SUVs, trucks and cars first owners keep at least 15 years

Keeping a vehicle long, long after purchasing it new probably means you made a good decision in the first place.

There’s also a good chance you bought a Toyota or a Honda.

“Owners are more likely to hold onto cars that are still dependable and don’t require a great deal of expensive maintenance,” said Phong Ly of iSeeCars.com automotive research website. “Japanese vehicles, especially Toyota and Honda, are known for their reliability and durability.”

The research firm analyzed more than 350,000 cars from the 1981-2004 model years sold in 2019 to determine which SUVs, trucks and cars first owners are most likely to keep at least 15 years.

“Among the top 15 models, Toyota has 10 spots on the list, followed by Honda with four,” said iSeeCars, with Subaru the only other brand represented. The top 15 vehicles that owner keep 15 years or longer comprised seven SUVs, four cars, two pickup trucks and two minivans.

Following are the top 15 vehicles original owners keep for 15 years or longer, along with the percentage of those vehicles kept for that long:

Vehicles owners keep longest

(Overall average 7.7 percent)

1. Toyota Highlander – 18.3 percent
2. Toyota Sienna – 15.5 percent
3. Toyota Tacoma – 14.5 percent
4. Toyota Tundra – 14.2 percent
5. Subaru Forester – 12.8 percent
6. Toyota RAV4 – 12.7 percent
7. Honda Pilot – 12.6 percent
8. Honda CR-V – 12.4 percent
9. Toyota Prius – 11.9 percent
10. Toyota 4Runner – 11.8 percent
11. Honda Odyssey – 11.6 percent
12. Toyota Corolla – 11.4 percent
13. Toyota Camry – 11 percent
14. Honda Civic 11 percent
15. Toyota Land Cruiser 10.6 percent

“SUVs are the vehicles most represented on this list with seven, but the longest-kept vehicles do include a mix of additional vehicle types,” Ly pointed out.

Following are lists for the top SUVs, trucks, cars and brands original owners keep at least 15 years:

SUVs owners keep longest

(Overall average 7.4 percent)

1. Toyota Highlander – 18.3 percent
2. Subaru Forester – 12.8 percent
3. Toyota RAV4 – 12.7 percent
4. Honda Pilot – 12.6 percent
5. Honda CR-V – 12.4 percent
6. Toyota 4Runner – 11.8 percent
7. Toyota Land Cruiser – 10.6 percent
8. Toyota Sequoia – 9.8 percent
9. Hyundai Santa Fe – 9.1 percent
10. Mitsubishi Outlander – 8.4. percent
11. Acura MDX – 8.4 percent
12. Nissan Armada – 8 percent

Trucks owners keep longest

(Overall average 7.6 percent)

1. Toyota Tacoma – 14.5 percent
2. Toyota Tundra – 14.2 percent
3. Chevrolet Colorado – 10.3 percent
4. Nissan Titan – 9.5 percent
5. Nissan Frontier – 9.3 percent
6. GMC Canyon – 8.9 percent
7. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – 7.9 percent
8. GMC Sierra 1500 – 7.9 percent

Cars owners keep longest

(Overall average 7.7 percent)

1. Toyota Prius – 11.9 percent
2. Toyota Corolla – 11.4 percent
3. Toyota Camry – 11 percent
4. Toyota Avalon – 10.6 percent
5. Honda Civic – 10.3 percent
6. Honda Accord – 9.9 percent
7. Hyundai Elantra – 8.7 percent
8. Subaru Impreza – 8.4 percent
9. Subaru Legacy – 7.8 percent

Car brands original owners keep longest

(Overall average 7.7 percent)

1. Toyota – 12.7 percent
2. Subaru – 11 percent
3. Honda – 10.6 percent
4. Hyundai – 8.3 percent
5. Mazda – 7.5 percent
6. Lexus – 7.4 percent
7. Kia – 7.3 percent
8. Nissan – 7.1 percent
9. GMC – 7.1 percent
10. Chevrolet 6.9 percent

One surprise on the trucks list is the absence of the Ford F-150 among those kept at least 15 years.

“Although it may not be kept as long as Japanese pickups, the American Ford F-150 is the country’s best-selling vehicle,” explained Ly of iSeeCars.com. “This suggests that F-150 owners likely replace their trucks before the 15-year mark because they want a newer model.”

More details on these and other lists are available in Cars People Keep the Longest at iSeeCars.com.