Special Report
This Is the Longest Lasting Car on the Road
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The average transaction price for a new vehicle in the United States hit an all-time high of $47,077 in December, according to Kelley Blue Book. The increase in car prices is largely due to the disruption in the global supply chain for vehicle parts, especially computer chips. But even without this pandemic-related disruption, new vehicle prices trend upward over time for various reasons. (In today’s auto market, even used car prices are rising, here are 15 cars that cost more used than new.)
Dealers have few cars, even on their used car lots. The shortage has worked its way even further into the industry, and owners who happen to drive long-lasting cars are no doubt happy they can postpone car purchases. The longest-lasting car on the road is the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Rising prices and increased durability have led to older cars on the road. The average age of a vehicle in the U.S. rose to 12.1 years last year, up from 9.6 years in 2002, according to IHS Markit. Now, more vehicles than ever are lasting to 200,000 miles and beyond, blowing past the 100,000-mile mark that not too long ago was considered about the most you could get from a typical car.
A recent analysis of more than 14.9 million cars sold in 2021 by online automotive information and sales provider iSeeCars has identified the models with the largest share of vehicles that top 200,000 miles.
To find the 15 longest-lasting car on the road 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the iSeeCars analysis. Cars are ranked by the percentage of vehicles reaching 200,000 miles. Prices noted are based on the entry-level manufacturer’s suggested retail price, rounded to the nearest $1,000, for a 2022 model year vehicle, as reported by Car and Driver magazine.
Toyota manufactures eight of the top 15 longest-lasting cars, and only two sedans — the Toyota Avalon and the Toyota Prius — made the list. Seven of the 15 longest-lasting vehicles are full-size SUVs, while one is a midsize SUV and one a crossover — a popular small SUV that is typically built on a sedan platform. Two of the vehicles on the list are minivans, and two are pickup trucks.
The longest-lasting car on the road is the Toyota Land Cruiser with 18.2% of the cars reaching over 200,000 miles.
The $87,000 Land Cruiser has by far the highest entry-level price of the vehicles on this list, but with that extra money, buyers can get a large SUV that handles well off-road with an acceptable (if not industry-leading) luxury interior. Like other vehicles in its class, its fuel economy is dismal at just 14 miles per gallon. (These, one the other hand, are cars from five years ago that get the best gas mileage.)
Click here to see longest lasting cars on the road
15. Toyota Sienna
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.2%
The Sienna is the most popular minivan in the United States, selling nearly 58,000 units in 2021. The $36,000 family hauler that was first introduced in the 1998 model year is now sold exclusively as a hybrid.
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14. Honda Odyssey
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.2%
Along with the Toyota Sienna, the $34,000 Honda Odyssey is a best-selling minivan in the United States. The Chrysler Pacifica (and its base sibling, the Chrysler Voyager) outsold the Honda Odyssey by just 15 vehicles in the United States last year, according to Newsweek, pushing the Odyssey to third place.
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13. Honda Ridgeline
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.7%
The Honda Ridgeline is one of two pickup trucks on this list. In 2017, the $38,000 Ridgeline became the first pickup truck to earn the top safety pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Safety features, including forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control, are standard features.
12. GMC Yukon
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.7%
The $54,000 GMC Yukon is mostly the same as another full-size SUV marque on this list, the Chevrolet Tahoe. Both originated in the early ’90s from General Motors as descendants of two differently sized SUVs sold under the Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy nameplates. Today, both are full-size SUVs that share the same platform and most body parts.
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11. Toyota Highlander Hybrid
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.8%
Toyota’s $39,000 Highlander Hybrid is the only crossover SUV on this list. The five-door small SUV is the lighter option of the more rugged and larger Toyota 4Runner SUV. The Highlander is larger and pricier than the Toyota RAV4 crossover, the best-selling SUV in the U.S. market.
10. Toyota Prius
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.9%
The $26,000 Toyota Prius is famous for being the first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid passenger vehicle when it was introduced in Japan in 1997 and worldwide in 2001. The market is now full of hybrid options, and Prius’ long reign as Toyota’s top-selling hybrid ended in 2019.
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9. Toyota Avalon
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 3.9%
This $37,000 full-size car is one of only two sedans on this list. Despite garnering positive reviews, the Avalon is not as popular as the Toyota Camry midsize car and Corolla compact, and the 2022 model year will be its last as consumers pivot away from sedans toward crossovers SUVs.
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8. Toyota Tundra
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 4.0%
The $38,000 Toyota Tundra is one of two pickup trucks to make the list. The other is the smaller Honda Ridgeline. The 2022 Tundra receives praise for its powertrain and suspension as well as a long bed, in Toyota’s bid to grab market share from U.S. pickup truck makers.
7. Chevrolet Tahoe
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 4.4%
The $52,000 Chevrolet Tahoe and $54,000 GMC Yukon are fundamentally the same despite wielding different General Motors badges. The full-size SUVs share the same architecture and most body parts. The differences are superficial, in their so-called “soft parts,” like headlight, grille, bumper, and interior styles.
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6. Ford Expedition
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 4.5%
The $53,000 Ford Expedition receives high praise for its massive interior space but gets tepid reviews for its fuel economy among gas-guzzling full-size SUVs. Ford is working to introduce more hybrid and fully electric vehicles, and the future Expedition is likely to be one to be one of them since it shares powertrain with the F-150 pickup truck, which is already available as a hybrid.
5. Toyota 4Runner
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 4.6%
The $38,000 4Runner midsize SUV is considered the larger and more rugged option against the smaller Toyota Highlander crossover SUV. (The hybrid version of the Highlander is also on this list.) The 4Runner is less refined than other comparable SUVs but is considered to excel among its peers in off-road driving.
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4. GMC Yukon XL
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 5.2%
The $55,000 enlarged XL version of General Motors’ GMC Yukon is often compared to another GM product and its largest SUV, the Chevrolet Suburban. The Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Chevrolet Suburban share the same platform, but the Yukon XL is the more luxurious of the three brands.
3. Chevrolet Suburban
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 6.6%
The $54,000 Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-running nameplate in automotive history, originating in 1935 as an eight-passenger truck-based wagon, the progenitor of the modern full-size SUV. It also boasts one of the industry’s highest loyalty rates in the United States, with 75% of buyers who remain loyal to large SUVs opting to buy another Suburban.
2. Toyota Sequoia
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 14.2%
The $52,000 Sequoia is Toyota’s largest SUV, but it has received tepid reviews when compared to other behemoth utility vehicles in the market for its outdated infotainment system and poor fuel economy relative to comparable vehicles in this gas-gulping segment.
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1. Toyota Land Cruiser
> Pct. of cars over 200,000 miles: 18.2%
The $87,000 Land Cruiser has by far the highest entry-level price of the vehicles on this list, but with that extra money, buyers can get a large SUV that handles well off-road with an acceptable (if not industry-leading) luxury interior. Like other vehicles in its class, its fuel economy is dismal at just 14 miles per gallon.
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