The True Cost of Owning a Kia Telluride

Cost example updated October 24, 2026

The Telluride is the family SUV a lot of neighbors end up cross-shopping against luxury three-rows: room for seven or eight, a calm ride, and a price that starts in the mid-$40,000s instead of the $60,000s. This example runs about $67,106 over five years, or about $1,118 a month, and that is the whole picture, not just the loan payment. The payment itself is $916 a month; the other $202 a month, on average, is insurance, gas, upkeep, and the value the car quietly loses.

Start with the price you will actually pay

For a representative example, use a 2025 Kia Telluride EX AWD at $45,635 including destination (the EX AWD lists at $44,090 before the $1,545 destination charge, the delivery fee that gets the car to the dealer). The EX sits in the middle of the lineup: leather seats, a power liftgate and the driver-assist features most families actually use, without the top trims' $50,000-plus pricing. Trims run from the LX near $36,000 to the SX Prestige X-Pro past $53,000, so replace this starting point with a written quote for the exact trim you are considering.

The down payment does not make the Telluride cheaper; it changes how much you finance. With 10% down ($4,564), 8% APR (the yearly cost of borrowing, as a percentage) and 60 months, and with the 7% sales tax ($3,194) and $900 in title and dealer fees rolled into the loan, this example finances $45,166 at $916 a month, and the loan costs about $9,782 in interest over five years.

Fuel: the V6 is honest, not thrifty

The 3.8-liter V6 is rated 20 mpg combined (18 city, 23 highway) in all-wheel-drive form, "combined" just means a mix of city and highway driving. At 12,000 miles a year that is 600 gallons annually, roughly $2,492 a year, $12,459 over five years at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). Front-wheel drive does a little better at 22 mpg combined, which would cut the five-year fuel bill to about $11,326, saving roughly $1,133, worth knowing if you rarely need all-wheel drive.

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

Depreciation is the value your car quietly loses as it gets older, and it is still the largest single cost here, even on a Telluride, which holds its value better than most three-rows. iSeeCars' data puts the Telluride's five-year value loss at about 48.8%, it keeps roughly 51.2% of its price. On a $45,635 purchase, plan on a resale value near $23,365 after five years, about $22,270 of depreciation, roughly $371 a month. A second source, CarEdge, is a little less kind at about 51.5% lost, which would put depreciation near $23,502; Kelley Blue Book's base-trim figures land near the iSeeCars number. This example uses the iSeeCars figure, and the gap between sources is stated here rather than settled.

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.

Insurance runs mid-pack for a three-row

Full-coverage averages for a 2025 Telluride cluster between about $188 and $221 a month depending on the source (The Zebra, Insurify, Compare.com and MoneyGeek publish model averages in that range; "full coverage" means collision and comprehensive protection on top of liability, not just the legal minimum). This example uses $200 a month, or $12,000 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.

Telluride maintenance costs: the warranty does heavy lifting

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty (the engine and transmission) cover most repairs inside this five-year window, which is a real advantage over rivals with shorter coverage. Even so, routine service, brakes, and a set of 20-inch tires inside five years at 60,000 miles add up: Edmunds puts five-year maintenance plus repairs near $7,178 for an EX X-Line, Kelley Blue Book higher, RepairPal's routine-service average lower. This example allows $1,300 a year, or $6,500 all-in, including one tire set. If you drive fewer miles or skip the tire set, this line comes down; if you tow often, budget more for brakes and tires.

The full five-year example

Every figure below comes from the site's own calculator math. The stated inputs are: 2025 Kia Telluride EX AWD, $45,635 price including destination, 10% down ($4,564), 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, 12,000 miles per year, 20 mpg, $4.153 per gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), $200 per month insurance, $1,300 per year maintenance, $23,365 resale value after five years.

• Depreciation: $22,270 ($45,635 minus $23,365 resale)
• Insurance: $12,000 ($200 x 60 months)
• Fuel: $12,459 (12,000 / 20 x $4.153 x 5 years)
• Maintenance: $6,500 ($1,300 x 5 years)
• Tax, fees and interest: $13,877 ($3,194 sales tax, $900 fees, $9,782 loan interest)

That totals roughly $67,106, or about $1,118 a month. Notice what that says about the $916 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 $45,635 price minus the $23,365 resale value after five years, which is $22,270. Insurance is $200 a month times 60 months, which is $12,000. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 20 miles per gallon, times $4.153 a gallon, times 5 years, which is about $12,459. Maintenance is $1,300 a year times 5 years, which is $6,500. Tax, fees and interest is 7% sales tax on $45,635, which is $3,194, plus $900 in title and dealer fees, plus about $9,782 of loan interest, which is $13,877.

Added together, $22,270 plus $12,000 plus $12,459 plus $6,500 plus $13,877 equals $67,106, or about $1,118 a month. The amount financed is $45,166, as stated on this page. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $45,166 is $916 a month, and the loan costs about $9,782 in interest over five years.

