Toyota Maintenance Costs

On average, drivers spend about $441 per year on Toyota maintenance costs, according to RepairPal. That’s on the low end compared to many brands. The first two years of maintenance on new vehicles are free and then costs increase along with a car’s mileage. Even so, Toyotas are some of the most affordable vehicles to maintain.

Another thing to budget for is the cost of repairs. While repairing a Toyota can be cheaper than other brands, you could still come across a $1,000 or $2,000 repair down the road. Adding coverage through an extended car warranty can help even out repair costs and preserve your monthly budget. We’ve researched the best extended car warranty providers, so you can compare our top picks.

New Toyota vehicles come with free maintenance for a limited time through ToyotaCare. That makes Toyota maintenance costs free for the first 2 years or 25,000 miles on new vehicles. The free coverage is transferable to secondary owners as long as the time or mileage limit hasn’t run out. When you visit a dealer for work during this period, you’ll get genuine Toyota parts and certified technicians. ToyotaCare covers:

• Multipoint inspections
• Engine oil and filter changes
• Tire rotations
• Fluid level adjustments

ToyotaCare also includes 2 years/unlimited miles of 24-hour roadside assistance for peace of mind. This covers:

• Towing
• Emergency fuel delivery
• Battery jump-start
• Winching
• Spare tire installation
• Lockout assistance

Toyota maintenance is free for the first 2 years or 25,000 miles. After that, most maintenance visits cost between $100 and $200. Larger services, for example at 30,000 and 60,000 miles, can cost between $300 and $600 depending on what needs to be done.

General Toyota Maintenance Costs

Outside of the free coverage period, you’ll have to pick up the tab on scheduled and unscheduled car maintenance. Scheduled maintenance includes any work that Toyota recommends should be done at specific intervals, like engine oil and oil filter changes, tire rotation, and adjusting the fluid levels.

Unscheduled maintenance is the replacement of items or systems that wear down over time, like brake pads and windshield wipers. Here are some costs you might find at a maintenance service visit:

Costs can vary depending on your car and where you go to get things fixed. Going to a Toyota dealer will cost a little more than going to an independent shop. Toyotas are reliable cars and easy to fix. Any certified repair shop can get the parts and do the work. It’s just a matter of finding a company you trust.

For the most part, Toyota’s maintenance plan recommends that you get your car serviced every 6 months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. If you use conventional oil, you’ll have an oil change at each service. If you use synthetic oil, you only need an oil change at every other service.

At the very least, you’ll get a tire rotation and fluid inspection, but some services will include more items. Remember, you get that period of free maintenance at the beginning. So how much does a Toyota 25,000-mile service cost? It actually shouldn’t cost anything if you bring it in right on time – the Toyota maintenance plan is free for the first 2 years or 25,000 miles. But if you drive infrequently, your car might not have that many miles when the two-year time limit runs out.

If that’s the case, you could pay between $75 and $150 for a 25,000-mile service, depending on what needs to be done and where you go. A 30,000-mile service is usually more involved. A 30,000-mile service for a Corolla can cost between $503 and $602, according to RepairPal.

Another large part of owning a vehicle is dealing with repairs. Unfortunately, the perfect car that doesn’t break down doesn’t exist. When you buy a new or used car, the sticker price isn’t all that you’ll pay to own it.

Fortunately, Toyota’s repair costs are low compared to other brands. The Japanese manufacturer is focused on making reliable vehicles that can be repaired easily, which is good for the wallet.

Here are some common repairs for a Toyota Camry (via RepairPal):

The RAV4 is another hugely popular model. Here are some repairs for a Toyota RAV4:

Lastly, here are some repairs you might find with a Toyota Prius:

Many of these repairs happen further down the line, once the car is past 100,000 or even 150,000 miles. Toyotas are long-lasting vehicles, but you do need to put some money in to keep them in good shape.

