A new iSeeCars study, which covered over 174 million vehicles, has identified the most reliable brands capable of traveling 250,000 miles (402,000 km).
Leaders in longevity: Japanese brands are unrivaled
If you were to ask a room full of enthusiasts which brands are most likely to build a car capable of traveling 250,000 miles, most would probably name Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Acura. And they would be right. But among the usual champions of reliability, a name has snuck in that might surprise some buyers, especially those still worried about the lifespan of electric vehicle batteries: Tesla.
According to the new iSeeCars study, Toyota confidently takes first place with a 17.8% chance of reaching a quarter of a million miles. Lexus follows with a rate of 12.8%, while Honda and Acura complete the clean sweep of Japanese brands. These are the only four manufacturers that exceed the overall industry average of 4.8%.
Tesla challenges stereotypes about electric vehicles
But Tesla, in sixth place, shows an impressive result of a 4.6% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, sharing this position with GMC. This places it ahead of brands we are used to thinking of as manufacturers of high-quality and durable cars, such as Cadillac, Mazda, Subaru, Volvo, Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche. Given the endless online discussions about battery degradation and replacement costs, this is a result you probably didn’t expect.
Looking back, maybe this shouldn’t be so shocking. Electric vehicles have their own challenges, but they also eliminate a long list of components that traditionally wear out in gasoline-powered cars. There is no internal combustion engine, no oil changes, no timing chains, no fuel injectors, and significantly fewer moving parts overall. While battery health remains a concern for some buyers, modern electric vehicles may have an easier path to extreme mileage than many assume.
Tesla ranks third among luxury brands for longevity
Chance of reaching 250,000 miles (luxury brands)
| Rank | Brand | % chance of 250,000+ mile mileage | Compared to average |
| 1 | Lexus | 12.8% | 4.0x |
| 2 | Acura | 7.2% | 2.3x |
| 3 | Tesla | 4.6% | 1.4x |
| 4 | Cadillac | 4.5% | 1.4x |
| 5 | Lincoln | 3.4% | 1.1x |
| Luxury | Average | 3.2% | — |
| 6 | Volvo | 2.2% | 0.7x |
| 7 | Infiniti | 2.1% | 0.7x |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz | 1.7% | 0.5x |
| 9 | Buick | 0.6% | 0.2x |
| 10 | Porsche | 0.5% | 0.2x |
| 11 | BMW | 0.4% | 0.1x |
| 12 | Audi | 0.3% | 0.1x |
| 13 | Land Rover | 0.1% | 0x |
| 14 | Jaguar | 0.0% | 0x |
| 15 | Maserati | 0.0% | 0x |
The ranking of non-luxury brands shows how dominant Toyota remains. Its rate is more than triple the segment average, while Honda is the only other mass-market brand to exceed the average. After this comes a significant gap to everyone else. Luxury brands tell a similar story. Lexus confidently leads, Acura is in second place, and Tesla joins Cadillac and Lincoln as the only other premium marques to surpass the average in the luxury segment.
As for the brands at the bottom of the list, some stereotypes seem to linger. Land Rover has a barely noticeable 0.1% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, while Jaguar and Maserati effectively have a zero percent rate. BMW, Audi, and Porsche do not fare much better.
Chance of reaching 250,000 miles (all brands)
| Rank | Brand | % chance of 250,000+ mile mileage | Compared to average |
| 1 | Toyota | 17.8% | 3.7x |
| 2 | Lexus | 12.8% | 2.7x |
| 3 | Honda | 10.8% | 2.3x |
| 4 | Acura | 7.2% | 1.5x |
| Overall | Average* | 4.8% | — |
| 5 | GMC | 4.6% | 1.0x |
| 6 | Tesla | 4.6% | 1.0x |
| 7 | Chevrolet | 4.5% | 0.9x |
| 8 | Cadillac | 4.5% | 0.9x |
| 9 | Mazda | 3.6% | 0.7x |
| 10 | Ram | 3.5% | 0.7x |
| 11 | Lincoln | 3.4% | 0.7x |
| 12 | Ford | 3.1% | 0.7x |
| 13 | Dodge | 2.5% | 0.5x |
| 14 | Nissan | 2.4% | 0.5x |
| 15 | Subaru | 2.3% | 0.5x |
| 16 | Volvo | 2.2% | 0.5x |
| 17 | Infiniti | 2.1% | 0.4x |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz | 1.7% | 0.4x |
| 19 | Jeep | 1.3% | 0.3x |
| 20 | Mitsubishi | 1.1% | 0.2x |
| 21 | Kia | 0.6% | 0.1x |
| 22 | Hyundai | 0.6% | 0.1x |
| 23 | Buick | 0.6% | 0.1x |
| 24 | Porsche | 0.5% | 0.1x |
| 25 | Chrysler | 0.5% | 0.1x |
| 26 | BMW | 0.4% | 0.1x |
| 27 | Volkswagen | 0.4% | 0.1x |
| 28 | Audi | 0.3% | 0.1x |
| 29 | Land Rover | 0.1% | 0x |
| 30 | Jaguar | 0.0% | 0x |
| 31 | MINI | 0.0% | 0x |
| 32 | Maserati | 0.0% | 0x |
Chance of reaching 250,000 miles (non-luxury brands)
| Rank | Brand | % chance of 250,000+ mile mileage | Compared to average |
| 1 | Toyota | 17.8% | 3.5x |
| 2 | Honda | 10.8% | 2.1x |
| Non-Luxury | Average* | 5.1% | — |
| 3 | GMC | 4.6% | 0.9x |
| 4 | Chevrolet | 4.5% | 0.9x |
| 5 | Mazda | 3.6% | 0.7x |
| 6 | Ram | 3.5% | 0.7x |
| 7 | Ford | 3.1% | 0.6x |
| 8 | Dodge | 2.5% | 0.5x |
| 9 | Nissan | 2.4% | 0.5x |
| 10 | Subaru | 2.3% | 0.4x |
| 11 | Jeep | 1.3% | 0.3x |
| 12 | Mitsubishi | 1.1% | 0.2x |
| 13 | Kia | 0.6% | 0.1x |
| 14 | Hyundai | 0.6% | 0.1x |
| 15 | Chrysler | 0.5% | 0.1x |
| 16 | Volkswagen | 0.4% | 0.1x |
| 17 | MINI | 0.0% | 0x |
iSeeCars
This study highlights that perceptions of vehicle longevity are gradually changing. While traditional Japanese brands remain the undisputed leaders, Tesla’s high score suggests that electric vehicles may be much more reliable in the long term than commonly thought. The absence of complex mechanical components inherent in internal combustion engines gives them an advantage, although the issue of battery replacement cost remains a key factor for consumers. At the same time, the low positions of prestigious brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche may force buyers looking for a car “for the ages” to reconsider their priorities in favor of design simplicity, rather than prestige alone.