Which car engine has more life?
What Is the Average Lifespan of a Vehicle Engine?
When you purchase a previously owned vehicle, you have to take a number of different factors into account. Things like the accident history, prior parts replacement, the age of the car, mileage and the overall condition of the car are all elements that you will likely want to know more about before you make a final decision to buy a vehicle. One important consideration is the condition of the engine and how many miles are on the car. While engine longevity can range widely depending on the make, model, age and condition of the vehicle, there are certain factors and guidelines that you can keep in mind when trying to determine the lifespan of a vehicle’s engine.
Factors that contribute to engine longevity
There are a multitude of things that impact the longevity of the engine. In some cases, the area where you live might cause your engine to wear down more rapidly. If you live up a steep hill, for example, or if you have to pass over rough terrain on a regular basis, your engine will undergo more stress and will likely not last as long as it would if you were usually driving on flat, smooth roads.
The type of car that you have is also an important consideration. Generally speaking, heavy duty trucks won’t last as long as smaller cars do. Additionally, the amount of effort that you put into maintaining your car will greatly influence what you can expect to get out of it. If you perform all of your routine maintenance on time, take your car in to be serviced regularly and make any necessary engine repair in Conway, AR sooner rather than later, you will likely be able to drive your vehicle for years or even decades to come.
Average engine lifespan
While there is no absolute rule when it comes to how long engines will last, there are a few general figures that can give you a rough idea about what to expect from your car. For some time, the average lifespan of a car’s engine was eight years, or 150,000 miles. New designs, better technology and improved service standards in recent years have increased this average life expectancy to about 200,000 miles, or about 10 years. With a mileage average of about 10,000 to 15,000 miles in a year, a car that is three to four years old will have about 30,000 to 40,000 miles on it. Considering the average lifespan of a vehicle, this car would be a good purchase that could potentially last you over seven additional years.
Engine repair
The key to a healthy, long-lasting engine is routine service and professional engine repair in Conway, AR to keep you going on the road, and our team at Riverdale Automotive is here to help. We have years of experience working with European cars, and our master technicians can help you with everything from transmission repair to routine maintenance. No matter what kind of service you require for your foreign car, we are more than happy to assist you. Give us a call today and get started by scheduling an appointment!
What Are The Longest-Lasting Cars On The Road Today?
The most persistent question automotive journalists are asked is, “Will this car last?” It’s a loaded question, as it’s often asked about the person’s already purchased ride and there’s no easy way to tell them they’ve bought a basketcase. Bubbles must be burst if we’re ever to learn, though.
There was a time when cars would go from the factory floor to the junkyard before they hit 100,000 miles, but those days are long gone. Most of today’s vehicles are manufactured to reliably rollover 200,000 miles with the right maintenance and care. Most, not all. With so many available offerings, it can be difficult to determine which will see your odometer’s tenure well into six-digit territory.
Luckily, you have The Drive’s crack informational team behind you with the research and knowledge that comes from covering the industry for decades. So, to better ensure your next car purchase will last and last and last and last, here’s our ultimate guide to which cars last the longest.
A Toyota 4Runner overlanding., Toyota
What Makes a Reliable Brand?
Reliability depends on a host of variables, but the two biggest structural supports are the development and manufacturing of a vehicle. When auto manufacturers spend the time and money developing a car and its manufacturing line, a car tends to last longer. Hastily designed, poorly manufactured, and cheaply constructed materials will all reduce a car’s longevity and reliability.
There’s also a work ethic variable that cannot be ignored. Honda and Toyota’s cultures of reliability-over-all embody that ethic and have thus kept each’s legendary reliability in the minds of consumers for decades. Lexus spent 15 years creating the perfect paint, for goodness’ sake. Add longer-than-normal warranties and good customer service, and it’s easy to see why these Japanese companies have enjoyed their strong standings for so long.
Yet, once a car leaves the dealership lot, outside factors impact a car’s durability.
What Impacts a Car’s Longevity?
Short answer, you. The longer answer is a car’s reliability and longevity are inextricably tied to how you take care of your vehicle, your maintenance schedule (if you have one), your conservative or brash driving habits, and whether or not you live in climates where extreme weather could affect the car’s construction.
Preemptive maintenance like regular oil changes, fluid flushes, tire rotation, and fuel system cleaners, along with keeping the exterior and underside of your car clean, will all increase the life expectancy of your car. Keeping it out of the harsh desert or tropical sun, as well as away from the rust-inducing salted roadways of winter, will also extend its life.
