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The Subaru Forester has been rated the lowest 5-year cost-to-own vehicle in the Compact SUV category by Kelly Blue Book, and Subaru takes the title for the lowest 5-year cost-to-own brand two years in a row according to KBB. Autobytel ranks the Subaru Impreza sedan and 5-Door compact as one of the top-10 lowest cost to own cars in the first three years of ownership.
Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars is for the initial five-year ownership period, and in its research, Subaru vehicles incurred fewer costs than all mainstream automaker’s lineups. Costs include fuel, maintenance, repairs, financing, insurance and one of the biggest factors of all, depreciation. All are factored in a vehicle’s total ownership costs.
Watch how much will it cost you to own a Subaru in the first 5 years of ownership and how the cost jumps between the year 5 to 10. Also, please click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube channel for daily automotive news reports.
What happens after the first 5 years of vehicle ownership?
It’s common sense that as a vehicle gets older the maintenance costs will go up. It’s why many car shoppers lease a vehicle for 3 years or trade their car in after 5 years (60-month financing). Subaru’s 5-10 year cost of ownership cost jumps up more than most mainstream automakers according to a study by Consumer Reports (by subscription).
2020 Subaru Forester is the lowest 5-year cost-to-own compact SUV
Consumer Reports looked at data from 25 car brands by asking car owners how much they paid out of pocket for total maintenance (oil changes, etc.) and repairs over the past 12 months. The average cost for a 5-year-old (2015 model) is $200. The average cost for a 10-year-old (2010 model): $458.
Subaru vehicles incurred total out of pocket maintenance costs of $267 in year 5, and $500 in year 10 according to the survey. Of the 25 car brands, Subaru ranks number 17 highest in repair costs. Subaru’s 5-10 year cost of ownership Is higher than all but one other mainstream brand; Volkswagen. Luxury brands, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Mini, Volvo, Buick, and Infiniti were the other brands with higher maintenance costs in years 5-10 of ownership above Subaru.
Which brands are the lowest cost to own from 5-10 years?
The top-10 lowest cost to own brands in years 5-10 are Chrysler ($175/$208), Lincoln ($159/$290), Toyota ($200/$291), Mazda ($207/$300), Kia ($140/$317), Nissan ($185/$336), Hyundai ($208/$340), Dodge ($175/$345), Honda ($203/$370), and GMC ($205/$381).
Subaru takes the title for the lowest 5-year cost-to-own brand, and the Subaru Forester and Impreza are the lowest cost to own models. If you plan on keeping your all-wheel-drive Subaru longer than 5 years, costs will go up more than most other mainstream automakers according to Consumer Reports.
You Might Also Like: Your Complete 2020 New Subaru Vehicle Shopping Guide
Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!
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Comments
What type of evidence would
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In reply to As an owner and lover of 4 by RickL (not verified)
What type of evidence would you expect to see right now Ricki? Do your 2018 & 2020 leak coolant from the gaskets already or have you had a premonition? Raising the hood may or may not allow you to see that the 2018 & 2020 models you referenced have a different engine design than the models which had the head gasket issues. The gasket design has also been improved because of the previous issues.
This article does not share enough information to understand what the total cost of owning a Subaru is for years 0-10. Does Subaru's lower cost of ownership in years 0-5 offset the increase that follows until year 10? Was this data set created based on the cost of recommended maintenance/repairs or on actual claims? If it is based on a comparison of actual repairs, as others have correctly pointed out, it becomes a very difficult comparison because having a repair completed is not directly correlated to the need for a repair. Many drivers forego repairs on vehicles if they deem the repair cost to be prohibitive compared to the actual value and foreseeable service life of the vehicle. Investing $1,500 into your eight year old Subaru, Saab, Volkswagen, or BMW may be seen as a more reasonable investment than putting $1,500 into your eight year old Chrysler. All of that to say that there are a lot of variables that need to be considered and included in this type of information to make it actually valuable to consumers.
Is "dreaded Head gasket issue
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In reply to As an owner and lover of 4 by RickL (not verified)
Is "dreaded Head gasket issue" due to age or mileage, and does it also apply to Outbacks.
I would say that it's…
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In reply to Is "dreaded Head gasket issue by Jonathan Kleinwaks (not verified)
I would say that it's actually neither. Head gaskets experience the most stress during a "cycle". A cycle full cycle is the engine block coming completely up to temperature, and then completely cooling to the ambient temperature around it. The head gasket, heads, and block all experience growth and shrinkage from this.
In my personal opinion, I would say that a 10-year-old Subaru with 100,000 miles and 100 cycles is going to have a stronger head gasket than a 5-year-old Subaru with 50,000 miles and 1000 cycles.
Of course, I am a random stranger on the internet, and this is just my take on it. I'm by no means an engineer (though I'm working to be!), so take this with a grain of salt, and do your research!
Could part of there reason be
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Could part of there reason be that more Subarus are on the road longer? If they're on the road longer than others, then the cost would logically be higher because no one maintains a car they don't have.
I have had several subarus.
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I have had several subarus. Keep in mind all wheel drives cost more to maintain. Subaru owners keep their cars a long time. I would love to see a Subaru with 150 thousand miles compared to a similar car with all wheel drive and same mileage. My guess mot much different. A Camry, or Corolla is not the same comparison.
