Cars and Drivers

This Is America's Longest-Lasting Car

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: November 16, 2023 10:20 am

People are increasingly keeping their cars longer. The average age of a car on American roads is over 12 years. Cars are simply better built and last longer without repairs. The figure will rise because new car prices have hit an average of $40,000 and car loan rates are often above 7%. So, what is America’s longest-lasting car?

MSN’s recent “20 Cars That Will Last Longer Than 300,000 Miles” report includes ratings based on J.D. Power, iSeeCars, CarEdge and RepairPal data. The maximum score a car could get was 100.

Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Lexus (Toyota’s luxury division) dominated the list. Japanese cars have a decades-long reputation for quality, reliability and longevity. None of the cars on the list had a score below 80. (These 11 cars are still mostly made in America.)

The 2017 Lexus ES topped the list with a score of 96, making it America’s longest-lasting car. The ES is Lexus’s midprice sedan. The 2024 model has a starting price of just above $40,000, which for a luxury brand is low. Reviews of the 2017 models are glowing, and it has kept its price better than most cars. Edmund’s gives it a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

The MSN report states, “Like many Lexus and Toyota vehicles out there, the ES is a much less troublesome high-mileage car with reasonable ownership cost.” iSeeCars says that the model often goes beyond 200,000 miles of driving without major repair. Additionally, it has a low repair cost.

Lexus models are a good bet for people who want to keep a car for 12 years or longer.