34.3%, and CarEdge projects 38.9% lost ($12,420), close to the figure used here. A tougher Kelley Blue Book-based figure for the 2026 SEL, 48.1% lost, comes from a different model year and price and is not used for this 2025 example. On a $31,945 purchase, plan on roughly $19,614 after five years, about $12,331 of depreciation, roughly $206 a month.

That resale figure is a planning assumption, not a forecast. Run a second scenario with resale 10% lower so the decision does not depend on an optimistic used market. One extra uncertainty is stated plainly: reports say Hyundai ends Santa Cruz production after 2026, which can move future used values and parts availability in either direction, so treat the resale figure above as more uncertain than for a truck with a longer production run.

Insurance runs compact-truck money

Full-coverage averages for a Santa Cruz cluster between about $145 and $218 a month depending on the source (Compare.com at $145, The Zebra near $167 to $178, Insuraviz at $202, and CarInsurance.com at $218, averages for the Santa Cruz as a whole, not prices for the SEL trim specifically). This example uses $180 a month, or $10,800 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 (what you pay out of pocket before insurance kicks in) and limits before treating any average as yours.

Santa Cruz maintenance costs: warranty-backed, tire-aware

Edmunds' own five-year work for a 2025 Santa Cruz SEL Activity with all-wheel drive puts maintenance at $3,930 and repairs at $619, $4,549 combined, so this example uses a round $900 a year, or $4,500 all-in (Edmunds' own two lines add to $4,549; the example rounds down $49, and note the Edmunds lines are for the SEL Activity with all-wheel drive, a different trim and drivetrain than the SEL with front-wheel drive in this example). Edmunds' 2026 SEL lines are higher, at $5,254 combined, while CarEdge's $3,057 five-year figure is the optimistic end of the range. Working in the Santa Cruz's favor: Hyundai's basic warranty runs 5 years or 60,000 miles, and the powertrain warranty (the engine, transmission and drivetrain, the parts that make it move) runs 10 years or 100,000 miles, longer than most rivals. Neither covers wear items such as tires, so a tire allowance still belongs in the number.

The full five-year example

Every figure below comes from the site's own calculator math. The stated inputs are: 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL with front-wheel drive, $31,945 price, 10% down ($3,195), 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, 12,000 miles per year, 25 mpg, $4.153 per gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), $180 per month insurance, $900 per year maintenance, $19,614 resale value after five years.

• Depreciation: $12,331 ($31,945 minus $19,614 resale)
• Insurance: $10,800 ($180 x 60 months)
• Fuel: $9,967 (12,000 / 25 x $4.153 x 5 years)
• Maintenance: $4,500 ($900 x 5 years)
• Tax, fees and interest: $10,042 ($2,236 sales tax, $900 fees, $6,906 loan interest)

That totals roughly $47,640, or about $794 a month. Notice what that says about the $647 payment: on this truck the payment is not the whole story, it is about 81% 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 $31,945 price minus the $19,614 resale value after five years, which is $12,331. Insurance is $180 a month times 60 months, which is $10,800. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 25 miles per gallon, times $4.153 a gallon, times 5 years, which is about $9,967. Maintenance is $900 a year times 5 years, which is $4,500. Tax, fees and interest is 7% sales tax on $31,945, which is $2,236, plus $900 in title and dealer fees, plus about $6,906 of loan interest, which is $10,042.

Added together, $12,331 plus $10,800 plus $9,967 plus $4,500 plus $10,042 equals $47,640, or about $794 a month. The amount financed is the $31,945 price plus $2,236 sales tax plus $900 in fees, minus the $3,195 down payment, which is $31,886. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $31,886 is $647 a month, and the loan costs about $6,906 in interest over five years.

Why Santa Cruz owners think past year five

Compact trucks are often kept a long time, and that is where the economics can change: the loan ends at year five, and the value-loss curve flattens. The costs that arrive in years six through ten are the wear-and-repair years: a second tire set, suspension work, and out-of-warranty items. The keep it 10 years guide shows how to extend this same math honestly.

Shopping the Santa Cruz against another small truck? The Car Showdown runs any two vehicles through the same five buckets side by side.

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 Santa Cruz's five-year value loss: its dedicated resale page reports 34.9% while its comparison pages report 38.6%, and CarEdge projects 38.9% lost, so the 38.6% figure used here is kept as a planning assumption, not as a current reading.

Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Kelley Blue Book 2025 Santa Cruz SEL price, $31,945; EPA combined fuel economy, 25 mpg; CarEdge Santa Cruz five-year maintenance and repair total, $3,057, insurance about $2,474 a year, and five-year retention 61.12%; EIA weekly gas prices (week ending November 2, 2026).

Primary sources: Kelley Blue Book, 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz; fueleconomy.gov, EPA fuel economy ratings; CarEdge, Hyundai Santa Cruz cost of ownership; 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

Depreciation. The value a truck loses over time. On this page, the $31,945 price minus the $19,614 resale value after five years, which is $12,331.

Resale value. What the truck is worth after five years in this example, $19,614. A planning assumption, not a forecast.

APR. Annual percentage rate, the yearly interest rate on the loan. This example uses 8%.

Down payment. The cash paid up front. Here it is 10%, or $3,195.

Destination charge. The fee to ship the truck to the dealer. The $31,945 example price is the destination-included figure; dealer listings show the SEL at $30,200 before destination and fees.

Combined mpg. The EPA city and highway ratings blended into one figure. It is 25 for the SEL with front-wheel drive, 22 in the city and 30 on the highway. All-wheel drive is rated 24 mpg combined.

Full coverage. Insurance that covers damage to your own truck as well as damage to others. Published averages run from about $145 to $218 a month; this example uses $180 a month.

SEL Activity. A higher Santa Cruz trim. Edmunds' maintenance and repair lines for a 2025 SEL Activity add to $4,549 over five years, while CarEdge puts five-year maintenance at $3,057.

Questions people actually ask

How much does a Hyundai Santa Cruz cost per month?

In the example on this page, about $794 a month over five years. The loan payment alone is $647 a month; insurance, gas and upkeep bring the monthly average up to $794.

How much does a Hyundai Santa Cruz depreciate in 5 years?

iSeeCars' comparison pages put the five-year value loss at 38.6%, about $12,331 on a $31,945 truck. iSeeCars' own dedicated resale page gives a lower 34.9% figure, and CarEdge projects 38.9% lost; this page uses the 38.6% comparison-page figure and states the others rather than settling silently.

How much is insurance for a Hyundai Santa Cruz?

Full-coverage averages for the Santa Cruz as a whole run about $145 to $218 a month depending on the source. This page's example uses $180 a month. These are model-level averages, not prices for the SEL trim specifically, so get a quote on the exact truck.

What gas mileage does a Hyundai Santa Cruz get?

The SEL with front-wheel drive is rated 25 miles per gallon combined (22 in the city, 30 on the highway). The same trim with all-wheel drive is rated 24 miles per gallon combined and would burn about $415 more gas over five years.

How much does it cost to maintain a Hyundai Santa Cruz?

This page's example uses $900 a year, or $4,500 over five years. Edmunds' own maintenance and repair lines for a 2025 SEL Activity add to $4,549 over five years, while CarEdge puts five-year maintenance at $3,057.

Related: See the Toyota Tacoma, the midsize truck most Santa Cruz shoppers also price

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Buying in Texas? Texas adds its own layer to these numbers, a 6.25% sales tax, its own fees, and some of the highest insurance in the country. See the true cost of a car in Texas.