Long Term Relationships: The Cars Owners Hold Onto For 15 Or More Years

At a time when about a third of all new vehicles are leased for two- or three-year terms, it’s nice to know that some cars, trucks, and SUVs are held onto steadfastly. With the average price of a new vehicle now approaching the $40,000 mark, it’s prudent that some owners are looking to wring every mile out of their vehicular investments. In other cases it comes down to pure love and loyalty. 

The automotive research website iSeeCars.com looked at more than 660,000 vehicles from the 1981-2005 model years that changed hands last year to uncover a list of the 10 models original owners keep for 15 or more years. Not surprisingly, these are among the vehicles that command top dollar on the resale market and frequently appear on lists of the most reliable models. All come from Japanese import brands, with Toyota accounting for the top five and seven out of the top 10 overall. 

“Japanese vehicles, especially Toyota and Honda, are known for their reliability and durability and attract practical consumers who want vehicles that can be kept on the road as long as possible,” says iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “Drivers are more likely to hold onto cars that they know they can rely on and don’t require a great deal of expensive maintenance.”

Topping the list is the gas/electric hybrid-powered Toyota Prius, with 13.7 percent of them on the road kept 15 or more years by their original owners. That’s more than twice the overall industry average of 6.1 percent. The Prius also has the distinction of being the only passenger car among the top 10, with the rest consisting of SUVs, pickup trucks, and a lone minivan.

 “Prius owners who have kept their vehicles on the road for at least 15 years are early adopters of hybrid vehicle technology, and these eco-minded consumers likely want to keep their vehicles for as long as possible,” says Brauer. “Priuses also attract practical drivers thanks to their fuel economy and their low ownership costs, and prolonged ownership of the vehicle helps drivers maximize their fuel savings.”

Among SUVs, the Toyota Highlander leads the pack with 12.4 percent held for a decade and a half or longer. As with the overall list, the 10 longest-owned SUVs all come from Asian automakers, and further include the Honda CR-V and Pilot, the Subaru Forester, and the Toyota 4Runner and Sequoia.

Not surprisingly, domestic-brand models are most notably found on the list of pickup trucks kept the longest. However, while new pickup sales are otherwise dominated by the Detroit “Big Three,” and the segment being arguably the most brand-loyal in the business, the pickups owned for the longest terms are the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra, with more than 11 percent of original owners keeping them for 15 or more years. The top selling model of any kind, the Ford F-150, sits in the number 10 spot, with a 5.1 percent long-term retention. According to Brauer, this has more to do with how they’re used than how well they’re loved. “Japanese trucks lag behind their American competitors for towing capacity,” he explains, “so they aren’t subjected to as much wear and tear from heavy hauling.”

Among sports cars, the reasonably affordable Mazda MX-5 Miata is more frequently held for 15 or more years than far costlier rides like the BMW Z4 and Chevrolet Corvette. As it stands, these cars are not typically used as daily drivers, spending a great deal of time being garaged instead of racking up miles on the road.

Here is iSeeCars.com’s list of the 10 vehicles most frequently held for 15 or more years and the percentages of original owners who just can’t bear to part with them:

1. Toyota Prius (13.7%)
2. Toyota Highlander (12.4%)
3. Toyota Tacoma (11.6%)
4. Toyota Sienna (11.5%)
5. Toyota Tundra (11.3%)
6. Honda CR-V: (10.7%)
7. Honda Pilot: (10.4%)
8. Subaru Forester: (9.8%)
9. Toyota 4Runner (9.4%)
10. Toyota Sequoia (9.1%)

You can read the full report, which includes lists of the longest-kept SUVs, pickup trucks, sports cars, and car brands, along with the models that are held onto for 15 or more years in the 50 largest U.S. cities here.