According to IHS Markit, the average age of cars still on the road in America is 12.1 years. That is up from 9.6 years in 2002. There are several reasons for this. Cars are better built than they were two decades ago, and they are less likely to show their age in the first few years they are driven.
Another reason is that new and used cars have been in short supply for the past two years and their prices have risen quickly. The cause is a shortage of semiconductor chips used in car electronic systems. People hold cars longer because they do not want to pay premium prices. The problem is so severe that many manufacturers have shuttered assembly lines temporarily.
To determine the longest-lasting car on the road, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a study from automotive research firm and car search engine iSeeCars. The company found which vehicles have the largest percentage of models on the road that got to at least 200,000 miles. Only models that were still available as of 2020 were considered. Additional price data also came from iSeeCars.
Toyota makes eight of the 16 longest-lasting cars on the road, by far the most of any automaker. Honda, GMC and Chevrolet are the only other imprints to appear multiple times, with two cars apiece. Most of the longest-lasting cars are sport utility vehicles, particularly truck-based ones. In these kinds of SUVs, the chassis is separated and bolted to the same steel frame as the engine and wheels, helping make the cars more durable and rugged.
Just because a car does not make it to 200,000 miles does not necessarily mean it is unreliable. Some drivers buy a new car expecting to swap it out for another before it hits that milestone for different reasons. Some might want an upgrade, while others need something larger for their family.
Still, a large percentage of car buyers get a new model because their previous car needs too many repairs or stopped working altogether. If buyers do not do their research, they can end up with a vehicle that is unreliable, which could wind up costing them thousands in repair bills. However, new car prices have changed this calculation.
The longest-lasting car on the road is the Toyota Land Cruiser, with 16.3% of them reaching the 200,000-mile milestone. The average price of a used Land Cruiser is $53,294.
Click here to see all the longest-lasting cars on the road.
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