Tom and I share the sentiment that numbers don’t lie, so when we find great content around numbers, we like to share them. In this video, Royalty Auto Service ranks the least expensive vehicle brands to maintain based on two years of data from their shop. The ranking is determined by the average repair order (ARO) cost for each brand.
Mazda ($457.46 ARO)
The shop primarily sees these for routine maintenance rather than major repairs.
Kia & Hyundai ($702.22 ARO)
Important caveat: This low number is skewed because many of these vehicles have major engine failures. If they are under warranty, they go to the dealer (costing the shop $0), and if they are out of warranty, owners often decline expensive repairs because the car isn't worth fixing.
Honda & Acura ($715.49 ARO)
Known for being very easy to work on with accessible, reasonably-priced parts (think spark plugs), which keeps labor costs down.
Highly reliable, though the shop frequently sees issues with wheel hubs and occasionally transmissions.
Nissan & Infiniti ($866.52 ARO)
Good vehicles but can be more difficult to work on, which increases labor time. Common issues include CVT transmissions and valve body problems.
Honorable Mentions
Mini ($868.17 ARO): Similar to Kia/Hyundai, this number is low because many owners decline expensive repairs on older models.
Toyota & Lexus ($873.33 ARO): While slightly more expensive per visit than Honda, this is because these cars last so long (300k+ miles) that owners are willing to invest in major maintenance like timing belts and suspension that other car owners wouldn't bother with.
Getting Chewed Out
Rats! Here’s a problem none of us ever want to have. Safe to say the wiring may need to be replaced on this vehicle.
Thanks for reading everybody!
-Paul