Which Car Brands Cost the Most to Maintain in the Long Run?

Before starting this discussion let’s consider supercars out of the discussion since they are usually never purchased on commercial purpose and they undoubtedly have the highest maintenance charges that are way above the maintenance cost of any other car. So, next in line are the luxury cars and other high-end cars. There are a number of factors that determine the maintenance cost of a vehicle but usually, the luxury cars demand more attention than high-end vehicles from regular brands. However, this situation is not always true. So, here are a few factors that will help you know about the maintenance charges for a vehicle. If you are someone who has long been wondering about “Which car brands cost the most to maintain?” then go ahead and find out the name of that brand and the reasons behind such high maintenance charges for that brand.

Luxury car brands are usually the expensive options out there in the market

When you buy a luxury car from any brand then you expect it to give you the absolute best in terms of all aspects. Whether it is pick-up or even the seat covers or the leg space and even the best quality music system installed in the car. So, the company also has to meet this expectation. They are under high pressure to bring out the best quality irrespective of the price. For example, BMW cars usually have high-quality seat covers which are made of pure leather. Thus, you can expect that the price will shoot up because of these factors. So, when you buy such a car the maintenance cost will be high. If a minor part of the vehicle like an air filter goes out, you will have to invest about ten times more money to get it fixed as you do when it comes to vehicles from economical brands. The brands also try to provide you with the best parts, and they do not consider the price as an issue for the customers. But again, the parts of a luxury vehicle are less susceptible to damage as compared to a regular brand. They will last for a longer span of time.

It is a good idea to get a second-hand luxury car.

Many people buy second-hand luxury cars. The reason behind this is quite clear. They get a second-hand vehicle for a much cheaper price when compared to a new vehicle. So, they want to own the name but have lower costs. But as soon as they buy an old vehicle the problem that arises ahead of them is that they will have to invest a huge amount of money to maintain that car in an operating condition. Even if they are taking it for a long drive it will consume a much higher amount of fuel than the ordinary economic cars. This is because of the fact that they have a sophisticated better engine and a stronger engine which requires more fuel than regular engines. So, if you are buying a second-hand car or any luxury car then make sure you are ready to pay for the extra expenses whether it is fuel or any other damage expense that your vehicle generates.

Get a secondhand car or any used luxury car for commercial purpose to receive your guests

 Some people decide to buy second-hand luxury cars for a commercial purpose. They will use these vehicles to chauffeur guests to and from the airport and also, they will help the guests save a lot of money by not using a taxi but still get greeted in a luxury car. When it comes to receiving your special guests then it is not a good thing to send a low budget vehicle. If you send a luxury car from BMW or Audi or any other good luxury car then the impression regarding the company by the guest is highly positive. So, make sure you have such a vehicle in hand. The guest won’t know whether the vehicle is new or not if it is maintained properly.

Better the engine power of the vehicle more amount of fuel it will consume.

The problem with these luxury cars and any high-end car is that they have high-end engine power. To compensate that, the engine usually consumes a lot of fuel. So, if you are buying a luxury car or any high-end car, make sure you are prepared for heavy fuel bills. This is applicable for all brands irrespective of the country you are in. The luxury car brands like BMW, Mercedes and Audi will focus on the comfort they offer to their user. They will not consider the economic point of view of the consumer. The economic fuel efficiency and other such factors are considered by other brands in the market like Volkswagen, Hyundai, and others.

Is it expensive to maintain an old luxury vehicle?

The luxury vehicle car parts are so designed that they will not wear out easily. They will last for a longer span of time as compared to that of economical vehicle. Usually, this phase is about 8 to 10 years. After this span of time, the vehicle parts will start to wear out depending on how much you are using it and how you are maintaining the vehicle. So, if you are using it frequently in traffic then the air compressors and the vehicle interiors will start to wear out and if you are using it to travel long distances on rough roads then the major effect will be on the engine, tires and other parts. Depending on your usage the car parts will need replacement once you have crossed that 8 to 10 years phase. Then you will require some parts’ replacements and then the trouble starts if that part is not readily available with the brand outlet in your country. Now, transporting the car parts from another country and then installing it and fixing the vehicle is not only expensive but quite a time-consuming procedure. So, you need to take note of those facts before you can decide whether the old vehicle is expensive to maintain or not.

