Cars and Drivers

Cars, SUVs and Pickups That Last Longest

Paul Ausick

Published: February 26, 2016 1:25 pm

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 12:39 pm

At the end of 2014, the average age of light vehicle (cars and pickups) on U.S. roads reached 11.5 years, the highest ever. By the end of this year, the average is expected to rise to 11.6 years, and by 2018 the average will rise to 11.7 years. New car buyers drive their cars for an average of 6.5 years before trading them in, helping to drive up the average age per vehicle in the U.S. fleet of some 258 million light vehicles

The data come from a report by IHS from last July. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the average annual mileage per person in the United States is about 13,500 per year.

As consumers keep vehicles longer, miles driven per vehicle rises, and there are many vehicles on the roads now with 200,000 miles or more on the clock. The consumer-oriented auto shopping firm iSeeCars.com  has analyzed more than 12 million sales in 2015 for model years 1981 through 2016. Models with at least 10,000 sales and at least 200,000 miles were then ranked based on the percentage with at least 200,000 miles.

Of the 10 longest-lasting vehicles, nine are pickups or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and only one is passenger car. Here are the top 10 (and ties) along with the percentage of vehicles still on the road with at least 200,000 miles:

• F-250 Super Duty from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), 6.0%
• Silverado 2500HD from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), 5.7%
• 4Runner from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), 5.2%
• Ford Expedition, 5.0%
• Chevy Suburban, 4.8%
• Toyota Sequoia, 4.8%
• GMC Sierra 2500HD, 4.6%
• Chevy Tahoe, 3.4%
• GMC Yukon XL, 3.2%
• GMC Yukon, 2.7%
• Toyota Avalon, 2.7%
• Toyota Tacoma, 2.5%

On average, pickup trucks log 33% more miles than passenger cars, and SUVs log about 15% more miles than passenger cars.

Excluding pickups and SUVs, here are the top 10 (and ties) longest-lasting passenger cars:

• Toyota Avalon, 2.7%
• Accord from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC), 2.3%
• Honda Odyssey, 2.2%
• Ford Taurus, 1.8%
• Toyota Camry, 1.6%
• Honda Civic, 1.6%
• Subaru Legacy, 1.4%
• Nissan Quest, 1.3%
• Chevy Impala, 1.3%
• Dodge Grand Caravan, 1.2%
• Subaru Outback, 1.1%
• Toyota Prius, 0.9%
• Subaru Forester, 0.9%
• Toyota Corolla, 0.9%

And if you’re in the market for a luxury vehicle, whether a car or SUV, here are the top five and ties:

• Lincoln Navigator, 2.0%
• Cadillac Escalade, 1.4%
• Acura MDX, 1.3%
• Cadillac Escalade EXV, 1.0%
• Mercedes S-Class, 0.7%
• Mercedes M-Class, 0.7%