Best and Worst Cars for Maintenance
What are the least expensive cars to maintain and repair? That’s what we’re going to find out.
I’m going to share the vehicles that have the lowest maintenance and repair costs over the first 10 years of ownership and have the lowest chance of requiring a major repair.
This data comes from Car Edge, and I’m also going to share which vehicles are the total opposite and have the highest maintenance and repair costs.
But first, let’s start with the best ones that have the lowest 10-year cost of ownership, starting with one of the most popular categories, which is compact SUVs. And the winner for this category is the Toyota RAV 4.
Best Cars for Maintenance
Toyota RAV 4
According to Car Edge, the Toyota RAV 4 costs an average of $5,531 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years of ownership.
This beats the industry average of popular SUVs by $3,602, and there is only a 16% chance that the RAV4 will require a serious repair during this time.
The runner-up compact SUV by quite some distance were the Honda HRV and the Honda CRV.
Car Edge predicts a 10-year cost of maintenance and repairs to be $6,983 for the HRV and $7,155 for the CRV, and both have a 21% chance of requiring a serious repair during that time.
And as for the worst compact SUV that has the highest ownership cost, well, that would be the Jeep Compass.
Worst Cars for Maintenance
Jeep Compass
According to Car Edge, the Compass costs an average of $10,031 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years of ownership, nearly double the RAV 4.
It also has a 31% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time. Both the Jeep Cherokee and the Renegade, which are no longer sold brand new in North America, had more or less the same results.
Other poor performers include the Ford Escape and the Chevy Equinox, both costing around $8,700 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years, and with a 26% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time.
I can’t say that these results are that surprising. The Toyota RAV4 has been a very highly recommended SUV of mine for a number of years, and its reputation for reliability is among the very best. The domestic brands, on the other hand, are a different story.
So remember, even if you get a great deal on one and save money on the purchase price, there is a higher chance that it could end up costing you far more in the long run.
And now let’s take a look We’re going to look at the next popular category, which is mid-sized SUVs. And the winner for this category is the Toyota Highlander.
Best Mid-sized SUV for Maintenance
Toyota Highlander
The Highlander costs an average of $5,771 in maintenance and repairs, over the first 10 years of ownership, incredibly not that much more than the RAV4.
And this beats the industry average by $3,362. And just like the RAV4, there is only a 16% chance that The Highlander will require serious repairs during that time.
The runner-up mid-sized SUV just behind the Highlander is another Toyota, which is the 4-runner, which achieved more or less the exact same results.
And although it’s not an SUV, it is worth noting that the Siena, Toyota’s popular minivan, achieves similar numbers to the Highlander and 4-runer as well.
Worst Mid Size Suv for Maintenance
Honda Passport and the Honda Pilot
The next best mid-sized SUVs from another brand were the Honda Passport and the Honda Pilot.
Both fared more or less the same, costing around $7,300 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years, with a 21% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time.
As for the worst mid-sized SUV, well, that would be another Jeep, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, to be exact, which will cost $10,484 for maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years, with a 31% chance of requiring serious repairs, more or less double the numbers of the Highlander.
Dodge Durango
The next worst mid-sized SUV right behind the Grand Cherokee is the Dodge Durango, which had very similar numbers.
And since I mentioned the best minivan was the Sienna I should also mention the worst minivan is the Chrysler Pacifica, again achieving more or less the same numbers as the Dodge and the Jeep, which makes that three for three for Stellantis.
Ford Explorer
The next worst mid-sized SUV from a non-Stellantis brand is the Ford Explorer, which is not quite as bad, but still not great, requiring $9,017 in maintenance and repairs, with a 27% chance of requiring serious repairs over the first 10 years of ownership.
Again, the major takeaway here is don’t be fooled by flashy discounts and deals, which are often pretty common with these particular brands, especially Stellantis vehicles.
Even if you think you’re getting a great deal on the price, that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the long run if it ends up costing you a lot more in repairs, depreciation, and other operating costs.
So it really is a false sense of a win.
Okay, now let’s move away from SUVs for a little bit and now go on to regular cars.
Best Mid Size Car for Maintenance
Toyota Camry
And the winner for the best mid-sized car is the Toyota Camry. The Camry costs an average of only $4,203 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years of ownership.
Far lower than any SUV and this beats the industry average by $2,893. There is only a 12% chance that the Camry will require serious repairs during this time.
The Camry was also rated as the most reliable mid-size car by consumer reports and most likely to reach 200,000 miles or 320,000 kilometers trouble-free, so there is consensus on this one.
Best Mid Size Car for Maintenance
Honda Accord
The next best mid-size sedan after the Camry is the Honda Accord, which costs around $5,412 for maintenance and repairs over 10 years and has a 16% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time.
Honda Civic
The next best compact car, which still did quite well, is the Honda Civic, which has a 10-year cost of $5,245 for maintenance and repairs, and only has a 16% chance of requiring serious repairs.
And as for the worst compact cars, well, fortunately for Stellantis, they don’t make any compact cars, so they are spared for this one.
Worst Mid Size Car for Maintenance
Dodge Charger
The worst mid-size sedan is is the Dodge Charger, which costs $7,809 for maintenance and repairs over 10 years and has a 23% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time.
And not far behind the charger is the Chrysler 300, which didn’t do too much better.
So once again, Stellantis has earned its place at the bottom of the pack. And now, let’s take a look at compact cars and hatchbacks, which had the lowest 10-year of ownership of any vehicle category by far.
The winner or the winners, I should say, for this category are the Toyota Corolla and the Toyota Prius.
The Corolla is expected to only cost $4,087 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years of ownership, and the Prius did slightly better, only costing $40,08.
Both beat the industry average by a huge margin, and both only have an 11% chance of requiring serious repairs during the first 10 years.
What’s interesting about this comparison is that the Prius is a hybrid, which shows that hybrids don’t necessarily cost any more to maintain or repair, which means that the money you’re saving on gas is not being an offset in other ways.
Chevy Trax
But the worst compact car goes to the Chevy Trax. Incredibly, the Trax’s maintenance and repair costs over the first 10 years of ownership is $8,512, more than double that of the Corolla or Prius.
And it has a 26% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time. Not far behind the tracks was the Kia Rio, which had very similar numbers, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s no longer sold brand new.
And what about trucks? Well, this category had the biggest contrast between the best and the worst performers.
Winners that had the lowest cost of ownership
Toyota Tacoma and the Toyota Tundra
And the winners that had the lowest cost of ownership over 10 years were the Toyota Tacoma and the Toyota Tundra.
These trucks cost about It costs about $6,300 and $6,700 for maintenance and repairs in the first 10 years, which is incredibly low for trucks.
At the total opposite end of the spectrum, we have the RAM-1500.
The RAM costs $17,677 in maintenance and repairs over the first 10 years, and CarEdge gives it a 55% chance of requiring serious repairs during that time.
In fact, the RAM-1500 performed so poorly that its numbers more or less match that of a lot of high-end luxury vehicles.