The True Cost of Owning a Hyundai Tucson

Cost example updated October 26, 2026

Start with the price you will actually pay

For a representative example, use a 2026 Hyundai Tucson SEL, front-wheel drive, at $31,050 starting MSRP (Hyundai USA's own compare-specs page lists the SEL at $31,050 before freight). That is the volume trim: the 2.5-liter engine with 187 horsepower and an 8-speed automatic. Gas Tucsons run from the SE near $29,700 up to the Limited near $39,675 before freight, and all-wheel drive adds $1,500 on the SEL, so replace this starting point with a written quote for the exact trim you are considering. Hybrid Tucsons exist, the Hybrid SEL is rated 36 mpg combined, but this example is gas-only, so hybrid fuel and price lines are not mixed in.

Here is the bottom line first: over five years, this Tucson costs roughly $45,867, or about $764 a month. The loan payment alone is $629 a month, with 10% down ($3,105), 8% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan) and 60 months, this example finances $31,019 and the loan costs about $6,718 in interest over five years. The payment is about 82% 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.

Fuel: solid mileage, everyday gas

The Tucson SEL's 2.5-liter engine is rated 28 mpg combined (25 city, 33 highway, per Hyundai USA, with EPA figures via CarScout matching). At 12,000 miles a year that is about 429 gallons annually. At the AAA national average regular price of $4.29 a gallon on October 26, 2026, that is roughly $1,839 a year, $9,193 over five years. Gas prices move, so re-run this line at your local price. The method is in the EV vs. gas guide: miles divided by mpg, times price, times years.

Depreciation: the biggest bucket, by a clear margin

Depreciation is the value a car loses over time, the gap between what you pay and what it is worth later. iSeeCars' data puts the Tucson's five-year value loss at about 45.9%, it keeps roughly 54.1% of its price. On a $31,050 purchase, plan on roughly $16,798 after five years, about $14,252 of depreciation, roughly $238 a month, the largest single cost on this page. That resale figure is a planning assumption, not a forecast. A second published figure, from CarEdge, puts five-year retention at 53.0% instead of 54.1%, that would mean $14,594 of depreciation and a $16,457 resale value, lifting the five-year total to about $46,208. An older iSeeCars vintage showed 43.3% loss, so the honest range across sources is 43.3% to 47.0%. Run a second scenario with resale 10% lower so the decision does not depend on an optimistic used market.

Insurance: a tight cluster, not a single number

Published full-coverage averages for the Tucson range from about $146 a month to about $212 a month, but the two averages that anchor this example agree within a dollar: Insurify puts full coverage at $175 a month (its page updated October 25, 2026) and Compare.com at $176 a month for a 2026 Tucson. This example uses $175 a month, or $10,500 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 (the amount you pay out of pocket before insurance pays) and limits before treating any average as yours.

Tucson maintenance costs: light for the class

RepairPal puts the Tucson's annual repair and maintenance cost near $426 a year, and rates the model 4.0 out of 5.0 for reliability, 5th of 26 compact SUVs. CarEdge puts the first five years of new ownership near $539 a year on average ($2,694 over five years). This example allows $426 a year, or $2,130 all-in, enough for routine service, a set of tires inside five years at 60,000 miles, and a cushion for the wear items that show up as the miles add up.

The full five-year example

Every figure below comes from the site's own calculator math. The stated inputs are: 2026 Hyundai Tucson SEL front-wheel drive, $31,050 starting MSRP, 10% down ($3,105), 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, 12,000 miles per year, 28 mpg, $4.29 per gallon regular, $175 per month insurance, $426 per year maintenance, $16,798 resale value after five years.

Depreciation: $14,252 ($31,050 minus $16,798 resale)
Insurance: $10,500 ($175 x 60 months)
Fuel: $9,193 (12,000 / 28 x $4.29 x 5 years)
Maintenance: $2,130 ($426 x 5 years)
Tax, fees and interest: $9,792 ($2,174 sales tax, $900 fees, $6,718 loan interest)
That totals roughly $45,867, or about $764 a month. Notice what that says about the $629 payment: on this vehicle the payment is not the whole story, it is about 82% 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 $31,050 price minus the $16,798 resale value after five years, which is $14,252. Insurance is $175 a month times 60 months, which is $10,500. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 28 miles per gallon, times $4.29 a gallon, times 5 years, which is about $9,193. Maintenance is $426 a year times 5 years, which is $2,130. Tax, fees and interest is 7% sales tax on $31,050, which is $2,174, plus $900 in title and dealer fees, plus about $6,718 of loan interest, which is $9,792.

Added together, $14,252 plus $10,500 plus $9,193 plus $2,130 plus $9,792 comes to roughly $45,867, or about $764 a month. The amount financed is the $31,050 price plus $2,174 sales tax plus $900 in fees, minus the $3,105 down payment, which is $31,019. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $31,019 is $629 a month, and the loan costs about $6,718 in interest over five years.

