Unsurprisingly, the first six vehicles with the lowest five-year maintenance costs would be all Toyota vehicles because the brand is well-known for reliability. Why is regular maintenance so essential, and which Toyota models are in the top six on the list? Let’s find out. 

How regular maintenance extends the life of your vehicle

According to Geico, you can extend the life of your vehicle if you practice good driving skills and regularly maintain your car as often as necessary. This includes changing filters and fluids to prevent dirt and debris from getting into your vehicle’s major components, like your engine or transmission. Foreign matter in an engine will likely damage it, costing you thousands of dollars to repair it. 

Failure to keep your tires properly inflated can cost you quite a bit of money, even though it doesn’t seem like it would. You would be affecting more than just a tire; it could cause an accident by decreasing your braking ability. 

Toyota has your back when it comes to maintaining a vehicle for long-term ownership. Six of its models are at the top of CarEdge’s list of low-cost maintenance vehicles. Let’s take a look at which models have the lowest costs. 

1. Yaris

The vehicle with the lowest maintenance costs for five years is the Toyota Yaris. This model will only have approximately $310 in service bills annually and $4,027 in maintenance and repair costs for 10 years. For the most part, the vehicle receives high reliability marks, but it has some safety recall issues now and then.

2. Corolla 

Toyota’s Corolla has one of the best reliability ratings among a few critics. With its stellar durability, it’s destined to be a long-lasting vehicle, so you can expect costs to be relatively low with this model. For five years of ownership, buyers can expect to pay around $316 annually for regular maintenance tasks, such as fluid level inspections and tire rotations.

When it gets to the 10-year mark, your service bills should total about $4,087 will relatively few repairs. There is, however, an 11.89 percent probability that something significant could go wrong, including a previous Corolla issue with excessive oil usage.

3. Prius

For 10 years of ownership, the Prius should only cost around $4,008 for regular maintenance and repairs. Breaking that down to the 5-year mark, we see that, on average, the car is likely to only bring approximately $313 for service bills, with only a 5.45 percent chance of needing some major repair work done. 

Typical service issues with the Prius have been problematic windshields, excessive oil use, and headlights turning off without warning. As for regular maintenance, the car requires proper oil changes, tire rotation, and inspection of all fluid levels. 

4. Camry

The Camry is another Toyota vehicle known to be in good reliable standing in the market. One year of ownership brings about $160 in maintenance costs and only increases by $167 at the five-year ownership mark. In 10 years, this model will have an 11.89 percent chance of needing major repair work, so maintenance and service costs will likely run you approximately $4,203. 

5. Prius Prime

Landing in the fifth spot on the list is the Prius Prime, with a 5-year maintenance cost of $322 from regular service tasks such as fluid changes and inspections of brake lines and brake pads. For 10 years of ownership, you can expect around $4,098 for servicing the vehicle, with an 11.22 percent probability of needing major repair work. That means it’s about 10 percent better than similar vehicles on the market. 

6. Avalon

Rounding up the Toyota lineup of low-maintenance costs for five-year ownership is the brand’s Avalon sedan. The spot is well deserved because the model is said to be one of the easiest cars to reach the 200,000-mile mark on well-maintained vehicles. When five years have passed, the Avalon should only cost you $348 annually to keep in good shape. For the 10-year mark, the service bills should only run you about $4,407 if all goes well. 

To keep it going strong so you can see that 10-year mark, you’ll want to be sure you perform regular oil changes, tire rotations, service the brakes when needed, and replace the transmission fluid as recommended by the manufacturer. 

It’s no surprise that Toyota has some of the lowest-cost models for maintenance and repair. With a brand known for its reliable vehicles, you can’t go wrong with your purchase.