Grand Cherokee vs Explorer: Fuel Costs $4,283 More

Our calculator puts the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee at $37,071 over five years and the 2021 Ford Explorer at $33,341. That is $3,730 more for the Jeep, or $62 more per month ($618 versus $556).

The Explorer is the cheaper car to own, and fuel is the reason. The Jeep burns $4,283 more gas over five years. The Explorer gives some of that back in repairs, but not nearly enough to close the gap.

The gap is a fuel story, not a price story

Start with the sticker. We assume $17,300 for the Grand Cherokee and $18,500 for the Explorer. The Jeep is cheaper to buy by $1,200. Many shoppers stop there.

That is a mistake.

Depreciation, which is the value the car loses while you own it, is almost a tie. The Jeep loses $5,242 over five years. The Explorer loses $5,349, so $107 more. That is not a number worth arguing about.

Insurance is also close. The Explorer costs $174 more over five years ($7,905 versus $7,731). Registration is identical at $255 each. These are our estimates based on each car's value and class, not quotes. Your own insurance quote will differ, sometimes by a lot, depending on your age, location, and driving record.

So the categories that look alike cancel out. What does not cancel out is fuel. The Jeep's five-year fuel bill is $16,419. The Explorer's is $12,136. That $4,283 difference is bigger than the entire five-year gap on its own, because the Explorer's higher repair bill ($763 more) eats into it.

Maintenance adds a smaller push the same direction. The Jeep costs $491 more to maintain ($4,001 versus $3,510). Put the pieces together and the Jeep's lower purchase price becomes a head start that gets spent at the gas pump within the first year or so.

Fuel: $71 a month you will notice every month

Our calculator averages fuel at $274 a month for the Grand Cherokee and $202 a month for the Explorer. The Jeep costs $71 more per month. The figures are not identical to that subtraction because of rounding, so use $71 as the working number.

That is a car payment on some budgets. It is also a cost you cannot negotiate, shop around for, or skip. Every fill-up reminds you.

Year by year, fuel climbs for both cars in our model. The Jeep goes from $3,155 in year one to $3,415 in year five. The Explorer goes from $2,332 to $2,524. The Jeep's cheapest fuel year still costs more than the Explorer's most expensive one.

If you want the official MPG ratings, check the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee on fueleconomy.gov and the 2021 Ford Explorer on fueleconomy.gov. We will not quote them here. Our dollar figures already reflect the difference, and your own driving may push it up or down.

How the years play out

The Explorer is ahead in every single year. There is no crossover point where the Jeep catches up.

Here are our yearly totals. The Jeep runs $6,966, $6,894, $7,186, $8,255, and $7,770. The Explorer runs $6,244, $6,180, $6,445, $7,419, and $7,053.

The yearly gap stays in a narrow band. It is $722 in year one and about $717 in year five. The Explorer never loses its lead because the fuel difference never goes away.

Both cars hit a bump in year four. The Jeep jumps to $8,255 and the Explorer to $7,419. The cause is maintenance. The Jeep's maintenance goes from $671 in year three to $1,662 in year four. The Explorer's goes from $589 to $1,458. That is the year when big scheduled work tends to come due on vehicles with this kind of mileage, things like brakes, fluids, belts, and tires. Plan for it.

Both cars ease off in year five, with maintenance dropping to $1,003 for the Jeep and $880 for the Explorer. But repairs keep rising.

Where the Explorer gives some back: repairs

This is the part of the comparison that favors the Jeep. Our calculator puts Explorer repairs at $4,186 over five years versus $3,423 for the Grand Cherokee. That is $763 more for the Ford.

The trend matters more than the total. Explorer repairs start at $465 in year one and rise to $1,318 in year five. The Jeep's go from $380 to $1,078. Both climb steadily as the cars age. The Explorer climbs faster and from a higher base.

By year five, you are paying $240 more in repairs for the Ford than for the Jeep in that single year. If you plan to keep either vehicle past five years, that gap would likely keep growing. Our calculator stops at five years, so we cannot tell you how much.

What RepairPal says about surprise bills

Our figures are averages. A repair bill is not an average. It lands on one day, in one amount, and it may be four figures.

RepairPal publishes reliability ratings and typical repair costs by model, and it is a good place to check before you buy. Look up each vehicle's page there and pay attention to two things: how often owners report unscheduled repairs, and how often those repairs are severe. A car with a low average bill can still hand you one very ugly invoice.

Our calculator's read is that the Explorer is more likely to cost you in repairs, and the Jeep less so. But neither car is cheap to fix when something major goes wrong, and both vehicles are complex, with a lot of electronics and driveline parts. Do not treat the Jeep's lower repair line as a sign it is trouble free. It is just less expensive in our model.

If you buy either one, pay for a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic. At 60,000 to 90,000 miles, the car's history matters more than its model name. Ask for service records. A well-kept Explorer is a better bet than a neglected Grand Cherokee, and the reverse is also true.

Should you spend $1,200 less up front to spend $3,730 more later?

That is what the Jeep asks of you. It is the cheaper car on the lot and the pricier car to own.

The Explorer's higher price tag is the better deal. Over five years, you pay $1,200 more at purchase and come out $3,730 ahead on total ownership. The extra money is not buying you a worse car. It buys a car that costs less to run.

The Jeep's advantages are real but small. Lower repairs ($763 less), a bit less insurance ($174 less), and slightly lower depreciation ($107 less than the Ford). Add those up and they do not come close to $4,283 in fuel.

The verdict

Buy the 2021 Ford Explorer if you drive a lot, commute daily, or simply want the lowest cost over five years. It saves $3,730 overall and about $71 a month on fuel. You should accept that it will probably need more repair money as it ages, and set aside a bit extra for years four and five. If your budget is tight, the Explorer's lower monthly average of $556 is the better fit.

Buy the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee if you drive few miles each year, or you plan to sell before the repair bills pile up. Low mileage shrinks the fuel penalty, which is the Jeep's main weakness. It also suits a buyer who cannot stretch the purchase price and wants the lower $17,300 sticker. Be honest with yourself on that last point, though. You are choosing a cheaper day-one price and paying for it later.

If you drive average miles and plan to keep the car for five years, the Explorer wins. Our calculator says so by $3,730, and no category tells a different story strongly enough to change it.