And lastly, keeping the Mario Andretti driving antics to a minimum will keep your brakes, engine, tires, and chassis under-stressed and happy for far longer compared to hitting every trip to the grocery store like it’s the Indy 500.
The Longest-Lasting Vehicles as of 2020
Diving into the data provided by an iSeeCars study on longest-lasting cars, which uses years of sales data across segment lines and looks for cars lasting longer than 150,000 miles, we’ve compiled a list of the longest-lasting vehicles available.
A 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser hides from its predecessor. Just kidding., Toyota
Top 5 SUVs
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota’s resolute Land Cruiser takes the top spot, and its legendary status has made it a must-have for armies and peacekeeping forces around the world. Toyota also engineers it to have a 25-year service life.
Toyota Sequoia
The full-size Sequoia SUV is an older model, but its capability hasn’t diminished during its long-in-the-tooth life.
Ford Expedition
Ford’s Expedition has retained a loyal following that continues to maintain the fleet.
Chevrolet Suburban
Like the Ford Expedition, the Chevrolet Suburban is a large SUV that remains a reliable workhorse, in part due to its relative simplicity.
Toyota Highlander
Toyota takes the final spot after dominating the list with its Highlander, which similar to the Sequoia, has the brand’s legendary reliability.
A 2020 Honda Ridgeline parked near a lake, ready for adventure., Honda
Top 5 Trucks
Honda Ridgeline
Honda’s Ridgeline blends reliability with a workhorse ethic to hold status as one of the most dependable trucks around.
Toyota Tundra
Simplicity is the Toyota Tundra’s reason for being on this list. Without the need for fanfare or complex driving aids, the Tundra is a hugely reliable companion.
Toyota Tacoma
Like the Tacoma, the Toyota Tundra has been developed with strong bones, lasting equipment, and straight-forward proven powertrains.
Chevrolet Silverado
Though outsold by Ford’s F-150 by a great number, the Chevrolet Silverado displayed greater reliability and longevity according to the report.
Ford F-150
The best-selling vehicle in the U.S. rounds out the list. Because of the availability of parts, the F-150 can easily cross into the 200,000-mile club.
A 2020 Ford Expedition. Does anyone need some hay?, Ford
Top 5 Domestic Vehicles
Ford Expedition
You already know the score, people love their Expeditions.
Chevrolet Suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-lasting nameplate in the world and has stayed relatively simple and remains a reliable workhorse.
Chevrolet Tahoe
Chevy’s Tahoe is essentially a smaller Suburban and shares its underpinnings. As such, it shares similar longevity.
GMC Yukon
Underneath the Yukon’s exterior is a Chevy Tahoe, which is also a smaller Suburban. It shares each’s reliability.
Lincoln Navigator
With many of the Ford F-150’s underpinnings beneath the exterior of Lincoln’s Navigator, the full-size SUV has developed a reputation as a slick premium limo that will last years.
A 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser barrels down a dirt hill., Toyota
Top 5 Non-Domestic
Toyota Land Cruiser
It’s a fan favorite for off-roaders, overlanders, armies and peacekeeping forces because of its inability to die.
Toyota Sequoia
It’s back and you already know why! Simple engineering paired with Toyota reliability.
Toyota Highlander
Toyota’s reliability and engineering blend to deliver long-term usability, part of what makes the Highlander one of the best-selling SUVs ever. Plus, it’s available as a hybrid.
Toyota 4Runner
As one of the best off-roaders currently available on the market, Toyota builds the 4Runner to take a beating and keep rolling. With room for five, it’s a great family adventuremobile,
Honda Ridgeline
You can’t go wrong with Honda’s Ridgeline as it feels and drives like a Honda SUV but has all the capability of a Ford F-150.
FAQs About Long-Lasting Cars
You’ve got questions, The Drive’s informational team has answers!
Which Car Brands Last the Longest?
Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Acura, Lexus, and Ford all have long-term reliability. Certain vehicles are known to outlast others, however, each brand offers consistent reliability and longevity.
What Is the Longest-Lasting Vehicle On the Road?
A 1968 Volvo P1800 is considered to be the longest-lasting vehicle on the road with over 4 million miles across its odometer. There are also a great many million-mile cars, including a Lexus, a Nissan Frontier, and a number of others.
