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AAA: Driving costs increased 1.9 cents per mile in the last year

Filed under: Green Culture, Green Daily, USA

Every year, AAA runs a study which they refer to as "Your Driving Costs" which calculates the average costs of owning and operating the five top-selling models in three popular size classes: small, medium and large sedans. This year, the study indicates that the average cost of driving a passenger vehicle in the United States has increased 1.9 cents per mile in the last year; up to 54.1 cents per mile. High gas prices and additional taxes, among other things, have overcome the downward trend set by maintenance, full-coverage insurance and depreciation.

Want to save some green? AAA suggests a pretty obvious option: consider choosing a smaller vehicle or a minivan over an SUV. The annual average cost of driving a small sedan is $6,320 per year, while a large sedan costs $9,769 per year. Your average minivan will run you $8,644 per year, compared to $10,448 for a four-wheel-drive mid-size SUV. Besides the cost savings, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the smaller sized car will likely include a smaller-sized engine emitting less CO2 into the air.

Want to know more? The entire report can be downloaded in .pdf form from this page.

[Source: AAA]

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