Top Brands with Highest 5-Year Maintenance Costs, According to Consumer Reports
When considering car purchases, potential buyers often overlook long-term maintenance costs. Consumer Reports recently analyzed five-year maintenance expenses for 28 automotive brands. This analysis focuses on the cars most Americans will drive for five years or less, coinciding with the expiration of most new car warranties.
Top Brands with Highest 5-Year Maintenance Costs
The findings reveal a mix of luxury and non-luxury brands, with many notable names making the list. Here are the key insights into the brands with the highest five-year maintenance and repair bills.
Brands Ranking in Maintenance Costs
- Porsche: $5,000
- Land Rover: $3,700
- Mercedes-Benz: $3,500
- Infiniti: $2,120
- Audi: $2,050
- Acura: $1,845
- Volvo: $1,775
- Subaru: $1,750
- Lexus: $1,750
- BMW: $1,700
Luxury Brands and Their Costs
Notably, luxury brands dominate the top of the list. Despite programs that offer free maintenance for certain periods, high service department labor rates contribute significantly to overall ownership costs. For example, BMW provides complimentary maintenance for three years, yet customers still face a five-year average maintenance bill of $1,700.
Similarly, Volvo scaled back its no-charge maintenance offer to cover just two years or 20,000 miles, leading to higher costs for owners.
Non-Luxury Brand Insights
Subaru stands out as the only non-luxury brand among the top ten, with similar costs to Lexus at $1,750. Acura, while still a premium brand, manages to keep costs lower than many competitors at $1,845.
Reliability vs. Maintenance Costs
Interestingly, brands known for reliability, like Lexus, do not offer low maintenance costs compared to peers. In contrast, Porsche, despite its reputation for quality, maintains very high repair expenses.
Maintenance Programs Emerging
New initiatives such as Audi’s Signature Care and Infiniti’s no-cost maintenance programs aim to make ownership cheaper. However, even with these programs, many models will still incur substantial upkeep costs.
Conclusion
Potential car buyers should carefully consider long-term maintenance costs alongside the initial purchase price. Understanding which brands come with higher upkeep can prevent financial surprises down the road.
