Designed to offer consumers a comprehensive look at the price of owning a vehicle in Canada, the brochure compared the costs of maintenance, fuel, tires, insurance, depreciation and financing.

As an example, Tim Shearman, president of CAA says that the annual cost of driving a 2009 Chevy Cobalt - one of the comparison vehicles used in the brochure - works out to $6,516 a year, or $17.85 a day when you factor in insurance, license fees, depreciation, and financing. The cost rises to $23.63 a day when a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan is used as a comparison vehicle.

Shearman says that many Canadians underestimate the day-to-day costs of vehicle ownership and while there are certain costs that are unavoidable, the more consumers know about the costs, the more control they have.

The 2009 CAA Driving Costs brochure is based on data from Runzheimer International , a management consulting firm dealing in business vehicle allowance programs and fleet consulting services. The brochure can be accessed online at CAA’s website: www.caa.ca.