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    Car Brands Ranked by Maintenance and Repair Costs Over Time

    Tesla costs the least and German brands the most in CR’s exclusive analysis

    An auto repair shop with two mechanics working on an orange car. Photo: Getty Images

    The cost of owning a car goes far beyond what you pay to buy it. A key question is whether you can afford the drip, drip of maintenance and repairs for as long as you own it.

    To help determine how costs increase over time and vary by brand, we asked Consumer Reports members in our 2024 Annual Auto Surveys to tell us how much they paid out of pocket for their total maintenance (oil changes, tires, etc.) and repairs during the previous 12 months. We did not include costs associated with collision repair.

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    Our results show that there are significant differences in costs as cars age, underscoring how maintenance and repair expenses rise over time. 

    More on Car Ownership

    Calculations for newer cars is muddied because a number of brands, including BMW and Toyota, offer free maintenance periods on new cars. And, usually, cars need very little work in the first couple of years beyond an oil change and tire rotation. Nearly all new-car warranties last at least three years, and repairs, if needed, are covered. The analysis shows that costs can skyrocket when the warranty and free maintenance periods are over. 

    Knowing the typical ownership costs for each brand can help you save money in the long run by avoiding surprises, either by choosing a less expensive brand to maintain or by budgeting accordingly. 

    “The difference to maintain a car, on average, between some brands can be thousands over a 10-year time frame,” says Steven Elek, who oversees auto data analytics at Consumer Reports. “Also, expensive luxury vehicles are often quite expensive to maintain as well over time.”

    When comparing cumulative costs by brand for years one through five and six through 10, we found that Tesla had the lowest maintenance costs among all automakers. At the opposite end of the rankings, several European luxury marques are clustered as the most expensive brands, namely Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo. Even among those prestige brands there is a substantial difference, with the costs reported for Audi and BMW being thousands of dollars less over a decade than Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Land Rover. By contrast, Lincoln and Buick are ranked right after Tesla, having lower costs than every other mainstream or luxury brand. 

    “If you are considering a luxury model, it may be wise to purchase one from a domestic brand that may have lower maintenance and repair costs,” Elek says. “For example, over 10 years, Mercedes-Benz models are more than double the cost to maintain and repair as those from Lincoln.”

    Understanding how those costs differ by brand can inform how you budget for expenses with your current car and steer your next purchase decision.

    Below we show the cumulative costs for years one through five, years six through 10, and total costs for 10 years. The brands are ranked by the full 10-year costs.

    Maintenance and Repair Cost by Brand