Cars drivers keep the longest after buying them new

2018 Ford ExpeditionFord Media

• iSeeCars.com analyzed over six million cars to find out which ones owners keep the longest after buying them brand new. 
• They found five of the top-10 cars kept by owners the longest were SUVs.
• The Ford Expedition is the car drivers keep the longest after purchase, with an average of nine years in the hands of the original owner.
• The iSeeCars.com CEO said SUVs dominate the list because they tend to be good for families. 

Cars are special purchases. In some ways, the car we choose to drive is a reflection of our personality. And as we spend more time in our car, we usually grow more attached to it.

Sometimes we have a car that is hard for us to give up. iSeeCars.com, an automotive search engine, recently commissioned a survey of over 6 million used vehicles sold by original owners to find which models are held onto the longest after being bought brand new.

The survey found that SUVs are the type of car new owners keep the longest, as five SUVs models make up half of the top-10 list. The remaining five spots are taken up by three sedans, one sports car, and one minivan. 

“While the average car buyer gets rid of their car 7.4 years after purchasing it new, there is a wide variety of cars that owners are more likely to keep for longer,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly in a press statement. “Many factors could contribute to a car’s longevity such as its function as shown by the dominance of family vehicles, or because of a fondness of a timeless classic like the Chevrolet Corvette.”

The Ford Expedition earned the prize of being the car owners hold onto for the longest period of time, with an average rate of nine years. The other SUVs included in the top-10 ranking are the Toyota Sequoia, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Toyota 4Runner and the Ford Explorer. 

“These vehicles tend to be family haulers, which means that parents are likely to keep them for longer than average and not replace them until a large family vehicle is no longer necessary,” said Ly in his statement.  

The only sports car to make the list was the Chevrolet Corvette, which ranked second. The only minivan, the Honda Odyssey, came in ranked tenth. 

Let’s look at each of the new cars which are held onto the longest by their owners.