Running costs: Nissan ranked by model
Running costs: Nissan ranked by model
By Martin Pretorius
Apart from the purchase price, the main determining factor in a car's affordability is its running costs: how much does it cost to service, how much fuel does it consume, and in the event of a breakdown or maintenance, how expensive are its parts? Insurance premiums also comes into play, but for this is roughly proportional to the purchase price and dependent on numerous risk factors, so let's ignore this aspect for the purpose of this comparison. Ranked from cheapest to most expensive, and using data from the 2017 Kinsey Report, here's a summary of the running costs of Nissan's model range. For the purpose of this overview, the Datsun GO is grouped with the full-fat Nissan passenger vehicles, because it stems from the same family of cars.
One of the simplest, least-expensive cars on our market, the GO is also one of the cheapest cars to run. The drivetrain can't be called high-tech by any measure, but that means that there isn't a lot to go wrong with it either. The same applies to the rest of the GO, because it's really about as spartan as they come, which will result in easy and cheap maintenance. And because it isn't endowed with masses of power, it's cheap to insure and fuel as well. The fact that the parts basket as defined in the Kinsey report is the least expensive merely sweetens the deal, and may prove to be enough to have buyers overlook its poor safety credentials and rather slap-dash build quality.
Nissan's entry-level model is mechanically similar to the GO, which wil result in affordable maintenance and low fuel costs. It's also not a high-risk car, and it's not powerful at all, so insurance will also be quite affordable. Think of it as a GO with better safety features and a load more refinement, and you'll get the picture.
Essentially a Micra Active with a boot, the Almera will also be cheap to insure. However, because it uses a larger engine and has a bigger body, the Almera won't be quite as inexpensive at the pumps, and due to its higher purchase price, it will cost a little more to insure as well. But, because of its mechanical simplicity, it most likely won't cost a lot to maintain – there's a reason why these cars are so popular as rental fleet fodder, after all.
The new model is a good one, with sharp looks and a fairly comprehensive standard specification. Its Renault-sourced 3-cylinder turbo engine is very economical (with a patient driver behind the wheel, at least), and with its modern, lightweight construction it should prove to be frugal in the real world as well. It is however more sophisticated than the lesser Nissans, which will translate to increased maintenance costs, and because it's worth more in the marketplace, insurance will be more expensive as well.
With its selection of high-tech, turbocharged engines, the Juke isn't likely to be an economy champion. That said, the Juke is surprisingly fuel-efficient for the power on offer, even with the added drag induced by its tall, stocky build. Those high-tech engines will however impose a cost penalty when the time comes for maintenance, and because many derivatives are quite strong in the performance stakes, insurance premiums might be costly as well.
With similar mechanical bits to the Juke, but installed in a larger body, the Qashqai will be more expensive to run than its smaller sibling. Add high-tech features such as LED lighting and advanced safety systems, and it's clear that maintenance will also be more expensive. And, because their market values are quite high, insurance premiums will increase in spite of the fact that the Qashqai is considered a low-risk car.
Essentially a scaled-up Qashqai, the X-Trail offers most of the smaller car's advantages and disadvantages. But, thanks to its increased size and weight, it won't be quite as parsimonious at the pumps, and because it's worth more, insurance will be costlier as well. The added feature count will also count against it when the time comes for maintenance and repairs, making this the Nissan crossover with the highest running cost in its family.
Nissan 370Z
There's a beefy, normally-aspirated V6 engine up front, so you just know up front that the 370Z will be a thirsty beast. It's also a sports car, with a fairly high price and a high insurance risk (due to its performance potential), so insurance likely won't be for the faint-hearted. And then we get to the maintenance: this is a hard-working sports car after all, so it won't be cheap or easy to repair, and servicing will cost a bomb on account of all those cylinders and limited working space under the bonnet. This is however offset to a large degree by its relatively affordable price tag (for a RWD sports car).
Once considered a bargain supercar, subsequent price increases have seen the GT-R move considerably more upmarket than it was in the past. This is also reflected in its maintenance costs: the GT-R is a hugely complex machine with specialised servicing requirements, and because it's a low-volume car, accident repairs will also be very pricey. As a result, GT-R insurance costs will be sky-high – a fact not helped by the extreme performance on offer. It's far from frugal at the service station as well, but that's entirely expected: if you want all those horses, you will have to feed them...