Shocker: Tesla Model 3 vs. Honda Civic — 15 Cost Comparisons Over 5 Years

When I got started on this analysis, I thought, “Well, looks like we finally have a car that is going to come out with a lower 5 year cost than a Tesla Model 3.” Nonetheless, I was super curious to see the results and see how close the Tesla Model 3 came to different Honda Civic trims. I did not expect that the Model 3 would beat the Civic on cost in several scenarios. Does it? Does it, really?

Photo © Megan Gale, used with permission

As before, all of my assumptions are included underneath the article and most are included in the charts. I try to use objective, respected, third-party sources for every factor possible. Because some factors vary so much from individual to individual, and even from state to state, I’ve run five scenarios for the Tesla Model 3 versus each of the three Honda Civic trims I chose for this analysis:

• High Gas Price, High Electricity Price
• Moderate Gas Price, Moderate Electricity Price
• Low Gas Price, Low Electricity Price
• High Gas Price, Low Electricity Price
• Low Gas Price, High Electricity Price

Of course, no financial value is put on the greater safety of the Tesla Model 3 or the fact that it’s approximately 10× more fun than a Honda Civic. Some things are simply priceless.

By the way, if you missed previous comparisons, see:

• Tesla Model 3 vs. BMW 330i — Tesla 30–55% Cheaper Over 5 Years
• Tesla Model 3 Cheaper Than Honda Accord — 15 Cost Comparisons
• Tesla Model 3 Cheaper Than Toyota Camry — 15 Cost Comparisons

As always, you can change any assumptions as you wish by copying/duplicating this Google Sheet.

Getting to the details of this analysis, below are comparisons between the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+) and the Honda Civic LX (CVT), Civic EX (CVT), and Civic Touring (CVT). As a reminder, you can actually get a cheaper Tesla Model 3 if you go into a Tesla store or call a Tesla store. That said, most people will buy the SR+, the US federal tax credit for Tesla buyers will be cut in half again on July 1, and you can also potentially get a below-MSRP Honda Civic at a local dealer (if the dealer doesn’t trick you into adding various extra items or services), so I think it’s fair to leave the $35,000 Model 3 Standard Range (SR) out of the picture in these comparisons. Nonetheless, if you really want the lowest priced new Tesla possible, go into a store and order the SR in black!

Image © Kyle Field, CleanTechnica (permitted for use anywhere with credit)

High Gas Price, High Electricity Price

This scenario uses $5/gallon for gasoline and $0.20/kWh for electricity. Remember that both prices are supposed to be an average of the 5 year period. Also remember that the $/kWh figure is not as simple as picking a residential electricity price. Some people will have free workplace or public charging, some will have low-cost solar panels on their roofs, some will have to pay for public charging/Supercharging, some will have low “time of use” (TOU) electricity prices. For this “high-fuel-cost” scenario, I thought the two figures above were sensible, but feel free to copy the Google Sheet yourself and input figures that you think would match your situation over 5 years.

Low Gas Price, Low Electricity Price

This scenario uses $2.10/gallon for gasoline and $0.07/kWh for electricity. See the notes in the section above if you skipped them. Also, as an example that the cost of electricity can go much lower than even $0.07/kWh, note that in 9 months of electric car ownership in Florida I spent $0 charging — yes, $0.00. I don’t have home charging and every charging station I’ve found and used in my city (at grocery stores, the beach, parks, the mall, downtown, and elsewhere) is free to use. So, in some situations at least, you can put an EV electricity cost of $0, but I didn’t do so here since I didn’t want to be skewered alive by people who don’t have free charging everywhere, instead choosing $0.07/kWh. The lowest average gas price I can find in any state in the USA is $2.619 (in New Mexico), but I got pretty extreme and went lower — down to $2.10 — for this scenario. Don’t ask me how you could actually have such a low average gas price over the coming 5 years.

Moderate Gas Price, Moderate Electricity Price

This scenario uses $3.10/gallon for gasoline and $0.13/kWh for electricity. See the notes in the sections above if you skipped them.

High Gas Price, Low Electricity Price

This scenario uses $5/gallon for gasoline and $0.07/kWh for electricity. See the notes in the sections above if you skipped them.

Low Gas Price, High Electricity Price

In this scenario, I used $2.10/gallon for gasoline and $0.20/kWh for electricity. See the notes in the sections above if you skipped them. I personally think this scenario is the least likely/common, but trying to be fair to people living in extreme edge cases, here it is.

Assumptions included in the comparisons above:

• $39,900 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, not the cheaper $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range.
• Added a $1,000 paint color for the Model 3 (you can choose grey or blue for $1,000, black is $0, white is $1,500, and red is $2,000).
• Added $1,200 destination & doc fee for Tesla Model 3, $920 destination fee for Honda Civic.
• $3,750 US federal tax credit for the Tesla Model 3.
• Honda’s MSRP for each of the three Honda Civic trims.
• $5,000 down and 5.5% interest on the auto loans.
• 7% sales tax (Florida tax rate).
• Kelley Blue Book estimates for resale values/depreciation after 5 years — for both Honda Civic and Tesla Model 3.
• Gas prices based around average prices from AAA. Note that the price of gas will surely fluctuate in the coming 5 years — it could go much higher or could drop lower again.
• Tesla Model 3 maintenance costs based on Paul Fosse’s analysis.
• Honda Civic maintenance cost estimates from Edmunds.
• 4 miles per kWh efficiency for the Model 3, which is a bit lower than the official rating.
• US Department of Energy fuel economy (MPG) ratings for Honda Civic.

Again, you can change any assumptions as you see fit by copying/duplicating this Google Sheet.

Image © Zach Shahan, CleanTechnica (permitted for use anywhere with credit)

Any final thoughts?

My final thoughts are that I can’t believe anyone would look at this info, drive a Tesla Model 3 (much quicker, much smoother, better handling, much safer, much better tech, and much cheaper), and actually buy a new Honda Civic rather than a Tesla Model 3 — unless they were forced to do so by a local gangster. That’s not to say everyone can afford a Tesla Model 3, though. If upfront cost is an important barrier and someone simply cannot afford a Model 3, I understand that, but then it doesn’t make sense to me to buy a new car at all — but that’s another story.

Interested in buying a Tesla Model 3 (or Model S or Model X)? Need a referral code to get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging? Use ours: http://ts.la/tomasz7234 (or use someone else’s if they helped you more).