The Nissan Model With the Highest Annual Maintenance Costs Isn’t a Truck or SUV
Many of Nissan’s models offer respectable value with a generous list of features and amenities for their price points. The Japanese automaker may not offer the most refinement among some of its competitors. Still, its models are generally on the more affordable end of the scale for the segments in which they compete. However, maintenance costs are also a vital factor to consider when shopping for a new or used model. So, how does Nissan stack up? According to RepairPal, one Nissan model has significantly higher annual maintenance costs than its stablemates, and it’s not one of its trucks or SUVs.
Nissan has among the lowest repair costs among all automakers
RepairPal ranks Nissan at No. 9 out of 32 automakers for its reliability rating, based on annual maintenance costs, the frequency its models require repairs, and the severity of those fixes.
Nissan earns its top-10 spot with an average cost of $500 per year in repairs, which is $72 per year more than top-ranked Honda models but hundreds less than other automakers like Ford ($775 per year). The average among 32 automakers is $652 annually.
Nissan’s offerings require 0.3 visits to an auto shop per year and have a 13% probability such repairs will be considered “severe.”
The Nissan with the highest annual maintenance costs is the most expensive to shop for
Though it may seem obvious an automaker’s most expensive model will also be its priciest to repair, that’s not always the case. For instance, a Chevrolet Caprice has higher annual repair costs than even the Corvette, according to RepairPal.
Still, sometimes, the pricier-to-buy models are the costliest to repair, and that’s the case for Nissan. The GT-R sports the highest annual repair costs among all the automaker’s models at $920 annually.
In some good news for those wanting to put Nissan’s long-running sports car in their garage, owners haven’t reported many issues. In fact, RepairPal notes the GT-R has zero reported problems among owners, but that’s obviously a nod to the model not being afflicted with consistent repairs rather than a complete lack of mechanical issues.
For comparison, the GT-R’s annual repair costs are higher than that of the Corvette’s $737 per year but lower than the Porsche 911 at $1,072.
How do the GT-R’s repair costs compare to Nissan’s other pricey models?
The Nissan GT-R carries middle-of-the-pack maintenance costs among high-performance sports cars, but compared to other models in Nissan’s lineup, its ownership costs are undoubtedly pricey.
The Nissan Armada is the automaker’s largest SUV, and as such, its most expensive. Yet, the Armada’s average repair costs are $550 per year, $370 less than the GT-R’s. Of course, most buyers aren’t cross-shopping the eight-passenger SUV with the GT-R, but it puts the latter’s repair bills into perspective.
It’s a similar story for the Titan, Nissan’s biggest pickup. Though trucks generally have low reliability ratings and high repair costs, the Titan XD (Nissan speak for the heavy-duty model) has an average cost of $500 per year.
Ultimately, GT-R buyers won’t just be dishing out more dough at the dealer — prices for the 2024 model start at $120,999 — they’ll be spending far more on maintenance costs on average than those who buy other Nissan models.
