Which vehicle brands cost the least to maintain over a 10-year period? Consumer Reports crunched some numbers.
When you buy a vehicle and plan to keep it for a long time, the question of maintenance costs becomes a deciding factor. You may pay less for a vehicle when you buy it, but if it costs more to maintain than any other over a given period, you're not coming out ahead, as a consumer.
Consumer Reports looked into this question, crunched some numbers and drew up a ranking of the 10 vehicle brands that prove the least expensive to maintain over a 10-year period. The organization produced a second ranking featuring the brands with the highest repair and maintenance costs over a decade.
See: The 10 Most Expensive Brands to Maintain Over 10 Years
As for those with the lowest 10-year maintenance costs, we have to admit there are a few surprises in the top 10.
Of course, there are many factors to consider. Consumer Reports points out that some manufacturers offer free maintenance for a certain period after purchase. Warranties on new vehicles also play a role. Tesla is an all-electric brand, of course, and in its vehicles, many of the parts that traditionally require maintenance just aren’t there, such as an air filter or engine oil, so maintenance costs will necessarily be lower.
Even within brands, in fact, an EV is likely to have a lower maintenance cost than the average costs associated with ICE vehicles of that brand.
Still, it's fun to see what kind of results the numbers throw up in an analysis like this.
Here is the list of the 10 brands with the lowest repair costs, over a 10-year period. Amounts are in USDs.
- 1- Tesla - $4,035
- 2- Buick - $4,900
- 3- Toyota - $4,900
- 4- Lincoln - $5,040
- 5- Ford - $5,400
- 6- Chevrolet - $5,550
- 7- Hyundai - $5,640
- 8- Nissan - $5,700
- 9- Mazda - $5,800
- 10- Honda - $5,850
