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Does the current spike in fuel prices increase the appeal of the Slate?
phidauex
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Sam
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- Nov 24, 2025
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- Location
- Boulder, CO
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- 2021 Mach E AWD, 1997 Tacoma ExCab
Unfortunately I don't think fuel prices actually impact buying behavior much at all. Prices have swung all over the place in the last 25 years, and at no point has it made big pickups any less popular.
The reality is that the cost of the fuel just isn't that big of an expense compared to the total cost of the vehicle. If you are paying $700/mo in a car payment, driving 10k miles per year, at 20mpg, then gas going up by $1/gallon is only a 4.8% increase in your automotive spending. At $40/month, the increase is less than most people's monthly streaming services.
Even $5/gallon is unbelievably cheap for a resource as powerful and useful as gasoline. That is barely more than a gallon of milk. People LOVE complaining about it, but they don't actually modify their behavior.
I think for gas prices to make a real long term impact on buying patterns, it would have to be closer to $10/gallon. For instance, Norway has a very high EV uptake, and their gasoline costs about $2.10/liter, or ~$8/gallon.
The reality is that the cost of the fuel just isn't that big of an expense compared to the total cost of the vehicle. If you are paying $700/mo in a car payment, driving 10k miles per year, at 20mpg, then gas going up by $1/gallon is only a 4.8% increase in your automotive spending. At $40/month, the increase is less than most people's monthly streaming services.
Even $5/gallon is unbelievably cheap for a resource as powerful and useful as gasoline. That is barely more than a gallon of milk. People LOVE complaining about it, but they don't actually modify their behavior.
I think for gas prices to make a real long term impact on buying patterns, it would have to be closer to $10/gallon. For instance, Norway has a very high EV uptake, and their gasoline costs about $2.10/liter, or ~$8/gallon.
