Edmunds.com Names 2010 Lowest True Cost to Own Vehicle Awards

Edmunds.com compiled its list of the Lowest True Cost to Own vehicles for 2010. The Honda and Toyota nameplates have the most vehicles on the list with five and four selections, respectively.

Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own pricing system estimates total vehicle ownership costs over a five-year period. The calculation incorporates projected average depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, regional variances, maintenance and repairs for each model.

To choose the 2010 Lowest TCO Award winners, Edmunds' editors analyzed months of historical data to identify which were the consistent leaders in low ownership cost. More details are available here.

"Considering not just the buying price but the overall ownership costs of a vehicle can help shoppers get the most for their money over the long haul," said Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com.

The award winners, organized by category and price range so that car shoppers can use the list as a tool, are:

Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own calculations make the following assumptions:

• Vehicles are driven 15,000 miles per year
• Vehicles are financed using traditional financing and not leased
• Buyers pay 10 percent down on the vehicle
• Buyers are in the "Gold" credit tier for the purpose of determining the finance rate
• The loan term is 60 months
• Buyers represent the average demographic in their state for insurance rates