The 2 vehicles with the best chance of hitting 250,000 miles hail from Texas
The numbers are in: the registration data of millions of vehicles show that the five models most likely to still be on the road at 250,000 miles are all Toyotas. The top two are currently assemble at Toyota’s San Antonio Texas factory: the Toyota Sequoia and Toyota Tundra.
Here are the top 16:
Rank | Make/Model | % Chance of Lasting 250k+ Miles |
---|---|---|
1 | Toyota Tundra | 36.6% |
2 | Toyota Sequoia | 36.4% |
3 | Toyota 4Runner | 26.8% |
4 | Toyota Tacoma | 26.7% |
5 | Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 25.9% |
6 | Honda Ridgeline | 25.8% |
7 | Chevrolet Suburban | 22.0% |
8 | Toyota Avalon | 22.0% |
9 | Lexus GX | 20.7% |
10 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 18.8% |
11 | GMC Yukon XL | 17.9% |
12 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 17.7% |
13 | Honda Pilot | 17.5% |
14 | Honda Accord | 16.6% |
15 | GMC Sierra 1500 | 16.1% |
16 | Ford F-150 | 15.8% |
I know, I know, this table looks like a darn Toyota add. But here’s the truth: the industry analysts at iSeeCars crushed through the registration data of 400 million vehicles. These are the ones that get registered again after 250,000 miles. They don’t squeak over the finish line, un-inspectable and unregistered, but are still going strong.
The Toyota 4Runner (#4) and Toyota Tacoma (#5) share a chassis and were assembled in San Antonio for years. Toyota has moved at least some production to Mexico with the latest redesign, but many of the high mileage ones still on the road hail from Texas too.
Obviously we see a ton of body-on-frame trucks and SUVs on this list. Although Toyota’s Highlander Hybrid (#5) is intriguing because it is a crossover. We are seeing the motors and brakes in hybrids don’t work as hard and most of those vehicles need surprisingly little maintenance, even in high mileage. Also unibodies keep getting strong, and they may dominate this list in future years.
So what in the world is going on Toyota’s sweep of one-five? There may be several factors here. Toyota does have a reputation for generous recalls, footing the bill for extensive work. So its more problematic years may get repaired and be back on the road.
In addition, the reputation both Toyota and Honda have for lasting into high mileage may persuade their owners to invest more in repairs. There comes a time in every vehicle’s life when you need to decide between investing in a big repair bill or tossing it and investing that in a new vehicle. It looks like a lot of Toyota and Honda owners choose to keep theirs running.
The final factor is vehicle use. You can see there are more high mileage Honda Ridgelines (#6) on the road that Ford F-150s (#16). But a Ford F-150 could tow loads for 100,000 miles that would snap a Ridgeline in half. Bit few Ridgeline owners are hauling heavy trailers or plowing snow. They know there are better tools for that job. So which is more durable?
This final reason may be why we see so many full-frame SUVs, vehicles with heavy truck chassis and statistically easy lives, lasting so long. Most Chevrolet Suburbans (#7) have it cushy, compared to some Chevrolet Silverado 1500s (#10). We don’t know for sure, but more Toyota buyers may be selecting vehicles to take camping instead of pulling 10,000-pound loads to the ranch.