The True Cost of Owning a Nissan Frontier

Cost example prepared October 24, 2026. Every figure below is an educational estimate, not a quote.

Start with the price you will actually pay

For a representative example, use a 2025 Nissan Frontier SV Crew Cab 4x4 at $40,600 with the 3.8-liter V6 (310 horsepower). Kelley Blue Book's 2025 Frontier pricing table lists the SV Crew Cab 4x4 at $40,600, including the $1,510 destination charge. Unlike the Ranger and Gladiator examples on this site, this example price already includes destination, so do not add it again.

Dealer MSRP lists show the SV Crew Cab with rear-wheel drive at $35,790 before destination. The gap to this example is explained by the step up to four-wheel drive (about $3,300) plus the $1,510 destination charge, which together land near $40,600. This page uses the four-wheel-drive figure that already includes destination, and states that inclusion plainly.

The SV sits one step above the base S and adds the larger touchscreen and comfort items most daily drivers want. Trims run from the S near $33,000 to the SL past $46,000 with four-wheel drive, so replace this starting point with a written quote for the exact trim you are considering.

The down payment does not make the truck cheaper; it changes how much you finance. With 10% down ($4,060), 8% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan) and 60 months, this example finances $40,282 at $817 a month, and the loan costs about $8,724 in interest over five years.

Fuel: the everyday line item

The only engine is a 3.8-liter V6 (a six-cylinder engine, with no turbocharger), rated 19 mpg combined in four-wheel-drive form (17 in the city, 22 on the highway, per EPA figures). At 12,000 miles a year that is about 632 gallons annually, roughly $2,623 a year, $13,115 over five years at $4.153 a gallon (the EIA national average for the week ending November 2, 2026). Towing or heavy loads pull real-world mileage below the rating.

The same truck in rear-wheel-drive form is rated 21 mpg combined, which would burn about $1,225 less fuel over five years at the same gas price.

Depreciation is still the biggest bucket

Depreciation is just the word for the value a car loses over time. iSeeCars' latest study puts the Frontier's five-year value loss at 35.5%. Two other figures differ and are stated here, not settled silently: CarEdge projects 63.3% kept (36.7% lost), close to the figure used here, while a separate iSeeCars-based projection for the 2026 Frontier puts the loss at 39.6%. This page uses the 35.5% study figure for the 2025 truck in the example. On a $40,600 purchase, plan on roughly $26,187 after five years, about $14,413 of depreciation, roughly $240 a month.

That resale figure is a planning assumption, not a forecast. Run a second scenario with resale 10% lower so the numbers do not depend on an optimistic used market.

Insurance runs midsize-truck money

Full-coverage averages for the Frontier as a whole run about $168 to $212 a month depending on the source (MoneyGeek, Compare.com, Insurify and CarInsurance.com publish model-level averages in that range). This example uses $190 a month. These are model-level averages, not prices for the SV trim specifically, so get a quote on the exact truck. 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.

What upkeep costs on this truck

Edmunds' own five-year work for the 4WD SV puts maintenance at $4,633 and repairs at $854, which add to $5,487. CarEdge's maintenance and repair figure is $2,903, and RepairPal's average repair figure is $470 a year. This example uses $1,100 a year, or $5,500 over five years, $13 above the Edmunds combined lines, to allow for wear items such as tires.

The full five-year example

Every figure below comes from the site's own calculator math. The stated inputs are: 2025 Nissan Frontier SV Crew Cab 4x4, $40,600 price (including destination), 10% down ($4,060), 8% APR, 60 months, 7% sales tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, 12,000 miles per year, 19 mpg, $4.153 per gallon (EIA national average, week ending November 2, 2026), $190 per month insurance, $1,100 per year maintenance, $26,187 resale value after five years.

• Depreciation: $14,413 ($40,600 minus $26,187 resale)
• Insurance: $11,400 ($190 x 60 months)
• Fuel: $13,115 (12,000 / 19 x $4.153 x 5 years)
• Maintenance: $5,500 ($1,100 x 5 years)
• Tax, fees and interest: $12,466 ($2,842 sales tax, $900 fees, $8,724 loan interest)

That totals roughly $56,894, or about $948 a month. Notice what that says about the $817 payment: on this truck the payment is not the whole story, it is about 86% 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, about $1,317 a month in this example.

