Kia Sonet has the lowest maintenance cost in the Compact SUV segment and has the highest residual value according to an analysis from Frost & Sullivan
The Total Cost of Ownership Benchmark analysis for the Kia Sonet has been revealed by Frost & Sullivan and it claims that the compact SUV has the lowest maintenance cost out of all compact SUVs in the domestic market. The Diesel Model Maintenance Cost is 14% lower whereas for the petrol, it is 16% lower than the segment average.
According to the analysis, the diesel Sonet tops the segment as a complete VFM package and its total cost of ownership comes out to be 10% lower than the segment’s average. The Petrol variant, on the other hand, emerges as the second best with 4% lower TCO. The residual value of both models is 3% higher than the segment average as well.
The analysis evaluated 5 petrol and 3 diesel models of the competitors against the Kia Sonet and it encompassed the total cost of ownership with Initial Acquisition Cost, Residual Value, Maintenance Cost, Finance and Insurance Costs, and Fuel Expenses. The analysis furthermore found out that the scheduled maintenance cost of Sonet is lower by 17% compared to the closest rival and 23% compared to the segment average.
For the Sonet petrol version, the figure is over 7% and 28% lower than the nearest rival and other competition models respectively. Considering a 10,000 km average annual distance, among other methodologies, the analysis states that the diesel variant’s fuel economy is the best in the segment, standing at 6% lower than the segment average.
One of the improvement areas for the Sonet is the fuel efficiency in the petrol model, where it holds the 3rd position and closely follows the segment’s bests. The analysis further notes that the Initial Acquisition, Finance, and Insurance costs of both models are lower than the segment average too.
Besides being evaluated to be the most VFM proposition in its segment, it also requires lesser parts replacement frequencies to keep lower maintenance. The Kia Sonet was first introduced in late 2020 and more than 3.65 lakh units have been sold in the local and international markets combined. The heavily updated model will make its world premiere on December 14 in India.