SUVs have become what consumers in the market want most, offering space, comfort, and performance. And no different than with any other type of vehicle, owners want reliability and dependability above all else. But how do you know which SUVs are reliable and will stay dependable for the years to come? Luckily, the experts are here with some data to help determine the SUVs that are most likely to last the longest. 

A recent study by iSeeCars.com “analyzed over 350,000 cars from the 1981-2004 model years sold in 2019 to determine which cars owners are most likely to keep for at least 15 years.” The top 15 cars in the survey kept by their original owners help prove their reliability and durability, as owners are obviously more likely to hold onto cars that are still dependable.

What’s most interesting is that the top-15 list is made up predominantly of Toyota vehicles, but all vehicles are made from Japanese brands. There are seven SUVs on the list, dominating as the most represented vehicle type. Here are the five SUVs with that owners own the longest:

5. Honda CR-V

Honda makes the list with four different vehicles, with two of them being SUVs. The Honda CR-V has been popular for more than 20 years and is not only the fifth highest-ranked SUV on the list but the eighth-highest overall as well. It’s so reliable that 12.4% of CR-Vs stay on the road for 15 years or longer with the original owner. The CR-V is known for its super-spacious interior, superior presence on the road, and ease of ownership.

4. Honda Pilot

The Pilot is one of Honda’s most popular vehicles and according to AutoBlog, also its largest SUV. It’s the seventh most-kept vehicle on iSeeCars.com’s survey. As with the CR-V, there are 1.6 times more Pilots owned for more than a decade than the average. But slightly more Pilots are kept for that long, at 12.6%, making it the fourth most-reliable SUV on the list. The Pilot also made iSeeCars.com’s list of longest-lasting SUVs, with 1.9% of Pilots reaching 200,000 miles or more.

3. Toyota RAV4

Toyota dominates with 10 total vehicles on the list and four SUVs. The RAV4 is the sixth most-kept vehicle on the list, but the third most-kept SUV, with 12.7% of them staying with the original owner for 15 years or more. According to iSeeCars.com, the RAV4 is “credited as being the first compact crossover-SUV” and has been popular since its debut. Going through a variety of transformations throughout the years, the RAV4 has offered everything from family dependability to off-roading dominance.

2. Subaru Forester

Known for its quality-made vehicles, it’s no surprise that the Subaru Forester ranks as the second-best SUV on the list. With 12.8% of Foresters being owned for 15 years or more, it’s also the fifth-highest vehicle on the list and 1.7 times higher than the average vehicle. Subaru ranks as the brand owners are most loyal to, offering affordability, fuel-efficiency, and unmatched safety. According to Subaru, 97% of “Subaru Forester vehicles in the last 10 years are still on the road today.”

1. Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is not only the SUV that people keep the longest but also the vehicle that owners keep the longest as well. The Highlander ranks as number one on the list, with 18.3% of them being held by the original owner for 15 years or more. That’s 2.4 times more than the overall average. Experts from iSeeCars.com aren’t surprised though, as the spacious Highlander comes with top-notch reliability ratings from J.D. Power and lower-than-average ownership costs.