These 10 Car Brands Are the Cheapest to Maintain, According to Consumer Reports

Sure, you can shop around for cheap car insurance and haggle with the dealership’s salesman, but there are some costs to owning a car that you can’t budget for so easily, including maintenance and repairs. 

A recent study from Consumer Reports surveyed car owners about how much they’ve spent to maintain their cars. There’s a big difference in cost between brands, both within the first five years of purchasing a new car and over a period of 10 years. In general, domestic brands were less expensive, while bigger, foreign cars usually meant bigger maintenance bills. Here are the 10 cheapest car brands to maintain, including average maintenance costs between one and five years, six and 10 years, and the overall cost after a decade — plus the brands with the most expensive bills. 

The Cheapest Cars to Maintain: Buick

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,160
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,100
10-year cost: $5,260

Lincoln

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $920
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,700
10-year cost: $5,620

Toyota

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,250
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,700
10-year cost: $5,950

Hyundai

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,210
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,900
10-year cost: $6,110

Tesla

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,020
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $5,105
10-year cost: $6,125

Nissan

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,420
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,850
10-year cost: $6,270

Chevrolet

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,325
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,950
10-year cost: $6,275

Ford

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,150
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $5,200
10-year cost: $6,350

Sign up for our newsletter

Subscribe to Cheapism and get exclusive tips, top deals, and money-saving ideas sent directly to you.

Subscribe to newsletter

Mazda

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,700
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,720
10-year cost: $6,420

Mitsubishi

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $2,220
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $4,200
10-year cost: $6,420

The Most Expensive Cars to Maintain: BMW

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $1,700
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $9,300
10-year cost: $11,000

Audi

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $2,050
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $9,300
10-year cost: $11,350

Mercedes-Benz

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $3,330
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $9,300
10-year cost: $12,630

Porsche

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $4,950
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $12,950
10-year cost: $17,900

Land Rover

1- to 5-year maintenance cost: $5,560
6- to 10-year maintenance cost: $13,900
10-year cost: $19,460

More From Cheapism

• 15 Cars of the 1970s That Ruled the Streets — We found 15 of the most iconic, attention-grabbing cars of this funky decade to get the conversation started.
• These Cars and Trucks Are the Most Likely to Surpass 250,000 Miles — In North America, where long commutes, diverse climates, and vast highways are the norm, picking a car that will last is essential.
• 10 Cars That People Will Never Buy Again (and Why) — Here are 10 vehicles you should definitely stay away from when shopping around for a car.