Looking at running costs of gasoline, hybrid—and an electric sidebar

And before pedants lose their tree when comparing payments on an Elantra N to a Kona Electric — which were markedly similar despite a gulf in MSRP — know that today’s subvented interest rates are wildly different for these two models. Let’s dive in.

There’s nothing wrong in looking for a good deal, and there are typically lots of them to be found at Hyundai stores. The least expensive trim of Elantra, called the Essential, a trim which has gear like heated front seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen display, and six-speaker audio plus the likes of lane keeping and forward collision-avoidance assist tools.

A price of $26,345 greets showroom shoppers, sorting out to a $485/mo payment over 72 months as this is written. Over the first three years, fuel and maintenance push that sum to about $726 per month. Note well: our recent examination of the same numbers on a 2026 Toyota Corolla showed its least expensive variant was a front-drive hybrid sedan at approximately 30 bucks more per month when adjusted for equivalent fuel costs.

Hyundai chooses to offer the hybrid powertrain as an option only on the Luxury trim of its Elantra. This means a higher sticker price compared to the Essential model listed above but does add features like leatherette seating surfaces, eight-speaker Bose audio, a wireless charging pad, and adaptive cruise control. Fortunately, the Luxury trim is offered both with and without hybrid guts, meaning a true apples-to-apples comparison is possible. The gas makes slightly more horsepower than the hybrid but the electrified powertrain makes way more torque. Try both at the dealer before deciding. 

Despite having a higher cost of entry and monthly note of about 40 bucks more per month, the hybrid is cheaper to run over the span of three years. This is thanks solely to fuel savings of about five dollars a week: three-year estimates including maintenance (the same for both models) sort out to the hybrid at $778 per month while the gasser is $801 per month.

Interestingly, we discovered the hybrid Elantra was only about two dollars per month adrift from a similar hybrid Corolla, helping make the case that manufacturers keep a very close eye on stiff competition.

As a group of gearheads, we decided to include both the N-Line and full-fat N in our chart, seeing as how both offer a dose of driving fun to the daily commute. We elected to price up the DCT-equipped model of the latter since all the other trims in this comparison are automatics; a person could save some money (and have more fun) popping for the manual.

The N-Line settles at about $881 per month in the long term and makes 201 horsepower from its 1.6L engine. Maintenance and fuel costs are higher than lesser Elantra trims, explaining the gulf. Meanwhile, the N is roughly $1,165 per month over the first three years, thanks in large part to a recommended maintenance schedule which sees stops every 5,000 km instead of every 8,000 clicks like the other trims. This nearly doubles the maintenance estimate. But, hey, those 286 horsepower are mighty entertaining; just be sure to budget correctly.

Hyundai smartly introduces a menu-based maintenance schedule to its customers after buying a car. This approach neatly packages work done at service stops and pairs timing with a number, not unlike ordering a combo meal at one’s favourite fast food restaurant. Service #1 is required at a certain time or mileage, followed by Service #2, then Service #1 again appears, and so on until larger service needs are required at major intervals.

It’s a good way to take guesswork out of what’s required and when while facilitating easy transactions at the service desk. But be aware advertised prices for these menu-based maintenance packages can vary wildly between dealers. One store in Newfoundland charges about $139.95 for Service #1 but another just four hours away prices it at $174.95. A quick survey of Ontario dealers places the same service package between $112.40 and $159.95; for purposes of this article, we tried to walk somewhere in the middle.

Our fancy pants Managing Editor suggested tossing in the Kona Electric for shoppers curious about EVs. While this model has a lower price than the Elantra N DCT we just mentioned, its current finance deal on 72 months reveals a much higher interest rate, explaining the difference in monthly payments of the note. Fuel costs — or energy costs in this instance — are quite low based on Ontario’s price per kilowatt-hour for home charging, which is what’s reflected here in running costs. Using public Level 3 DC fast chargers will scupper those savings. Still, its estimated cost of $855 per month compares well against some direct (and, in this case, non-direct) competitors. 

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