Why Telluride buyers should think past year five

Three-rows like this are keepers, families run them a decade or more, and that is where the economics can improve: the loan ends at year five, the depreciation curve flattens, and the 10-year powertrain warranty keeps covering the expensive parts. The costs that arrive in years six through ten are the wear-and-repair years: a second tire set, suspension work, and items outside the basic warranty. The keep it 10 years guide shows how to extend this same math honestly.

Shopping the Telluride against a bigger SUV or a smaller one? The Car Showdown runs any two vehicles through the same five buckets side by side, try it against the Chevrolet Tahoe to see what the bigger truck really adds. Cross-shopping a Sorento too? See what a Kia Sorento really costs over 5 years.

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.

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.

Sources disagree on the Telluride's five-year value loss: iSeeCars puts it at 48.8 percent while CarEdge puts it near 51.5 percent, which would mean about $23,502 of depreciation, so the 48.8 percent figure used here is kept as a planning assumption, not as a current reading. Maintenance estimates also spread widely: Edmunds puts five-year maintenance plus repairs near $7,178 for an EX X-Line and RepairPal's routine-service average runs lower, so the $1,300 a year used here is kept as printed.

Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Edmunds 2025 Telluride EX price, $45,635 including destination; EPA combined fuel economy, 20 mpg all-wheel drive; Compare.com Telluride full-coverage average, $195 a month; RepairPal's own Telluride page carries no reliability rating for this model, citing insufficient data; EIA weekly gas prices (week ending November 2, 2026).

Primary sources: Edmunds, 2025 Kia Telluride; fueleconomy.gov, EPA fuel economy ratings; Compare.com, Kia Telluride car insurance; RepairPal, Kia Telluride reliability; 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 car loses over time, the gap between what you pay and what it is worth later. On this page, the $45,635 price minus the $23,365 resale value after five years, which is $22,270.

Resale value. What the Telluride is worth after five years in this example, $23,365. A planning assumption, not a forecast.

APR. Annual percentage rate, the yearly cost of borrowing, as a percentage. This example uses 8%.

Down payment. The cash paid up front. Here it is 10%, or $4,564.

Destination charge. The fee to ship the car to the dealer. It is $1,545 on the Telluride, and the EX lists at $44,090 before destination, $45,635 with destination for all-wheel drive.

Combined mpg. The EPA city and highway ratings blended into one figure. It is 20 with all-wheel drive, 18 in the city and 23 on the highway, and 22 with front-wheel drive, 20 in the city and 26 on the highway.

Full coverage. Collision and comprehensive protection on top of liability, not just the legal minimum. Published averages run from about $188 to $221 a month; this example uses $200 a month.

EX. The middle Telluride trim in this example. It adds leather seats, a power liftgate and more driver-assist features over the LX, which starts near $36,390 before destination.

Questions people actually ask

How much does a Kia Telluride cost per month?

About $1,118 a month over five years in the example above, that is the full cost, not just the loan. The loan payment alone is $916 a month; insurance, gas, upkeep and the value the car loses make up the rest.

How many miles per gallon does a Kia Telluride get?

20 mpg combined with all-wheel drive (18 city, 23 highway) and 22 mpg combined with front-wheel drive (20 city, 26 highway). At 12,000 miles a year and $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026), that is $2,492 a year for all-wheel drive versus about $2,221 for front-wheel drive.

Is the Kia Telluride expensive to insure?

Mid-pack for a three-row SUV. Full-coverage averages for a 2025 Telluride run about $188 to $221 a month across published sources, and this example uses $200 a month. Your own quote depends on your driver record, ZIP code and coverage choices.

Does the Kia Telluride hold its value?

Better than most three-row SUVs. iSeeCars puts its five-year value loss at about 48.8%, meaning it keeps roughly 51.2% of its price, though CarEdge estimates a slightly bigger loss near 51.5%. Either way, expect to lose roughly half the purchase price over five years.

What is the cheapest Kia Telluride trim?

The LX, which starts near $36,390 before destination. The EX in this example starts at $44,090 before destination ($45,635 with destination for all-wheel drive) and adds leather seats, a power liftgate and more driver-assist features. The cheapest trim is not always the cheapest to own, compare insurance and resale on the exact trim before deciding.

Related: other three-row SUVs in the same lane: Honda Pilot, about $1,064 a month, Toyota Highlander, about $1,027 a month, Toyota Grand Highlander, about $906 a month, Chevrolet Traverse, about $962 a month, Dodge Durango, about $912 a month, Ford Explorer, about $1,034 a month, Hyundai Palisade, about $1,009 a month.

Related: minivans in the same lane: Honda Odyssey, about $969 a month and Toyota Sienna, about $946 a month. deciding between them: do you really need a 3-row SUV, mid-size vs full-size 3-row SUV cost, minivan vs 3-row SUV cost, can a family car fit $400 or $600 a month, family cars under $400 a month.