Nobody wants to be saddled with expensive repairs, and even if a given model is covered under warranty, it’s a hassle to spend the time and effort to take it in to a dealer’s service department. To be sure, today’s cars, SUVs, and trucks can go the distance if they’re properly maintained and needed repairs are made in a timely manner. However, the majority of models more often prove to be so troublesome and/or costly to fix at some point that it’s more prudent to send them off to the salvage yard than to sink more money into them.
But which vehicles can be expected to top the charts in terms of longevity? To that end the statisticians at the online car search engine iSeeCars.com scoured more than 11.8 million used vehicles that changed hands during 2020 to note which had registered at least 200,000 miles (with still more to be racked up by next-generation buyers). Each of the top 16 vehicles was found to be more than two-and-a-half times likely than the national average to exceed 200K.
As it turns out, the longest-lasting models in terms of miles driven are mostly large truck-based SUVs and pickup trucks, which tend to be built extra sturdy for towing and off-road use. As a testament to the brand’s reputation for reliability, six of the top 10 models come from Toyota. Also represented are three pickup trucks, one sedan, one minivan, and one midsize hybrid-powered hatchback. We’re featuring the full list below.
The top performer here is the Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been in production since 1951 and is the brand’s longest-running model in the U.S. “The iconic and indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser is engineered to last at least 25 years, even under the harshest of driving conditions, as it is relied upon in many developing countries where off-road driving is the norm,” says iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. Domestic automakers are represented by six full-size SUVs on the list, with four coming from General Motors and two from Ford. “[Those] manufactured by General Motors share a platform and many common parts, which helps explain why these popular family vehicles are all likely to last 200,000 miles,” Brauer explains.
Among car brands, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, and Cadillac were found to produce the most vehicles likely to exceed 200,000 miles. Of note, two of the models on the longest-running list are gas/electric-powered hybrids, which tends to run counter to the notion that this class of vehicles will have shorter-than-average useful lives due to depleted batteries.
Here are the 16 models iSeeCars.com says are most likely to run for over 200,000 miles, and the percentages changing hands last year which registered that many miles:
Toyota Land Cruiser SUV (16.3%)
Toyota Sequoia SUV (11.2%)
Chevrolet Suburban SUV (5.1%)
Ford Expedition SUV (4.9%)
Toyota 4Runner SUV (4.1%)
Toyota Avalon sedan (3.9%)
Chevrolet Tahoe SUV (3.9%)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV (3.8%)
Toyota Tundra pickup (3.7%)
GMC Yukon XL SUV (3.6%)
Honda Ridgeline pickup (3.4%)
GMC Yukon SUV (3.3%)
Honda Odyssey minivan (2.9%)
Toyota Tacoma pickup (2.8%)
Lincoln Navigator SUV (2.6%)
Toyota Prius hybrid hatchback (2.6%)
Average for all vehicles: 1.0%
