[0:00] A new study has just come out detailing
[0:01] the most reliable new cars you can buy
[0:04] for the money. How much money and how
[0:07] little money do you need to spend in
[0:09] order to get yourself into a reliable
[0:12] car? Is it as simple as just buying a
[0:14] Toyota or a Honda or a Subaru or
[0:16] something like that? Well, today we're
[0:18] going to dive into this. If you guys are
[0:19] excited, I haven't even looked at this
[0:21] yet, so I'm excited. I would be hitting
[0:23] the like button. So, please hit the like
[0:25] button. I would appreciate that, guys.
[0:27] It's my first face reveal since getting
[0:30] sick with some sort of flu thing. I hope
[0:32] you guys are all healthy and safe out
[0:35] there. It's also going to be like 30°
[0:39] in Florida. It's going to be snowing in
[0:42] like St. Pete and stuff in Tampa. Like
[0:45] what what is happening? Is the world
[0:48] freezing over? You know, # global
[0:51] warming. You guys know what it's all
[0:53] about. The most reliable new cars for
[0:56] the money. We're over at IC Cars. I'm
[0:58] typically in agreeance with their
[0:59] studies and we're going to find out if I
[1:02] agree with this study today. They have
[1:05] 25 models which combine a low purchase
[1:07] price with a long life span making them
[1:10] a value leader for new car buyers. All
[1:15] right, before we even get into this, let
[1:17] me know which car you are driving, how
[1:20] many miles it has on it, and how much
[1:22] money did you pay or if you remember.
[1:25] So, let's just clear the air here. Uh,
[1:28] on average, a new car costs about 46 to
[1:31] $47,000 and has an 11year lifespan, or
[1:36] about $4,000 for each year of that
[1:39] lifespan. Now, that's very averaged out.
[1:42] IC cars analyze the prices of of about 9
[1:44] million new cars sold in July through
[1:46] December 2025 and odometer readings of
[1:49] over 400 million used cars from its
[1:53] longest lasting car study. and the
[1:55] average list price of each model was
[1:57] compared to its expected lifespan and
[2:00] years to calculate the list price per
[2:02] year. IC cars executive analyst Carl
[2:04] Brower, I've seen him at press events
[2:07] before. He says for buyers looking to
[2:09] maximize their ownership period while
[2:11] minimizing the cost of replacing a
[2:14] vehicle, they've identified which new
[2:16] models offer the longest lifespan at the
[2:18] lowest price. Here we go. Here are the
[2:22] numbers. Let's start with 25. Honda
[2:25] Civic Hybrid. Now, this one's uh this is
[2:30] a completely unknown and the reason is
[2:32] the new Civic Hybrids came out uh what a
[2:37] a year and a half ago. Okay. So, we
[2:40] don't know how reliable this car will be
[2:43] long term. Knowing that it's a Honda,
[2:46] it's going to be probably pretty good.
[2:47] And and hybrids are pretty low
[2:50] maintenance overall. So, it's probably
[2:53] going to be reliable, but I'm not sold
[2:56] on the Honda Civic Hybrid. It just
[2:58] hasn't been out long enough. There has
[3:00] been other generations of a Honda Civic
[3:02] hybrids, but it's those are completely
[3:05] different than the new generation that
[3:08] we have on sale today. All right, but
[3:12] it's I still wouldn't hesitate buying a
[3:14] new Civic Hybrid. I think they're
[3:16] fantastic. Ford Escape. Well, again,
[3:19] here's a vehicle that is cancelled. All
[3:22] right, so I put no stock into it. Nissan
[3:26] Frontier, guys. This the Nissan Frontier
[3:29] has never really deviated much from its
[3:32] triedand-true formula. It has a V6,
[3:35] naturally aspirated. It's a simple
[3:37] truck. This vehicle should last as long
[3:40] as you want it for. Okay, so no surprise
[3:43] that the Nissan Frontier is on the list.
[3:45] Mini hard top four. This was a surprise
[3:48] for me. Minis. Okay, I Here's a Mini
[3:51] story from when I was selling cars. I
[3:53] only sold one Mini uh because I was I
[3:56] didn't work at a Mini dealership, but we
[3:59] had a used Mini and it was a
[4:01] convertible. I've never seen the base
[4:05] aftermarket warranty cost to add onto
[4:07] the car. The cost of it was more than
[4:10] the car itself. I've never seen that
[4:12] before. When you see things like that,
[4:14] that tells me that the car is going to
[4:17] have major problems more than likely.
[4:21] And the insurance companies are
[4:23] protecting themselves. They're saying,
[4:24] "Hey, you're put a lot of money down."
[4:26] It was like $12,000
[4:29] for the lowest amount of warranty. It
[4:32] was unreal. Now, the mini hardtop here,
[4:35] uh, it it it's not a convertible. It
[4:38] probably is going to be more reliable
[4:40] than the convertible, but that's just
[4:43] something to consider. I really
[4:45] struggled to get my head around this
[4:46] being uh top 25 reliable car. Chevy
[4:50] Trailblazer,
[4:52] maybe. Again, there's been different
[4:54] generations of Trailblazers out there.
