Skip to main content

Chevy says Spark EV can save you a cool $9,000 in gas over a five-year period

chevy says spark ev can save you a cool 9k over five year period 2014 chevrolet sparkev
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Chevrolet knows how important money is, which is why the American automaker is appealing to people’s wallets in the company’s latest press release about their newest electric car.

How so? It looks like the accountants over at Chevrolet want you to know that buying a Chevrolet Spark EV is not only good for the environment, what with creating zero emissions and all, but that by buying a 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV, you’re looking at savings of $9,000 in fuel costs over five years.

EPA figures give the Spark EV a combined (that’s city and highway driving) 199 miles per gallon equivalent on its 82 miles per full charge range, when compared to the average new vehicle, that’s about $159 per month in savings every month for five years, according to Chevrolet.

lOf course, at about $20,000 or less after tax breaks and rebates, Chevy wants people to know that the Spark EV is one of the most affordable EVs on the market. But more than just saving money and helping the planet, the storied bowtie wants you to know all the cool stuff $9,000 can get you, which is why it created this handy infographic.

So what does a cool $9,000 get you according to Chevrolet? How’s about a two flights to Bora Bora – or six pairs of Google Glass? Are you more concerned about the earth than you are with your bankroll? Chevy says that $9,000 consumers won’t be using will not require drudging up 2,480 gallons of dinosaur juice, which is enough to fill a small tanker truck.

The 2014 Chevy Sparks is available now in Oregon and California, with launches scheduled for Canada, South Korea, and Europe in the near future. MSRP for the Spark EV is $26,685. That figure doesn’t include state and local incentives that can often knock the price down by $7,500 or more.

While saving money is something we can all appreciate, it’s important to point out that a gasoline-powered Spark starts are a mere $12,185.

Tell us your thoughts. Is $9,000 in savings over a five year period enough to get you to go EV?

Amir Iliaifar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Associate Automotive Section Editor for Digital Trends, Amir Iliaifar covers the ever increasing cross-section between tech…
Could Chinese cars save us from high EV prices?
BYD Han

The electric vehicle market is seriously heating up, with more great options being released every few months. But while there are more and more excellent electric vehicle options available, it’s still hard to find a great EV that doesn’t cost at least $40,000 or so.

But there could be a solution to that -- or at least a way to ease the problem. How? High-quality, low-cost Chinese EVs.
Competition
At face value, the solution to lowering EV prices is simple -- and involves a combination of the cost of new tech decreasing over time, while automakers release more and more models, increasing competition and pushing companies to create better-value vehicles.

Read more
Tesla Cybertruck: everything we know
Tesla's Cybertruck.

The Tesla Cybertruck is Tesla's take on an electric truck, and boy has it had a controversial first few years. The truck was first announced back in 2019 -- complete with broken window... during a demo showing how strong the windows were supposed to be. When the truck finally started rolling out to customers in 2023, it did so very slowly -- and was soon subject of a recall.

We're now almost a year into Cybertrucks on the streets, and if you live in a major U.S. city, it's entirely possible that you've seen one in the flesh. If you have, you know that it's completely unlike anything else on the road right now, and represents Tesla's vision of the future of personal transportation.

Read more
BMW’s EVs trace their roots to this innovative 1972 prototype
BMW 1602 Electric.

In the 1960s, when the electric car looked more like a far-fetched science fair experiment than a relatively convenient way of moving people and goods, investing in electrification made little sense. And yet, it's the early, rudimentary prototypes that paved the road for the current crop of EVs. For example, BMW displayed a stunning amount of foresight when it built a pair of electric 1602s and tested them during a major sporting event.

BMW launched this ambitious project in 1969 and planned to have a running prototype ready in time for the 1972 Olympic Games, which were set to take place in its hometown of Munich, Germany. Developing an electric car from scratch was ruled out for cost reasons.

Read more