Toyota tops list of cars kept beyond 15 years, Prius owners most satisfied

Seven out of the top 10 car models kept by US car owners for 15 years or longer are made by Toyota, according to data compiled by car-focused search engine iseecars.com, which has tracked over 660,000 cars sold in the US between 1981 and 2005 for this study.

The company’s data showed that 9.8 percent of Toyota owners have kept their cars for at least 15 years, ahead of Honda (8.1 percent) and Subaru (8.0 percent). Honda’s upscale division Acura (7.9 percent) and Mazda (6.3 percent) rounded up the Top-5.

The car that Americans are most satisfied and thus most likely to keep the longest is the Toyota Prius, which is a surprise because you would naturally expect a simpler, more conventional car like regular combustion engine Toyota Camry – which is not only Toyota Motor USA’s best-seller, but it’s also the best-selling passenger car in the US - to top the list.

13.7 percent of Toyota Prius models in iseecars’ data set are still owned by the same owner for at least 15 years, ahead of second-placed Toyota Highlander (12.4 percent) and third-placed Toyota Tacoma (11.6 percent).

Explaining the results, iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said, “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.”

Remember that this study is about old cars, done with cars made in 2005 or earlier. So the Prius model referred to here are the first and the second generation Prius, both of which was never launched in Malaysia.

However UMW Toyota did sold 2 units of the second generation model – registration number BJM 5939 and BJM 5929 - disposed after internal evaluation by the company, in preparation for the third generation model’s launch.

“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,” said Brauer.

Curious about reliability of used hybrids? Here's our buying guide for used hybrids.

The next closest non-Toyota on the list is the Honda CR-V, with 10.7 percent of owners keeping their CR-V for at least 15 years.

Curiously, the Mazda MX-5 tops the list of sports cars that owners kept for 15 years or more (7.6 percent), ahead of BMW Z4 (6.7 percent).