Owners hold on tight to their Toyotas

Toyota. Toyota. Toyota. Toyota.

That vehicle manufacturer is known for its reliability and durability, and a new study from iSeeCars.com proves it again.

Toyota vehicles occupy the top four spots in iSeeCars’ latest study, titled, “Cars People Keep the Longest.” The study starts out by showing the top 15 vehicles owners keep for 15 years or longer.

And the vehicle that people keep the longest? That honor goes to the Toyota Highlander. Among the Highlander models on the road that are 15 years or older, 18.3% are being driven by the original owner. 

The next three on the list are the Toyota Sienna (15.5%), the Toyota Tacoma (14.5%) and Toyota Tundra (14.2%).

But Toyota doesn’t just dominate the top four spots. After the Subaru Forester, which took the No. 5 spot and was the only non-Toyota and non-Honda vehicle in the top 15, Toyota vehicles took six more spots in the top 15. Honda took four of the remaining spots.

SUVs also gained the spotlight, with seven of them getting representation on the list of longest-kept vehicles. But the list also includes a mix of pickup trucks, sedans and a minivan.

It even includes a hybrid, the Toyota Prius, which came in ninth place overall. 

Among the Prius models on the road that are 15 years or older, 11.9% are being driven by the original owner. 

Segment declines, but small cars still popular

iSeeCars chief executive officer Phong Ly noted that American automakers have abandoned smaller cars from their lineups, focusing on trucks and SUVs.

But the dependability and reputation of those small cars “has not only kept them in production, but helped them remain popular even amid their segment’s decline,” Ly said in a news release.

The Toyota Camry, Corolla and Prius were three of four cars to make the list.

Ly  praised the reliability and affordability of the Corolla and Camry.

“The safety and longevity of these vehicles causes them to commonly be passed on from adults to their teenage drivers, which helps extend their life on the road,” Ly said.

In case you are already tired of hearing about Toyota, the Honda Civic was the fourth car to make the list, coming in at No. 14 overall.

Moving to the SUVs that people keep the longest, some non-Toyota vehicles also take the spotlight. The Subaru Forester, Honda Pilot, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Outlander, Acura MDX and Nissan Armada make the top 12, in addition to five Toyota SUVs. Of course, the Toyota Highlander took the top spot.

Of the Subaru Forester, which came in at No. 5 on the overall list, Ly described it as being reliable and known for safety and affordability.

“The vehicle offers standard all-wheel drive and impressive fuel economy, which appeal to practical consumers who are diligent about scheduled maintenance and want to prolong the life of their vehicles,” Ly said of the Forester.

Owners hold on tight to their work trucks

Toyota’s Tacoma and Tundra took the top two spots in the listing of trucks that people keep the longest.

But also making the top 11 trucks that people keep the longest were the Chevrolet Colorado, the Nissan Titan, Nissan Frontier, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500, Ford Ranger and Ford F-150.

“Because pickup trucks are often used as work vehicles, their owners are more likely to keep up with the necessary [preventive] maintenance to keep these vehicles on the road for longer,” Ly said.

Additional results of note from the study: the Audi S4 is the sports car that people keep the longest, and the Acura MDX is the longest-kept luxury car.

The survey also lists car brands people keep the longest. No surprise: Toyota comes out on top.

Among the Toyota models on the road that are 15 years or older, 12.7% are being driven by the original owner. 

Subaru, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Lexus, Kia, Nissan, GMC and Chevrolet rounded out the top 10. 

Top 15 vehicles owners keep for 15 years or longer

Chart source: iSeeCars.com