We found that there are significant differences in costs as cars age, underscoring how maintenance and repair expenses rise over time.
The comparison for fresher 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.
When comparing cumulative costs by brand for years one through five and six through 10, we found that Toyota had the lowest maintenance costs. At the opposite end of the rankings, several German automakers are clustered as the most expensive brands, namely Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.
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 and six through 10, ranking the brands that we have this survey data on, based on the full 10-year costs.
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