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Buying a car is expensive enough before you even factor in what it costs to keep it running. Maintenance bills have a way of sneaking up on you, and if you're not keeping up with things, they get worse fast. Some brands, though, are in a different league when it comes to repair costs.
Consumer Reports dug into this in their 2025 auto survey, asking real owners what they actually spent on routine stuff — oil changes, tires, general repairs, nothing collision-related. Steven Elek, their lead auto data analyst, put it plainly: the gap in what you'll spend maintaining a car over ten years can be huge, and luxury vehicles are almost always at the expensive end.
Here are the seven brands that topped the list.
1 / 7
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Mini is seventh on the list. It's a fun and stylish car, but owning one isn't as easy as it might seem. Maintenance costs are about $1,700 for the first five years. In the next five years, that jumps to around $8,500, making the total for ten years about $10,200.
2 / 7
Credit: Volvo
Volvo lands at sixth. Safety is the brand's whole identity, and the cars do deliver on that — but they're not cheap to look after. Expect to spend around $1,530 in the first five years, with costs climbing to $8,800 in the back half of the decade. Total ten-year bill: about $10,330.
3 / 7
Credit: BMW
BMW is fifth on the list. These are genuinely great cars to drive, but the maintenance costs reflect the engineering that goes into them. The first five years run about $1,700, and then things get noticeably more expensive — around $9,300 over the following five years. Over a full decade, you're looking at $11,000.
4 / 7
Credit: Audi
Audi is fourth. The technology and build quality are impressive, but repairs can be costly. Maintenance is about $2,050 for the first five years, with another $9,300 in the next five. The ten-year total is about $11,350.
5 / 7
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Mercedes-Benz is third. Owning one says something, but so does the maintenance bill. The first five years can run you $3,330, and the next five will likely add $9,300 on top of that. Total estimated cost over a decade: $12,630. Not nothing.
6 / 7
Credit: Porsche
Porsche is second, and the numbers are a serious jump from everything below it. The first five years cost around $4,950, and years six through ten can hit $12,950. That's a total of $17,900 over a decade — real money, even for buyers who can afford the car in the first place.
7 / 7
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Land Rover is at the top of the list by a wide margin. The first five years cost about $5,560, and the next five add another $13,900. The total ten-year maintenance cost is $19,460. If you are considering buying one, this number should be part of your budget planning.
