Some automotive brands have remained at the top of predicted reliability rankings for years, and while new vehicles have become far more durable than they were even a few years ago, many of those top-ranked brands continue to dominate. iSeeCars recently studied the vehicles and brands most likely to reach 250,000+ miles, but many of the top brands won’t come as any surprise.
Toyota was the top-ranked brand, with a 17 percent overall chance of having vehicles reach 250,000 miles. The top seven brands:
The average vehicle on America’s roads has an 8.6 percent chance of lasting a quarter-million miles or more, so those vehicles outperform the rest of the crop by notable margins. Looking at the list, it might be a little odd seeing Ram, GMC, Chevy, and Ford mixed in with brands like Honda and Toyota, but there’s a good reason for their success. The Big Three American brands sell a ton of trucks, which scored favorably in iSeeCars’ analysis. It’s worth noting that this ranking doesn’t include heavy-duty models, which show a strong ability to stand the test of time.
The Ram 3500 had a 42.6 percent chance of lasting 250,000 miles, followed by the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, GMC Sierra 2500HD, and Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD. Beyond the fact that heavy-duty trucks are built for abuse, some of those pickups’ longevity is likely due to fleet management and regular maintenance that commercial owners tend to follow.
Breaking out other vehicle categories shows that SUVs hold 16 of the 30 top spots. The list also holds eight pickup trucks and four sedans. iSeeCars used data from more than 402 million vehicles for this study. It analyzed odometer data at each yearly age and used a proprietary model based on those mileage numbers to estimate the longevity of vehicles and brands.