After reviewing more than 400 million cars, trucks and SUVs, the study found that the Toyota Tundra was the light vehicle most likely to reach 250,000 miles, while Ram’s heavy-duty 3500 truck was the best overall.
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A study looking at America’s longest-lasting cars, SUVs, and light trucks found that Toyotas were the most likely to reach 250,000 miles. The Tundra was the most durable of all light vehicles, with a 37 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles, followed by the Sequoia and 4Runner. While Toyota dominated the light vehicle list, Ram’s heavy-duty 3500 truck was even more likely to reach 250,000 miles.
Want a car that might outlast you? Buy a Toyota and avoid cars from European or Korean automakers. That’s the clear message from a new study that looked at America’s longest-lasting cars, trucks and SUVs to see which vehicles are most likely to last 250,000 miles (402,000 km).
Analysts at iSeeCars analyzed data from 402 million cars for this year’s Longest-Living Cars study and created a computer model that concluded most cars are unlikely to reach that milestone — only 8.6 percent have more than 250,000 miles on the odometer — but certain Toyota models are four times more likely to achieve the feat.
Related: Finding the Cars, SUVs, and Trucks That Are Likely to Last Over 250,000 Miles
The king of light passenger cars that won’t be scrapped is the Toyota Tundra, with a 36.6% chance of reaching 250,000 km, followed by its Sequoia sibling at 36.4%. But the Tundra isn’t the only Toyota on this list: the list is dominated by Japanese automakers, with a smattering of luxury brands from Lexus.
Toyota took all five spots on the most durable cars list, with the 4Runner, Tacoma and Highlander followed by the Tundra and Sequoia, all of which have at least a 26% chance of reaching 250,000 miles. The company’s Avalon and Lexus GX came in eighth and ninth, respectively, while the Highlander came in 17th, the Camry 21st and the Prius 25th.
That means Toyota cars took 10 of the top 30 spots, a feat no rival automaker could match, but Honda (including Acura) had seven models in the top 30 and GM took six spots, a result of the fact that cars continue to drive longer distances over their lifetimes, despite becoming more complex every year.
“Modern cars are becoming more durable, with 30 models having a 12 to 36 percent chance of making it to 250,000 miles,” said iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer, whose team had to change its definition of durability from 200,000 miles (322,000 kilometers) to 250,000 miles a few years ago to accommodate modern car durability.
“Most consumers think that a car’s useful life ends at 100,000 miles (161,000 km). However, the top nine cars on this year’s list have more than a 20 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles.”
The study found that SUVs not only look tough, they’re built that way, and have far better long-distance capabilities than sedans. An SUV has an average 7.8 percent chance of reaching 250,000 km, with the top five models all having at least a 20 percent chance, while the average sedan has just a 5.4 percent chance of reaching 250,000 km, with only 1 in 11 exceeding a 22 percent chance. Not surprisingly, given that it’s a Toyota, the Avalon far outperformed the company’s Corolla, which only managed a score of 7.8 percent.
But if you really want a car that can be buried six feet under and still function, you’ll need to buy a big truck — specifically, a Ram 3500. The Stellantis pickup has a 42.6 percent chance of lasting 250,000 miles, compared with a segment average of 19.4 percent and just 11.5 percent for its Ram 1500 sibling.
If you scroll down to see the full tables for each segment, you might notice a shocking fact: there isn’t a single car from a European or Korean automaker on any of the lists.
Top 30 Cars Most Likely to Last Over 250,000 Miles
Top 7 Brands Most Likely to Last Over 250,000 Miles
Top 20 SUVs most likely to last over 250,000 miles
Top 11 cars most likely to last over 250,000 miles
Trucks likely to last more than 250,000 miles
