Which Luxury Brand Has the Lowest Maintenance Costs?

Buying a new car is by no means an easy task, even if you shop at the most budget-friendly places in the market. But there is no doubt that the process can be even more difficult for people shopping in the luxury car segment, as there is often a lot of money at stake up front. If you’re looking for a new ride in that corner of the market, chances are BMW and Toyota’s luxury shingle, Lexus, is on your radar.

Those iconic models have become permanent fixtures on annual lists, garnering top-selling luxury brands. If you’ve been comparing those types of cars yourself, you’ve probably noticed that, at least when shopping, BMW models will probably cost you a few Benjamins more than their Lexus counterparts. But in the luxury car sector, maintenance should play a big part in your decision-making process, as it can be expensive to keep those cars looking and running the way any owner would expect to drive high prices.

However, it can be difficult to accurately determine maintenance costs on your own. As such, consumer rating agencies such as Consumer Reports (CR) can be useful in helping you crunch the numbers. And according to CR, in the long run, the estimated maintenance cost of a BMW may be higher than that of a Lexus. For the record, several other groups – including SoFi and CarEdge – also rank Lexus ahead of BMW in this category, as there may be more to the numbers to consider.

Given Lexus’ relationship with the Toyota brand, it’s no surprise that this brand is cheap to maintain. Save for a few recent stories, Toyota is well known in the automotive world for reliable cars that are inexpensive to maintain. To that end, both SoFi and CarEdge rank the Lexus as one of the best luxury options on the market in terms of maintenance costs.

Although the numbers vary, Consumer Reports’ ratings tell a similar story. But the numbers aren’t as cut and dry as you might think. In fact, according to CR’s estimates, in the first five years of ownership, a Lexus may cost more to maintain by about $1,800 to $1,700 for a BMW. In six to 10 years when things change the most, however, CR estimates it could cost $9,300 to maintain a BMW and $5,600 for a Lexus. Consumer Reports’ 10-year estimates drop to $11,000 for BMW and $7,400 for Lexus. While some leading research groups say costs could be closer to $16,000 or more for the German brand, Lexus’ overall numbers are in line with the CR’s estimates.

There is one caveat to note about these numbers, in that the CR is reported to only account for costs paid directly by the vehicle owner, effectively ignoring the services provided by the manufacturer in the associated maintenance programs. That may cause the quoted rates to vary. And since new BMWs get three years of manufacturer-friendly service compared to Lexus’ one-year plan, the overall numbers could see a significant change.