You can afford the car, but can you keep it in service? Cars break down and need repairs, as well as regular car maintenance. That’s just a part of car ownership. And that’s precisely what makes low maintenance cars a desirable commodity.
You won’t find the most luxurious, best equipped, highest performance, nor the sexiest cars on this list. Hell, there’s even a pickup truck and a hybrid in the top 10. What you will find are a bunch of cars that you won’t have a problem keeping on the road.
These models have been ranked based on their cost of maintenance over 10 years. So you shouldn’t be surprised at which brand takes five of the top 10 places (six if you count Scion).
Squeaking in to 10th place is the Kia Optima. And now there’s even a Kia Optima hybrid option, so in future years that could bump it higher on the list. It’s been a reliable, consistent sedan for Kia for nearly two decades. While it hasn’t always been as sleek and sophisticated as it is for 2017, the Kia Optima isn’t commonly found at the side of the road.
Despite being known for engine failure, the typical Optima owner can expect repair bills to tally up to just $6,400 over 10 years, or $640 per year.
Before being wrapped up into the Toyota brand, Scion was a youthful brand that embraced no-frills equipment while remaining sporty. Because of its limited options, there simply happened to be less to go wrong. Its love-it-or-hate-it design has since been dropped from the lineup.
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Fewer systems to experience problems means fewer repair and maintenance costs. Oil consumption issues and power steering failures were the most reported issues in the past 10 years. However, the average annual cost for maintenance is $630, or $6,300 over a 10-year span.
The Toyota Yaris is a frugal choice for car shoppers to begin with. It’s a subcompact sedan or hatchback that can be had for $15,000 – less, if you wait for promotions. They are better equipped than ever before with decent Entune Audio and Toyota Safety Sense-C, but it’s the previous generation that weighs in here.
Previous, less-equipped Yaris models were incredibly reliable. In fact, the most reported problem was to do with peeling clear coat, which isn’t considered maintenance. That’s why the average Yaris racks up only $6,100 in maintenance costs over 10 years.
Available in both sedan and hatchback styles like its direct competitor, the Yaris, the Versa has been one of the lowest-priced models available. It can be respectably equipped with common power options, or it could be bought with only the essential equipment. That means no power windows or air conditioning. That also means fewer costly breakdowns, maintenance and repairs.
Over a 120-month period, the Nissan Versa has an average maintenance cost of just $5,900. The most common issues are transmission failure and rear suspension spring issues.
Always a solid choice for reliability, the Toyota Corolla has improved significantly over previous generations, mostly in appearance. The bland commuter/college student styling has been replaced with a suave, attractive exterior that truly has lines. Hopefully, it continues to be as solid as Corollas from the past decade.
Common issues over the past decade have included excessive oil consumption and transmission issues. Still, the Corolla comes in at under $6k for 10-year average maintenance costs – $5,800 to be precise.
It’s impressive that a pickup truck makes it on the list for low maintenance cars. And that’s thanks to Toyota’s incredible history of dependability. The Tacoma has been offered in a conservative 4-cylinder and a peppy 6-cylinder model for years, and in your choice of 2WD or 4WD. It’s the less powerful four-banger with 2WD that really brings down the maintenance cost averages.
2016 experienced an increase in transmission problems. Balancing that out are less costly repairs like radio issues and sticking accelerator pedals. The Toyota Tacoma is the lowest maintenance truck available, at just $5,800 in average maintenance costs over 10 years.
You had to expect at least one Honda on the list, and the Honda Fit is it. A fuel-miserly hatchback, the Honda Fit is another entry-level subcompact. The fact is, there isn’t a lot to go wrong with the Honda Fit unless you look at the well-equipped current models with LaneWatch cameras and power moonroof, and touchscreen Display Audio systems.
What does go wrong is usually a minor expense, like power steering failure. A handful of customers report a spark plug blowing out of the cylinder head, which brings up the average costs. The 10-year maintenance costs for a Honda Fit are $5,500.
By far, the Toyota Camry is the Toyota model with the highest number of reported concerns. However, that’s due to its status as perhaps the most popular car over the past decade. The Camry will probably be even more desirable with the latest refresher in design. It’s much less utilitarian in appearance and more dramatic. And let’s not forget about the techie stuff like Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, wireless charging and an available hybrid model.
The Toyota Camry, despite an amazing assortment of equipment, comes in at just $5,200 in maintenance costs over a 10-year span, even though the most reported issues are engines that burn too much oil.
Flying under everyone’s radar is the Kia Soul. It’s an SUV-styled compact car that has a ton of attitude, but it’s more reliable than one might expect. It comes standard with all the basics: A/C, power windows and locks, decent safety equipment, and a rock-solid powertrain.
The Kia Soul is first place among gas-powered models on our list of low maintenance cars, and a solid second place overall. Poor shocks and struts are a common problem, along with an occasional engine issue. So for 10-year maintenance costs, the Kia Soul rings up a tally of $4,700 in bills.
It shouldn’t be a surprise Toyota takes first place in low maintenance cars. You might not have expected the Prius, though. It’s hybrid powertrain is supremely reliable and its equipment is steadfast. From a respectable assortment of power options to its intricate charging and power storage systems to its Atkinson-cycle gas-powered engine, the Prius has the lowest cost of maintenance among all the competition.
Being heavily relied on as fleet cars, especially taxis, proves the point. Like all Toyota models, they’re known to burn oil on occasion but still come in at just $4,300 in maintenance costs over a 10-year period.
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