Vehicle parts are cheaper in the country of manufacturing

When you buy a vehicle in the country of its origin then it becomes much cheaper to maintain it. For example, if you are in Germany you should go for Audi. This will help you to get access to the car parts easily as soon as it needs any repairs or replacements and the car parts are also cheaper in Germany. If you want the same car parts in the USA it will require some time from the company’s end to deliver to you and also it will be more expensive due to the addition of transportation charges or other such charges along with the basic cost of the car part. So, if you want to find out “Which car brands cost the most to maintain?” then you have to check the county of origin of the brand and the country in which you are measuring the scenario. This is how you can compare the maintenance cost of a vehicle for a certain region and a certain brand.

The Tesla story of Norway 

In Norway when Tesla cars were released into the market, they became readily available for the common people. This is because the electric cars that Tesla brought to market were environment friendly. So, the government introduced electric stations everywhere and, in these stations, you can recharge your car for free. So, anyone who buys these cars is exempted from paying high fuel prices. Additionally, that person also used to receive a wavier for their tax payment for operating an eco-friendly car. The company also receives a huge amount of concessions while selling these cars in Norway. So, if you are in Norway then get your hands on an electric model of Tesla car. This will be the cheapest option available for you. You can get a luxury car at the price of an ordinary car and you will save a lot of money in the long run that is required for the maintenance of the car.

Why are luxury car brands expensive to maintain?  

The luxury car brands provide you the best quality at the expense of money. Irrespective of the fact that whichever brand of luxury car you buy, they will put in the best quality for you. Every single part of the vehicle is maintained and made with a lot of care by the brand so that nothing goes go wrong with your vehicle. The usual brands do not put in that much effort in manufacturing the car. The cheaper car manufacturers’ aim is to provide you with a maximum facility like better pick up, better design, comfortable seats and many other features within a limited price. So, they will have to compromise somewhere within the design. In such cases, the priority of the brands is to provide the user with cars that are highly equipped in terms of facilities and in the process of this they miss out on the quality of some parts like the body of the car which is quite impressive in terms of luxury cars. Then the seat covers quality is also quite poor in case of some brands. Thus, when you buy an economical car you will have to keep in mind that it will not give you the top possible quality as that of a luxury vehicle.

How to spot a cheaper luxury car brand in your country?

Want a luxury car within your budget? Here are the following tips which you can consider achieving that.

• Choose the brand that is indigenous to your region, for example if you are in Germany choose a vehicle from Audi or even BMW.
• If you are buying a second-hand vehicle then do not buy a vehicle that is more than 10 years old. Preferably you buy a vehicle that is 4 to 5 years old. This way you will get a huge discount on the price of the vehicle and also you will be able to enjoy it without any hassle for at least the coming 4 to 5 years.
• Get insurance for your vehicle. This is not about having the accident coverage insurance, but it is about having general insurance on the vehicle where if anything goes wrong the company will pay you for the damage. For example, while buying, if the brand claims that the tires are going to last for 2 years and in reality, they wear out after 1 year then the company will have to pay for it.
• If you are buying a second-hand vehicle then get a thorough inspection check of the vehicle by your own garage and a good mechanical technician. This will help you to have a detailed idea of the situation of the vehicle. If the vehicle is in good condition, then obviously the maintenance charges will be lower, and you can benefit more from buying such a vehicle.
• A quality check from the brand showroom is also necessary even if you are investing in a high-end vehicle whether it is a luxury car or an economic model. This is also done on the basis of the area of operation and has high value when it comes to buying a second-hand vehicle.

Survey reports of the highest cost maintenance cars

When you are looking for survey reports regarding the car brands that have the highest maintenance costs then look for survey reports for your specific country. For example, in the United States; the survey reports say that the highest maintenance charge was for the cars from BMW and Mercedes Benz. This is an estimation that is made for a time span of about 10 years or more. While in the same survey, they indicated that the cars from Toyota are also high-end ones, but they have a much lower maintenance cost than that of a BMW car. So, people prefer getting the economic models from Toyota which come equipped with a number of features. When it comes to Australia the survey reports showed a similar trend with BMW and Mercedes Benz topping the charts and then Toyota is known as one of the most economic variants available in the market even when it comes to high-cost vehicles.

