Critical Shifts:
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Toyota models lead overall vehicle longevity: The Toyota Sequoia tops the study with a 42.3% probability of reaching 250,000 miles—nearly eight times the average vehicle's 5.4% chance.
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Japanese automakers dominate high-mileage rankings: Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Acura account for 25 out of the top 27 longest-lasting models, leaving non-Japanese brands almost entirely out of the top spots.
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Segment leaders far exceed category baselines: Specific models vastly outperform their segment averages, led by the Toyota Sequoia in SUVs (8.9 times the SUV average) and the Ram 3500 in trucks (31.9% chance vs. the 11.1% truck average).
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The Toyota Sequoia is the longest-lasting vehicle, with a 42.3% chance of reaching the extremely high mileage of 250,000 or more miles, according to iSeeCars Research’s Longest Lasting Cars Study. Japanese vehicles dominate the rankings, with Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Acura models in 25 of the top 27 spots on the longest-lasting vehicle list.
iSeeCars Research published its first Longest Lasting Cars Study in 2013. This year’s study analyzed data from more than 395 million vehicles to identify the vehicles and brands most likely to reach 250,000 miles or more. The analysis found the average vehicle has a 5.4% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, while only five of the 33 brands in the study are above that average.
“Reaching 250,000 miles is still far from typical, with the average vehicle having just a 5.4% chance of getting there,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “But the highest-ranked models have substantially better odds of reaching a quarter million miles, which is a significant difference for consumers interested in long-term ownership.”
The Sequoia’s 42.3% probability of reaching 250,000 miles is 7.9 times the overall 5.4% average. The Lexus LS follows at 38.8%, while the Toyota 4Runner ranks third at 33.1%. The Lexus RX hybrid, Toyota Tundra, and Toyota Tacoma round out the top six rankings.
The concentration of high-ranking Toyota and Lexus vehicles confirms these brands’ longest-lasting dominance, with the 10th-place Honda Accord Hybrid the first non-Toyota/Lexus vehicle on the list. Honda and Acura models are also prominent, holding 10 slots in the set of cars that are all at least twice as likely as the average vehicle to reach the 250,000-mile mark. Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Acura account for 25 of the 27 top-ranked vehicles, with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Chevrolet Suburban as the only outliers.
The Ram 3500 leads the truck-specific rankings with a 31.9% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, or 2.9 times the 11.1% truck average. The Toyota Tundra ranks second at 28.2%, followed by the GMC Sierra 3500HD at 26.2% and Toyota Tacoma at 25.0%.
Heavy-duty trucks occupy nine of the 12 positions, but the Tundra and Tacoma demonstrate that the strongest results are not limited to heavy-duty pickups.
SUVs have a 4.8% average probability of reaching 250,000 miles, but several models dramatically outperform that. The Sequoia’s 42.3% probability is 8.9 times the SUV average, and the 4Runner’s 33.1% probability is 6.9 times the average. The Lexus RX hybrid ranks third at 28.9%, followed by the Lexus GX at 23.3% and Toyota Highlander Hybrid at 20.7%.