Thinking past year five

Small SUVs are often keepers, and that is where the economics can improve: the loan ends at year five, and the depreciation curve (how fast the value drops) flattens. The costs that arrive in years six through ten are the wear-and-repair years: a second tire set, suspension work, 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 Tucson against other small SUVs? The Car Showdown runs any two vehicles through the same five buckets side by side. Cross-shopping a RAV4 too? See what a Toyota RAV4 really costs over 5 years. Cross-shopping a Santa Fe too? See what a Hyundai Santa Fe really costs over 5 years. And if the value it loses is your biggest worry, the why cars lose value guide explains what drives it.

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 $4.29 a gallon (AAA national average, October 26, 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.

Sources disagree on the Tucson's five-year value loss: iSeeCars' comparison pages put it at 45.9% while other iSeeCars data puts it at 43.3%, and CarEdge puts five-year retention at 53.0%, a 47.0% loss, so the 45.9% figure used here is kept as a planning assumption, not as a current reading.

Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Hyundai 2026 Tucson SEL price, $31,050 starting MSRP; EPA combined fuel economy, 28 mpg; Insurify Tucson full-coverage average, $175 a month; CarEdge Tucson insurance, about $1,984 a year; RepairPal Tucson average annual repair cost, $426, reliability 4.0 out of 5; AAA national average regular gas, $4.29 a gallon (October 26, 2026).

Primary sources: Hyundai of Bedford, 2026 Hyundai Tucson trim prices; fueleconomy.gov, EPA fuel economy ratings; Insurify, Hyundai car insurance; CarEdge, Hyundai Tucson cost of ownership. 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 $31,050 price minus the $16,798 resale value after five years, which is $14,252.

Resale value. What the car is worth after five years in this example, $16,798. 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 $3,105.

Destination charge. The fee to ship the car to the dealer. The $31,050 example price is the starting MSRP, before destination.

Combined mpg. The EPA city and highway ratings blended into one figure. It is 28 for the gas SEL with front-wheel drive, 25 in the city and 33 on the highway, per Hyundai USA. All-wheel drive is rated 26 mpg combined.

Full coverage. Insurance that covers damage to your own car as well as damage to others. Published averages run from about $146 to $212 a month; Insurify puts it at $175 a month and Compare.com at $176 a month, and this example uses $175 a month.

Hybrid. A gas engine plus an electric motor working together. The Hybrid SEL is rated 36 mpg combined, and the plug-in hybrid is rated 35 mpg combined plus about 32 miles of electric driving. This page's example is the gas SEL.

Questions people actually ask

How much does it cost to own a Hyundai Tucson per month?

About $764 a month over five years in the example above, $45,867 total for a 2026 Tucson SEL. The loan payment alone is $629 a month; insurance, fuel and upkeep make up the rest.

How much does a Hyundai Tucson depreciate in 5 years?

About $14,252 on a $31,050 purchase, using iSeeCars' 45.9% five-year value loss, leaving a resale value near $16,798. A second published figure, from CarEdge, puts five-year retention at 53.0%, which would mean $14,594 of depreciation instead.

What gas mileage does a Hyundai Tucson get?

The gas SEL with front-wheel drive is rated 28 mpg combined (25 city, 33 highway) per Hyundai USA. At 12,000 miles a year and the October 26, 2026 AAA national regular average of $4.29 a gallon, fuel runs about $1,839 a year. All-wheel drive is rated 26 mpg combined.

How much is insurance for a Hyundai Tucson?

Published full-coverage averages range from about $146 to $212 a month; Insurify puts it at $175 a month and Compare.com at $176 a month, and this example uses $175 a month, or $10,500 over five years. Your quote will depend on the driver, ZIP code, coverage and insurer.

Is a Hyundai Tucson expensive to maintain?

No, by SUV standards. RepairPal puts it near $426 a year for repairs and maintenance, rating it 4.0 out of 5 for reliability; this example allows $426 a year, or $2,130 over five years. CarEdge puts the first five years near $539 a year on average instead.

Related: Compare the Kia Sportage, the Nissan Rogue and the Mazda CX-5, or browse all models.

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.

Honest gaps and conflicts on this page: the $31,050 example price is the 2026 SEL front-wheel-drive starting MSRP per Hyundai USA, before freight, freight is not in the $900 fees. KBB's specs table lists the SEL at $33,900, but that table is all-wheel-drive only, so it is not the front-wheel-drive base price; some dealer pages still show a superseded $30,800, which is not used. The 7% sales tax is the site's standard example assumption, not any state's actual rate. Depreciation sources disagree (iSeeCars current 45.9% loss, CarEdge 47.0%, an older iSeeCars vintage 43.3%); the table uses the current iSeeCars figure and the range is shown above. Insurance averages cover all model years, no 2026-specific breakout was verified. RepairPal's $426 a year is an all-model-years average, not a 2026-specific figure. The $4.29 regular price is an October 26, 2026 national snapshot and moves with the market. This example covers only the gas SEL with front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions cost different amounts to buy, insure and fuel.