Mechanic @Twinsterphoto / Shutterstock
Auto repair is one of those things that you never know how much you need until something is wrong with your car. The auto repair industry, according to AAMCO, is worth $67 billion. So, when you’re thinking of buying a car (or trading in), you want to find a car that has reasonable maintenance costs.
Whether you’re purchasing a new Toyota or a Ferrari, there are going to be maintenance costs to look out for. In this article, we’ll talk about popular cars that are very easy to maintain, as well as deceptive cars that seem affordable but will hurt your wallet when the repair bill comes.

1. Chevrolet Silverado

Model Years: 1998-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $714*
Since the Chevrolet Silverado’s introduction by General Motors in 1998, close to 12 million units have been sold in America, making it one of the best-selling pickup trucks Stateside. The Silverado 1500 scored a 3.5 out of 5 for its Reliability Rating, but that was good enough for 5th place out of the 17 full-size trucks that were judged.

Chevrolet Silverado ©Steve Lagreca / Shutterstock
The average annual cost, of $714, that’s needed to keep this full-size truck up to par is a little bit more than the average car, however, at 30%, the chances that your Silverado might need to have some serious work done prior to its 10th birthday are fairly high.

2. Jeep Renegade

Model Years: 2015-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $498/Year*
Jeep’s 5-door subcompact crossover SUV, the Jeep Renegade, has a, comparably, low maintenance cost ($498) and, as far as the Reliability Ratings of subcompact SUVs are concerned, ranks right in the middle of the pack, finishing 4th (out of 7) with a rating of 4.0 out of 5.0.

Jeep Renegade ©Andrea Bonetti / Shutterstock
The main issue that people have reported about the Renegade is its engine unexpectedly shutting down, which has led owners to bring their vehicles in for unnecessary check-ups. The Renegade has a, relatively, short life span that lasts for up to around 240,000 miles (under 10 years).

3. BMW 5 Series

Model Years: 1972- Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $825/Year*
Now, in the seventh generation of its line, the BMW 5 Series is a midsize luxury car that has been in production since 1972. The 5 series has come a long way from the four-cylinder petrol engines with which they were once fitted. Later generations have been upgraded to V8 and V10 engines. And then, of course, we have the F90 M5 which is powered by S63 twin-turbo V8 engines.

BMW 5 Series ©Yauhen_D / Shutterstock
Although the average annual cost of repairs for a BMW 5 series is $825 (according to Repairpal), in the first decade after purchasing it, there’s also a 40% chance that your ‘Beamer’ will need to have some form of major repairs done. After adding in the expensive cost of BMW parts, you can expect the bill to run fairly high.

4. Honda Insight

Model Years: 2019-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $393/Year*
When looking for a car that’s on the cheaper end of the annual maintenance spectrum, starting with an electric or hybrid vehicle is not a bad idea. Coming in at less than $400 per year to maintain, Honda’s hybrid-electric Insight might just be the car for you.

Honda Insight ©lev radin / Shutterstock
It’s a good thing that the Insight’s parts aren’t very expensive or hard to come by, because people have reported issues with rodents chewing through the hybrid’s soy-based wire coating, as well as the failure of their Insight’s Denso fuel pump, not to mention there was a recall on the Takata airbags that the vehicles were fitted with.

5. Nissan Altima

Model Years: 1992-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $483/Year*
RepairPal has given the Nissan Altima a Reliability Rating of 4 out of 5, which you’d think would be good enough to crack the top ten when ranking midsize cars, but due to a strong field, the Altima only made it as high as #11.

Nissan Altima ©Miro Vrlik Photography / Shutterstock
Through the first 10 years of owning a Nissan Altima, according to RepairPal, there’s a little more than a 15% chance that the midsize car will experience issues that are serious enough to warrant major repairs being done. Otherwise, an Altima will only cost you around $483 a year to maintain.

6. Subaru Legacy

Model Years: 1989-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $469/Year*
Subaru’s showcase car, the Legacy, has been in production since 1989, and, although it isn’t rated as the best in its class, it has created a legacy for itself as a reliable midsize car that, sufficiently, suits its owner’s needs, even if its annual maintenance costs ($563) are higher than the midsize car average ($526).

Subaru Legacy ©citybrabus / Shutterstock
The higher service cost of the Legacy might not be a bad thing as car owners have been known to enjoy their Legacy’s comfort for up to 20 years or 300,000 miles.

7. Cadillac SRX

Model Years: 2004-2016
Avg. Repair Costs: $703/Year*
One of the more common issues that SRX owners run into is with their vehicle’s timing chain that, as a result of wear and tear, will stretch over time – but this is an easy fix. As far as its reliability as a luxury SUV, the SRX is right in the middle of the pack, 7th out of the 14 vehicles that were tested, and, as a result of this ‘Caddy’s’ lack of serious issues that develop over time, it has, comparably, low maintenance costs.

Cadillac SRX ©Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock
The SRX had a successful 12-year run (2004-2016) wherein it won Car and Driver’s Five Best Trucks “luxury SUV” award 3 times (2004, 2005, 2006). Expect to be driving your SRX for, at least, a few more years because its life expectancy is between 10-15 years.