[4:57] Uh, you know, one mediumsiz. Okay. The
[5:00] newest one's a really small car. The
[5:03] Trailblazer, is that the one built in
[5:05] Korea? If that's the case, then if this
[5:08] is a Yeah, I would not hesitate. I would
[5:11] probably go ahead and say that the
[5:13] Trailblazer is reliable. I think Chevy's
[5:15] made in Korea cars are going to be some
[5:18] of the more reliable models that they
[5:20] make. Another Mini. Take it for what
[5:23] it's worth. Again, the hardtop twodoor
[5:25] and the hard top four-door are
[5:26] essentially the same car just with
[5:28] different door configurations.
[5:31] Nissan Ultima. Everyone likes to crap on
[5:33] the Ultima, but they're everywhere out
[5:36] there. They're cheap. Um, and they run
[5:39] forever with like no maintenance. Okay.
[5:43] Now, is it going to be is going to last
[5:46] longer than an Accord or a Camry? It
[5:49] seems like they do, guys, right? Don't
[5:52] you see them everywhere? They've been
[5:54] beat to a pulp. The Ultima's on the road
[5:57] and they're still running. Nissan Ultima
[6:01] is an unsung hero. Okay. Nissan Rogue.
[6:04] Often the same crowds that drive used
[6:07] Ultimas. It's not that large of a jump
[6:10] for them to also to drive Rogues. Okay.
[6:14] And a Rogue and Ultima has pretty much
[6:16] the same engine, transmission. Ford
[6:18] Ranger. I personally would never buy a
[6:22] Ford Ranger over the Nissan Frontier
[6:24] unless you're talking about like the
[6:26] Ranger Raptor and you want a fun toy.
[6:28] The Nissan Frontier, in my opinion, is
[6:30] going to be a much more reliable, more
[6:33] satisfying vehicle. That's just me. I'm
[6:36] wrong. I don't have the data that I see
[6:39] cars as sifting through. Jeep Compass.
[6:42] The Jeep Compass is Oh. And this thing,
[6:46] these things are so overpriced.
[6:49] I would never Oh my gosh. Look, now
[6:52] they're 26K. I mean, guys, look. You can
[6:55] you can see these things. the 26 model
[6:57] here uh is 23 grand. It's like 8K off of
[7:01] MSRP.
[7:03] All right. So, yeah, maybe if you can
[7:06] get a 8K MSRP that puts it this it would
[7:10] skyrocket it in the list. It's not worth
[7:12] 33K. It's worth like 23K or less. And
[7:16] so, that would make it more more
[7:18] reliable per dollar. So, Jeep Compass
[7:20] here might be uh one of these vehicles
[7:24] that are just dirt cheap. Lexus IS- 350.
[7:28] They're still making it. This is the by
[7:30] far the most expensive vehicle we've
[7:32] seen on the list so far. It's the first
[7:34] luxury vehicle. We know the I it's it's
[7:37] the old 2GRV6
[7:40] naturally aspirated old 8-speed auto or
[7:43] six-speed auto if you get the all-wheel
[7:45] drive. Like these things are
[7:46] indestructible. This is a a baby tank.
[7:49] All right. The Lexus is like they
[7:52] haven't changed it in forever.
[7:55] and it's a good-look car. Toyota Tacoma.
[7:58] Now, keep in mind when they're looking
[7:59] at old Tacomaomas for the data here,
[8:02] that does not mean the new Tacoma that
[8:04] came out 2 years ago uh is going to have
[8:07] the same reliability. The 2.4 turbo
[8:10] might be okay, but I've heard more
[8:13] issues with the 8-speed automatic on the
[8:15] Tacoma than anything. Nissan Frontier,
[8:18] in my opinion, is by far the more the
[8:20] most safe, and it's just better. It just
[8:23] drives better. It's more fun to drive.
[8:25] It has a bigger engine than its
[8:26] competitors. All right. So, yeah, buy
[8:29] the Frontier over the Tacoma. Tacoma
[8:31] might hold its value better, but the
[8:33] Frontier you can get dis big discounts
[8:36] on where the Tacoma you really can't.
[8:38] So, get a Frontier and you'll thank me.
[8:40] I promise you. All right. Nissan Sentra.
[8:44] Again, a cut from the same cloth as the
[8:46] Rogue and the Ultima. People bash Nissan
[8:51] and their ECVT. Sorry, not ECVT. They're
[8:54] CVT with belts and pulleys and it and
[8:57] it's terrible reliability. Well, the the
[9:00] numbers don't lie entirely, right? You
[9:03] can you can kind like I like I've been
[9:05] doing some gymnastics around some of
[9:07] these numbers. Nissan here has another
[9:10] car with a CVT that is really reliable
[9:15] for the money. Camry hybrid. All right.