According to one study, however, Toyota’s Sequoia SUV is more likely than any other vehicle on the road to eclipse 200,000 miles.
What Cars Will Last 300,000 Miles?
According to iSeeCars’ study on longest-lasting cars, Toyota’s indomitable Land Cruiser tops the list of cars more than likely to hit over 300,000 miles. However, it doesn’t say whether that’s the old generation used by many countries’ militaries, as well as the United Nations, or if it’s the newer, more pedestrian-oriented model.
What’s the World’s Most Reliable Car?
The one you take care of. Just kidding, but not really. As mentioned above, how you take care of your car factors into its reliability. In an official capacity, J.D. Power names the Lexus ES, which shares underpinnings with Toyota’s Avalon, as the world’s most reliable car.
Find Your Next Reliable Car with Carvana
You know how satisfying it is to drop a coin into a vending machine, type in the respective alphanumeric code for a Reese’s, hear the whirring of the motor twisting the delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter cup out toward you, and finally falling into the bin for your to enjoy? Yeah, that’s how easy it is to now buy your next car thanks to Carvana.
Carvana has taken the vending machine process and applied it to car purchases, coin and vending machine included. They can also be delivered to your home, just like that Knives Out-like knit-sweater you won’t ever wear. With thousands of cars to choose from across all makes and models, Carvana’s selection is extensive and the company’s confident, even offering a 7-Day Risk-Free Return policy, it has your next car. That’s why The Drive’s partnered with Carvana to help you find your next ride! Are you ready to get your next car out of a vending machine?
More Information
The Drive has put together a few more resources you can use to educate yourself about the longest-lasting cars. Check them out below
Why do diesel engines last longer than petrol engines: Explained
You might have noticed that the majority of the taxi drivers opt for a diesel engine. There are two reasons for this. The first is that a diesel engine returns better fuel efficiency and the second one is that they last longer. Man people know about the first one, but the long life of diesel engines is something that people are still not familiar with.
So, why do diesel engines last longer than petrol engines?
To understand this we would need to understand some basics of an engine and how both the engines work. Both engines are based on a four-stroke cycle. As the name suggests the four-stroke engines have four cycles to complete the combustion and exhaust cycle. The four steps are known as intake, compression, combustion and exhaust.
First, the piston moves down, this is when the intake valve opens and a mixture of fuel and air enters the cylinder. This is known as intake stroke. Then the piston moves upwards causing the mixture to compress. Hence, it is called compression stroke. Then the combustion happens, this is where there is a difference between a petrol and diesel engine. And finally, the exhaust valve opens and the piston moves back up forcing the exhaust gases out of the exhaust valve and into the exhaust pipe.
Difference at combustion stage
Petrol evaporates quickly so it is mixed easily with air. The only thing required to ignite this mixture is a spark which is the duty of a spark plug. The spark plug produces a spark and generates the combustion stroke. Diesel, on the other hand, does not mix well with air. So, the diesel is compressed and atomized. Then it is sprayed into the high-temperature air so that combustion can occur.
Due to this, the petrol engine requires a spark plug whereas the diesel engine requires a fuel injector. Then there is the compression ratio. The diesel engine runs on a higher compression ratio as it has to compress air whereas a petrol engine has to compress a mixture of petrol and air. This is the reason why diesel engine returns better fuel efficiency.
We see diesel engines being used in pick-up trucks, SUVs and trucks. Basically, big vehicles and vehicles have to carry heavy loads for long durations. Diesel engines produce significantly more torque which is essential if the vehicle is hauling stuff. Torque is the movement force that is generated by the engine.
Back to the main question
The reason why diesel engine lasts longer than petrol engines is because diesel is light oil. The diesel burns in the engine and simultaneously lubricate the engine parts. This causes the engine components to move more smoothly and last longer. When compared, petrol is a detergent and it washes away the oil from engine components that dry the engine. Because of this, the petrol engine’s parts wear quickly.
The typical life of a petrol engine is around 3 lakh kilometres before it starts wearing. However, a diesel engine’s lifecycle can easily last 5 lakh kilometres. Mechanics says that if maintained properly a diesel engine would last for around 30 years. We have seen examples of a Toyota Qualis reaching upto 8 lakh kilometres and a Toyota Innova that has crossed 10 lakh kilometres in India.
