We list out all of the American-market brands that include maintenance as part of the new vehicle price.
2025 is quickly approaching, and inflation has been at a high level in the modern era for the past four years. One area that was hit hard by this four-year inflationary period is automobile maintenance costs. One way to be sure to get the most for your new-car dollar is to buy a brand that includes a period of no-added-cost maintenance with the purchase of your new vehicle.
Most major brands now include maintenance for two or three years. Our chart lists the brands and which period of time they cover. Some notable exceptions to the two or three years of included maintenance club are Ford and many GM brands. Ford actually does offer some included maintenance. When you buy a new Ford, you earn a lot of Ford Pass points. These points can be traded in and used as cash at your local Ford dealer. They equate to roughly two years' worth of oil changes and tire rotations. Your Ford dealer will sign you up before your transaction day vehicle pickup is completed. When you are due for your first service, you will get reminders. To use your points, you only need to ask your service center to apply them. The service counter person will be glad to help.
Some brands that don’t have a formal plan also offer you a first service visit at no cost. Aren’t they swell? In addition, some dealerships also step up and make your first visit at no cost if they represent a brand without a formal program.
Generally, the service includes tire rotation, a bunch of inspections, and, if you drive a vehicle with a liquid-fuel engine, an oil change. Don’t expect tire or glass replacements to be part of this. Resolving damage to a tire or windshield is not maintenance but rather a repair. Another service that is not included is wheel alignments. If you require a wheel alignment it will likely be outside of the plan, but it is worth asking if you do.
Jaguar had the very best plan in the industry, and we have left the company on our list. However, Jaguar is about to take a sabbatical from building new vehicles. The battery-electric wave has now crashed, but Jaguar was planning to quit on cars for a bit to develop an all-new all-electric lineup. We are huge fans of Jaguar and really hope the brand returns. We’re not certain of when the cars will cease being sold, so we left Jaguar on our 2025 listing.
Below are a few related stories you may find of interest that relate to vehicle maintenance.
Study: Vehicle Owners Lie To Themselves About Maintenance
Study: 3-Year Maintenance & Repair Cost Difference Between ICE and EV Just $235
Toyota RAV4 Prime vs. Tesla Model Y Maintenance Cost Analysis - A Surprising Outcome
Report Shows Tesla Has No Meaningful Repair and Maint. Cost Advantage Over Toyota
If you'd like to add a comment under this story, please note that our comments section has returned and is in bold red at the bottom of the page.
John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading.
Image of Hyundai service area by John Goreham