Now we’ll compare maintenance and repair costs for a few Toyota models. For comparison data, we used Edmunds.com’s True Cost to Own calculator. Maintenance costs are model-specific, but the calculator averages out repair costs per brand. The calculator also assumes that people are driving 15,000 miles per year. Your maintenance costs could be lower if you drive fewer miles. Keep in mind that the costs also may vary by ZIP code.

During the first few years of ownership, you don’t have to pay much in the way of Toyota maintenance costs. So, we’ll look at ownership costs if you were to buy a 2016 model today. The maintenance and repair costs are estimates of what you would pay for the next five years, from 2021 to 2026. At that time, your car would be 10 years old. Many Toyota drivers can keep their cars well beyond the 10-year mark if they stay on top of regular maintenance.

According to this data, the RAV4 costs the most to maintain out of these models. Toyota maintenance costs are of course tied to the age of the car. For example, if you bought a 2019 Toyota RAV4 today, you’d pay about $4,888 in maintenance for the first five years.

Now let’s take a look at the wider market. Here, we’re going to compare the Toyota Camry with a few popular alternatives from Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Chevrolet.

Out of the cars we compared above, the Honda Accord had the highest maintenance cost. All of these midsize sedans are priced in the same ballpark and have similar maintenance costs, overall.

Here’s how these brands stack up in average annual maintenance and repair costs, according to RepairPal:

• Honda: $428
• Toyota: $441
• Nissan: $500
• Chevy: $649
• Ford: $775

At the end of the day, it seems like Toyota is one of the safest bets you can make.

After reading all this, you might wonder why an extended warranty would be a good option. Well, it’s precisely because Toyotas last so long. With other cars, you might need to extend coverage the minute the factory warranty runs out. Toyota’s factory warranty is average and ends after 3 years/36,000 miles (5 years/60,000 miles for the powertrain). At that point, Corollas and Camrys are still going strong. It’s not uncommon to drive a Toyota past 200,000 miles, and many make it to 300,000.

Toyota offers extended coverage through its own vehicle service contracts, but the plans only cover up to 125,000 miles. Going beyond the Toyota dealership, third-party vehicle service contracts can offer comparable plans that last up to 200,000 or 250,000 miles.

Extended warranties don’t pay for your Toyota maintenance schedule, but they do cover unexpected breakdowns and mechanical failure. The best providers offer multiple levels of coverage. Plans can range from basic powertrain coverage to bumper-to-bumper exclusionary coverage.

Best Third-Party Options For Extended Coverage

As a Toyota driver, you get the best options from third-party companies. Providers like to cover Toyotas because they are reliable. When breakdowns happen, it’s easy to get repairs from any shop, too. Extended protection plans for Toyotas typically cost less than plans for domestic or European brands. Here are a few more things you can find from our recommended providers:

• These third-party companies pay repair shops directly.
• Coverage can be added after factory warranties expire.
• Many plans come with perks like rental coverage and roadside assistance.
• Third-party plans are cheaper and more flexible than dealership options.

Our team polled 1,000 extended warranty customers on their experiences. Overall, 41 percent said extended warranties are worth it while 45 percent said it depends. Prices are based on your car, but it’s easy to get a quote.

In an effort to provide accurate and unbiased information to consumers, our expert review team collects data from dozens of extended auto warranty companies to formulate rankings of the best providers. Companies receive a score in each of the following categories, as well as an overall weighted score out of 5.0 stars.

• Industry Standing: Warranty providers with a history of strong business practices and endorsements from experts receive the highest scores in this category.
• Coverage: This rating is based on types of extended warranty plans available, coverage terms, and added benefits like roadside assistance.
• Cost: Our research team reviews sample quotes for a variety of plans and vehicles. Companies with lower prices per year of coverage receive the best scores.
• Transparency: This score takes into account contract transparency and the availability of a money-back guarantee.
• Customer Service: We comb through customer reviews and perform our own shopper analysis to get a sense of the responsiveness and helpfulness of each warranty company.