Formula

The five-year total is the sum of five buckets: depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and tax, fees and interest. Depreciation is the $40,600 price minus the $26,187 resale value after five years, which is $14,413. Insurance is $190 a month times 60 months, which is $11,400. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 19 miles per gallon, times $4.153 a gallon, times 5 years, which is about $13,115. Maintenance is $1,100 a year times 5 years, which is $5,500. Tax, fees and interest is 7% sales tax on $40,600, which is $2,842, plus $900 in title and dealer fees, plus about $8,724 of loan interest, which is $12,466.

Added together, $14,413 plus $11,400 plus $13,115 plus $5,500 plus $12,466 equals $56,894, or about $948 a month. The amount financed is the $40,600 price plus $2,842 sales tax plus $900 in fees, minus the $4,060 down payment, which is $40,282. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $40,282 is $817 a month, and the loan costs about $8,724 in interest over five years.

Why owners think past year five

Midsize 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 the out-of-warranty items noted above. The keep it 10 years guide shows how to extend this same math honestly.

Shopping this truck against another pickup? 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.

Sources disagree on the Frontier's five-year value loss: iSeeCars' latest study puts it at 35.5 percent while CarEdge projects 63.3 percent kept, or 36.7 percent lost, and a separate iSeeCars-based projection for the 2026 Frontier puts the loss at 39.6 percent, so the 35.5 percent figure used here is kept as a planning assumption, not as a current reading. Kelley Blue Book's current Crew Cab SV listing sits at $41,100, above the $40,600 used here, while Edmunds' SV 4WD base of $39,090 plus the $1,510 destination charge lands exactly on $40,600, and the example price is kept as printed.

Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Edmunds 2025 Frontier SV 4WD price, $40,600 including destination; EPA combined fuel economy, 19 mpg; MoneyGeek Frontier full-coverage average, $168 a month; Compare.com Frontier full-coverage average, $169 a month; Edmunds 2025 Frontier cost to own, maintenance $4,633 plus repairs $854; EIA weekly gas prices (week ending November 2, 2026).

Primary sources: Edmunds, 2025 Nissan Frontier; fueleconomy.gov, EPA fuel economy ratings; MoneyGeek, Nissan Frontier car insurance; Compare.com, Nissan Frontier car insurance; Edmunds, 2025 Nissan Frontier cost to own; 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. Depreciation is just the word for the value a car loses over time. On this page, the $40,600 price minus the $26,187 resale value after five years, which is $14,413.

Resale value. What the Frontier is worth after five years in this example, $26,187. 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 $4,060.

Destination charge. The fee to ship the truck to the dealer. It is $1,510 on the Frontier SV Crew Cab 4x4, and the $40,600 example price already includes it, so do not add it again.

Combined mpg. The EPA city and highway ratings blended into one figure. It is 19 for the four-wheel-drive V6, 17 in the city and 22 on the highway. The same truck in rear-wheel-drive form is rated 21 mpg combined.

Deductible. What you pay out of pocket before insurance kicks in.

V6. A six-cylinder engine, with no turbocharger. The Frontier's only engine is a 3.8-liter V6 with 310 horsepower.

Questions people actually ask

How much does a Nissan Frontier cost over 5 years?

About $56,894 over five years in the example on this page: $14,413 in value lost, $11,400 for insurance, $13,115 for gas, $5,500 for upkeep, and $12,466 in sales tax, fees and loan interest.

How much does a Nissan Frontier depreciate in 5 years?

The study figure used on this page is a 35.5% value loss, about $14,413 on a $40,600 truck. Other published figures differ and are stated in the depreciation section on this page.

How much is insurance for a Nissan Frontier?

Full-coverage averages for the Nissan Frontier as a whole run about $168 to $212 a month depending on the source. This page's example uses $190 a month. These are model-level averages, not prices for the exact trim in the example, so get a quote on the exact truck.

What gas mileage does a Nissan Frontier get?

The example truck is rated 19 miles per gallon combined (17 in the city, 22 on the highway). The same truck in rear-wheel-drive form is rated 21 mpg combined, which would burn about $1,225 less fuel over five years at the same gas price.

How much does it cost to maintain a Nissan Frontier?

This page's example uses $1,100 a year, or $5,500 over five years. Edmunds' own five-year work for the 4WD SV puts maintenance at $4,633 and repairs at $854, which add to $5,487. CarEdge's maintenance and repair figure is $2,903, and RepairPal's average repair figure is $470 a year. This example uses $1,100 a year, or $5,500 over five years, $13 above the Edmunds combined lines, to allow for wear items such as tires.

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

Related: What it costs to own a pickup truck, beyond the payment

Related: See every model with a true cost page

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.

Run your own Frontier numbers →

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