8. Ford F-Series Pickup

Model Years: 1948-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $788/Year*
Ford has been manufacturing the F-Series for more than 7 decades, and is, currently, producing its 14th generation of full-size pickup trucks. The Ford F-150 is 7th on RepairPal’s list that rates the reliability of the 17 trucks that are included in the full-size pickup category.

Ford F-Series Pickup ©Johnnie Rik / Shutterstock
Compared to other pickups, the F-150 is not a cheap vehicle to maintain. Without any of the unforeseen problems that may arise, based on annual check-ups and servicing, the F-150 is estimated to set truck owners back a little less than $800 a year.

9. Dodge Journey

Model Years: 2009-2020
Avg. Repair Costs: $562*
In recent years, midsize SUVs have become quite popular and, as a result, it seems as though, every year there’s a new addition to the car category. Now, with 26 midsize SUVs on the list, it’s even more impressive that, when reliability is being judged, the Dodge Journey has managed to retain a top ten spot – currently, hanging in there at #6 on RepairPal’s list.

Dodge Journey ©Art Konovalov / Shutterstock
At $562, the average annual cost that a Journey owner pays for servicing is only $10 less than the midsize SUV average. I guess it’s safe to say that Dodge’s journey to creating a reliable car with a less than average maintenance cost (if that was Dodge’s goal) was a screaming success.

10. BMW X1

Model Years: 2009-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $915/Year*
For all of the people who are fans of SUVs but think that they’re a little too large, or, perhaps, they’re just not comfortable enough, in 2009, BMW introduced the BMW X1. The X1 is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV that has the option for all-wheel drive and can be powered by either a diesel or a turbocharged 3 (or 4)- cylinder petrol engine.

BMW X1 ©Ingus Kruklitis / Shutterstock
The cost of maintaining your new BMW X1 over the course of the first 10 years of ownership (assuming the car was new when purchased) will be close to half of the initial cost of the vehicle – which is, currently, selling for around $35,500. Not to mention, in the first decade, there’s more than a 50% chance that the X1 will need major repairs.

11. Jeep Compass

Model Years: 2007-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $526/Year*
Introduced in 2007, Jeep’s compact crossover SUV, the Jeep Compass, is a reliable vehicle (scoring a Reliability Rating of 4 out of 5), but it has been reported to have experienced problems with its suspension and the control arm in its steering wheel – usually, around the 55,000-60,000 miles

Jeep Compass ©Gabriel Nica / Shutterstock
Coming in at, approximately, $526 a year, the cost of maintaining a Jeep Compass is not nearly as expensive as what it would cost if owning a similar vehicle by a rival manufacturer like one of BMW’s X series SUVs – in fact, annually, Jeep Compass owners will spend about half of what ‘Beamer’ owners will.

12. Chevrolet Malibu

Model Years: 1997-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $532/Year*
With a ranking of 9th, out of the 24 midsize cars in its class, the Chevy Malibu isn’t the most reliable midsize on the market, however, with a lifespan of 10-15 years and a, relatively, low cost to maintain it, it’s, definitely, a vehicle to look into when looking into purchasing a new vehicle.

Chevrolet Malibu ©Miro Vrlik Photography / Shutterstock
According to repairpal.com, the Malibu has a, slightly, lower than average annual repair/maintenance cost ($532), however, if your Malibu is one of the units that has a defective engine or faulty electrical systems, those fees have the potential to skyrocket rather quickly.

13. Toyota 4Runner

Model Years: 1995-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $514*
In the world of midsize sport utility vehicles, in 2019 and 2020, no truck was more reliable than the Toyota 4Runner, which scored perfect 5s both years from Consumer Reports. If your 4Runner is looked after well, it should only cost about $514 a year to maintain, however, if you ignore the signs that it needs repairs for too long, that cost will go up in a hurry.

Toyota 4Runner ©Nathan Pang / Shutterstock
Given their notoriety for having problems with their brakes, one would think that it would be a given for owners of this midsize sport utility vehicle to keep a closer eye on the issue. However, one of the biggest costs of repairs that 4Runner owners have reported dealing with has resulted from maintenance needing to be done on their truck’s braking system.

14. Ford Escape

Model Years: 2001-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $600/year*
The Ford Escape is Ford’s equivalent of the Nissan Rogue or the Jeep Cherokee, only it costs more than most other compact crossover SUVs on the market to maintain. While the average annual cost to keep an SUV in decent shape is around $521, it costs $131 more, on average, to repair or maintain an Escape.

Ford Escape ©Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock
There’s about a 1 in 4 chance that, if you do decide to purchase a Ford Escape, it will have to head into the shop for a major overhaul before its age reaches double-digits. If you’re able to take good enough care of it, however, your Escape should only cost you about $600 a year to maintain.

15. BMW X2

Model Years: 2017-Present
Avg. Repair Costs: $950/Year*
The BMW X2 is considered by many to be a sportier and less practical car when compared to its predecessor, the X1. As a result of the specialty parts and tech, with which the X2 has been built, repairs of this subcompact luxury 5-door crossover SUV are dearer than other manufacturers’ vehicles of the same class.

BMW X2 ©emirhankaramuk / Shutterstock
Similar to the BMW X1, X2 owners can expect to have, at least, one set of major repairs to deal with in the first decade of owning their vehicle as the latter model has been known to have a high probability of experiencing problems with its brakes and engine.