How the maintenance cost graph changes over the span of years

The maintenance of the car shoots up with the age of the car. The United States’ survey showed that the maintenance cost of a BMW or a Mercedes Benz shoots from 500 dollars in the first year to about 2500 dollars on the 10^th year. This is a lot of money and maintaining these cars after year 10 is even more expensive so you need to take notice of these expenses if you are buying these cars on a second-hand basis. Whereas the maintenance charge of Toyota was about 10, 000 dollars for the entire period of 10 years. So, you can understand the difference in maintenance charges of both cars. It is not only the difference in the price of the vehicle when you purchase it, but these vehicles have a huge difference in maintenance charges also when you are using for a span of 10 years or even more. So, the next time you think of purchasing a luxury vehicle for personal use keep in mind the number of maintenance charges you will have to pay for.

Buying used luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes Benz and Tesla for second-hand use is not as advisable as it seems

Many people prefer buying second-hand luxury cars because they feel a sense of luxury and comfort when driving a luxury vehicle. There is no doubt in the fact that the luxury vehicles have a very luxurious and one of a kind experience when it comes to driving one but keeping in mind the maintenance charges you have to consider; that it is profitable to buy a new vehicle only if you can afford the maintenance. Moreover, you should buy luxury cars that are about 5 year’s old or maximum about 10 years old and not beyond that. For commercial purposes, you can buy a car if you get it at a cheaper price even if it is 10 years old or more. Since in commercial usage you need not spend so much maintaining the car and the maintenance is better than investing in a new one.

Cheapest car brands to maintain

If you are looking for the cheapest car brands to maintain then here are a few options that you might find worth considering.

• Cheapest luxury brands – according to the situation and depending on your country you will have to choose. Still, among the luxury brands, Audi is comparatively cheaper to maintain.
• Cheapest brand overall to maintain – usually people say that Toyota is more expensive to maintain as compared to other brands like Nissan and Volkswagen which are cheaper to maintain especially if you are in the US but again Toyota cars have good quality and are much cheaper than luxury cars.

These are not just economic options but options that have been designed keeping in mind the overall performance of the car and how long the parts last. So, make sure you check these options out if you want quality products within your budget.

Are Volvo cars expensive to maintain as the other luxury car brands?

Yes, like most other luxury car brands even the Volvo cars are pretty expensive to maintain. The problem is that Volvo is still a small-scale company and does not have a strong network for transportation like the other existing brands available in the market. So, they still have to invest a good amount of money to transport the vehicles and even parts of the vehicles from one country to another and as a result it shoots up the car prices for this journey. Therefore, if a part is required in a Volvo vehicle it is not only that the parts of the car are expensive but they again they will require a lot of time to be imported into your country and ultimately fixing the vehicle. So, for personal use, these cars are still fine; but if you are buying it for commercial use to receive guests and as an airport transfer then it is better to avoid these cars.

Supercars are not included in this list

In this entire list of luxury cars and high-end economic cars, the supercars are left apart. In fact, popular luxury cars like the Limo are also not considered. This is because usually, no one purchases these cars on a second-hand basis. Most supercars are available on a limited number basis and they are very high maintenance vehicles. You need not compare them along with luxury cars from Mercedes or Audi or even BMW. Supercars have their very own maintenance and other expenses which can depend on the model of car you own and cannot be generalized like other luxury cars and economic cars.

Thus, if you have been wondering about which car brand would be the most expensive option out there to maintain then by now you would have understood that everything depends on the country you reside in and the regulations set up by the country and the country of origin of the brand of car that you are using. So overall, it’s not the fact that one such brand is expensive to maintain. But usually, the luxury car brands are expensive to maintain as compared to other regular brands. So, whether you are buying a brand-new car or a second-hand model of some car, make sure you go through the expense chart according to the region you are residing in. so now you can decide which car you should go for;  if it’s a commercial issue and which ones you should prefer in case of using it the vehicle for personal purpose only.