The ten cars with the cheapest maintenance (Part I)

Vehicles are assets that require a considerable investment and depreciate very quickly. Therefore, it is very important to know, understand and have as much information as possible before making this investment.

Caredge is an independent US-based company created to help car buyers through the car buying process. On their website they regularly publish studies on the costs of ownership of cars and vans with which to shed light on the hidden costs of these.

On its website, in addition to the list of cheapest cars to maintain that we are talking about today, you will find much more relevant information, such as vehicle depreciation or the cost of insurance. You will also find a section where you can compare up to four different vehicle models in terms of their depreciation over the years. Something that can help you finish deciding on a specific model, among some models that you like and that meet your needs.

In this study, the first ten years of each of the models have been taken into account. In addition to the cost of replacing elements to be replaced due to time or wear, such as tires or oil, the probability of possible major repairs, which exceed 500 euros, is also taken into account. Broadly speaking, it can be seen that electric and hybrid vehicles are the ones that have, as a general rule, a lower maintenance cost. This is because they have much less mechanical elements, subject to wear.

Here you have the list of the ten cars that, according to the caredge.com study, are the most economical. For this list we have selected the top ten from his studio that are for sale in Spain, since the studio covers models from all over the world.

In first position we find the cheapest Tesla in terms of purchase price, the Model 3. What is economical is if we compare it with the rest of the models of the popular American brand of Elon Musk, since its price acquisition is currently at almost 52,000 euros.

According to the study, the maintenance cost of the Tesla Model 3 is only 3,500 euros in 10 years of life, which means 350 €/year in maintenance costs. The probability of having a major breakdown, costing more than 500 euros, is only 8.64% in these first ten years of use.

The amount of the maintenance cost includes the replacement of tires, the most important part of the total, the windshield wipers and the air filter. Being 100% electric we avoid oil changes, spark plugs or timing belt, among others.

In second position we find the favorite car of taxi drivers, the Toyota Prius. Despite not being electric like the previous one, being a hybrid and having a gasoline combustion engine, the Toyota Prius has a really low maintenance cost: 3,900 euros in 10 years.

In this case, the maintenance cost is not constant as in electric models, but rather increases over the years, due to the wear and tear caused to its mechanical components of the combustion engine. While the first year only represents an annual maintenance cost of 150 euros, over the years it increases to an estimated 700 euros in the tenth year of use.

The probability of a major repair in those ten years is of only 11.22%. 

Another Toyota takes third place, with slightly better results than the Prius. Being in turn one of the most reliable on the market and therefore a great option if you are looking for an economical model to maintain.

The maintenance cost of the Toyota Corolla is 4,000 euros in 10 years and the probability of serious failure (greater than 500 euros) is 11.89%.

Although the 100,000 euros that it costs are not within the reach of many, the Tesla Model S obtains the fourth position in terms of economic maintenance. Like the Model 3, the fact that it is electric means that most of its components, unless they fail, should never be changed. This advantage is added to the fact that it is the electric model currently on sale with a range of 634 kilometers.

The maintenance cost for ten years of use of the Tesla Model S is 4,500 euros. The probability of major repairs is, like the Model 3, 8.64%.

In fifth position we find another Tesla. On this occasion, the SUV model of the brand, with an impressive 528 kilometers of autonomy. The maintenance cost is 460 euros per year, 4,600 euros in 10 years, with a probability of 11.68% of having a serious failure in those ten years.

Keep learning about the 10 cheapest car models to maintain by clicking HERE