The cars with high ownership
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The cars with high ownership costs after 5 years are the only ones that are still worth putting money into after 10 years.
The cars with high ownership
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The cars with high ownership costs after 5 years are the only ones that are still worth putting money into after 10 years.
My 2015 Outback did well till
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My 2015 Outback did well till the exact 5 year mark, then wouldn't you know it, wheel bearing goes with 60,000 miles, very disappointing.
There is always something.
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In reply to My 2015 Outback did well till by Dave (not verified)
There is always something.
I had a Saturn. Owne it from 0.
Low mileage. 65k in 11y.
Maintain and all. All of a sudden gas smell.
No idea what wrong. My mechanic said need a few days to troubleshoot. Didn't find anything.
My Camry 8yo. 120k Got it used. Leacked moonroof.
And developed a short noone could find.
Once car pass 5y. It's a crapshoot.
I have a 2007 outback sedan
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In reply to My 2015 Outback did well till by Dave (not verified)
I have a 2007 outback sedan with 387000. Besides normal timing belt replacement and one oxygen sensor and a complete set of wheel bearings it’s been a great car compared to my 2017 Ford Explorer with 58000.
Cheap to buy, expensive to
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Cheap to buy, expensive to maintain. We have a 2010 wth 155k. At 100k replaced timing belt. Had car in shop a month later I was told the head gasket needed replacing. Spent $4k, plus. Now the car runs good ,but has very little resale value.
I have owned dodge vehicles
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I have owned dodge vehicles in the past those numbers and total fabrication. my current Subaru has incurred less cost than any of the other 3 previous dodge products and 2 of those 3 I bought new. From 0-5 years and for the 5-10 year mark I spent significantly more on the dodge products than the Subaru products. Consumer reports is a sham!
Too many variables not
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Too many variables not discussed or considered in this article. Need a lot mare data to draw any conclusions.
Words just can't describe how
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Words just can't describe how badly the dealerships are ripping off customers these days when it comes to repairs (necessary or not). Do some online research, watch a youtube video, buy yourself a mechanics tool set and floor jack for $200 or so and get your hands a little dirty. You'll save thousands and learn a lot in the process!
I owned a 2005 turbo Forester
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I owned a 2005 turbo Forester and trade for a 2011 Forester. I had the dreaded head gasket issue at 61,500 miles which ultimately corporate split cost with me. The problem it took the dealership 6, yes 6 months to get it fixed correctly. I avoided the dealership for a long time and did oil changes and tire rotations and the like elsewhere. Took the car to the dealership for the airbag and said what the hell go ahead I have a Rattle in the front drivers side and go ahead and change the oil, clean the fuel injectors and rotate and balance the tires. BIG MISTAKE!!!!’ Didn’t fix the rattle correctly and took it back. BLUF every time I took it back to fix a problem I drove out with a newer problem. Unbelievable nightmare and I am to ashamed to say how much I have spent. Found a place that sells used cars and used to be a Subaru dealership and have let them work on my car. Frankly they have been wonderful and have fixed some of the things the dealership did wrong. Prices are excellent and I know my next big expense will be the rack and pinon. They showed me the issue and we are going to monitor it. Anything they have done they take to the bay and show me. I have 120,000 miles on it. The sad thing is this...... I still love my Subaru. I don’t know what I will do when I pay off the car I bought my husband since I do love my Subaru but I will think long and hard based upon this article.
Your headline should be "was
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Your headline should be "was higher". This survey was done for models that are no longer current. It cannot possibly be apples to current models.
I have a 2007 Forester which
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I have a 2007 Forester which I bought 5yrs old and have 210,000km on it and only major problem I've had is head gasket..like someone said it's how we drive most of the time..
Hahahaha got a 10-year Gold
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Hahahaha got a 10-year Gold plus warranty for a hair under a G for Subaru Ascent 2021. So that's nearly everything included outside of maintenance and wipers, brake pads, hoses, leather.
So anything breaks in CVT, Engine, Electrical, AWD, etc and it's covered thru year 10 and those warranties are sellable with the vehicle.
Guessing the price of a fix for something major is ~$1k so paid for now and good to go for 10 years.
will you share which
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In reply to Hahahaha got a 10-year Gold by Marc Isikoff (not verified)
will you share which dealership you bought the warranty from?
After 10 years, these costs
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After 10 years, these costs go from $500 annually to $500 monthly regardless of mileage. Just insane
I have a 2017 Forester and
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I have a 2017 Forester and stumbled on this page, because our annual averages of maintenances have eclipsed what the averages say. Makes me wonder if I got a "defective" vehicle. I have just been quoted $4000 to fix an oil leak (where they have to remove the engine to do so). It's all labor costs, but I'm not handy, so I am feeling a bit stuck.
No manufacturer is worse than
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No manufacturer is worse than FCA. However Subaru engines are indeed junk. If they were in-line or v engines they would work great because they’re designed to be vertical, only Subaru was motivation was a fancy drivetrain design and little thought went into building a reliable horizontal engine.
Subaru's horizontally opposed
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Subaru's horizontally opposed engine, the 4 cylinder with 2 pistons on each side firing against each other is brilliant for low center of gravity and doesn't interfere with the hood at all. Why people think it's "junk" is due to oil issues. You never, ever let oil get past time or mileage as that is the #1 issue with this engine.