[9:17] Yes, they've come out with a new
[9:19] generation Camry hybrids. Keep in mind
[9:21] [snorts] you can get them for dirt
[9:23] cheap. Now look, Camryle right here.
[9:26] Right here. 28K. I know this is average
[9:29] price, but I'm telling you it's going to
[9:32] be even better deal when you get these
[9:34] things on discount. Okay, so 28K for a
[9:38] Camry Hybrid LE has the most comfortable
[9:40] seat in the Camry lineup, too. Um, I I
[9:44] swear Toyota designed terrible seats for
[9:48] the Camry to save the Lexus ES. Like, I
[9:51] just don't understand why they're the
[9:53] some of the worst seats in the industry
[9:55] in the Camry. Um, and it gets worse when
[9:57] they put vinyl or what they call soft
[10:00] text on it. It's bad. Okay, so just get
[10:03] the cloth seats are a little bit more
[10:04] comfortable in the Camry Alley. And it's
[10:06] dirt cheap. 60 m a gallon. Not kidding.
[10:09] Car is amazing and it is an easy
[10:11] recommendation. The Prius has become
[10:14] very expensive. Um, compared to the
[10:16] previous generations, still very
[10:19] reliable. It's built in Japan. Like, I
[10:22] have no issues with it being on on the
[10:24] list here. Honda CRV, very reliable.
[10:27] Again, when you look back, cuz again,
[10:30] they're looking at older cars, too. The
[10:32] odometer readings of over 40 million
[10:34] used cars. So, just keep in mind they're
[10:37] looking at old cars that are also out
[10:40] there right now that are currently
[10:42] registered. Okay? There's a lot of old
[10:45] CRVS out there. Just keep in mind that
[10:47] the new CRVS with the CVT and the turbos
[10:51] are probably going to be pretty pretty
[10:53] reliable because the previous generation
[10:56] CRVS had that too. And those numbers are
[11:00] being factored in to get the CRV into
[11:02] the top 10. All right. So, not really
[11:06] surprised to see the CRV so high. All
[11:09] right. And people put a lot of miles on
[11:11] their CRVS. That is for sure. Okay. Um,
[11:15] I would still pick a CRV hybrid even
[11:17] though it's not on the list. Maybe it is
[11:19] later. I don't know. Mazda 3 sedan. I've
[11:23] heard people driving Mazda 3 sedans 300
[11:25] plus,000 miles. And it's crazy how many
[11:30] miles you can put on Mazda 3s. They're
[11:32] little bulletproof tanks. They are
[11:34] fantastic, longlasting cars and they're
[11:37] fun to drive. Um, they they're really
[11:41] simple, okay, in terms of powertrain.
[11:44] Natural aspiration,
[11:46] four cylinders. Well, you can get them
[11:48] in turbo, but let's be real, the
[11:50] majority are naturally aspirated. Um,
[11:53] and they typically come with a six-speed
[11:55] automatic, really basic, bulletproof
[11:58] transmission. All right. So, no
[12:01] surprise. Mazda 3. Hyundai Elantre.
[12:04] That's kind of a surprise, but Elantras
[12:05] are cheaper than Mazdas. So, keep in
[12:07] mind, so that's a bang for your buck
[12:10] situation here. And keep in mind, this
[12:12] is expected lifespan. I haven't even got
[12:14] into this column. This column here is
[12:17] expected
[12:18] lifespan. On average, these cars are 11
[12:21] years. The Nissan Frontier. Again,
[12:23] trucks. Wow. Minis have a long lifespan.
[12:27] What? All right. The Nissan Frontier
[12:30] over 12 years. Ford Ranger 14 years.
[12:35] Okay. Long, long time. Lexus is
[12:40] 17 years. More than a truck that we're
[12:44] seeing on this list. Tacoma almost 16
[12:47] years. Don't know about the new Tacoma,
[12:49] but the old Tacomaomas are tanky,
[12:52] indestructible. the V6 or the four
[12:54] bangers in them just really really awful
[12:59] to drive trucks in my opinion. They're
[13:01] really uncomfortable and super
[13:03] industrial feeling. Poor transmission
[13:06] logic and performance, but they're
[13:09] indestructible tools. That's how I feel
[13:12] about the new Nissan Frontier, except
[13:15] it's just more more refined than the old
[13:18] Tacomaomas were. Anyways, let's keep
[13:20] moving. Camry really long lifespan. Uh
[13:25] Prius long lifespan. CRV long lifespan.
[13:27] Elantre not that long, but the they're
[13:30] so cheap that it's like okay uh we can
[13:34] roll with this. It's going to be
[13:35] reliable enough and it's cheap.
[13:37] Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. You got to
[13:40] keep in mind these things are built in
[13:42] Japan. So, you're going to have good
[13:44] build quality and high quality
[13:47] components and they are super cheap and
[13:50] they last about a decade. Subaru
[13:54] Empreza. Okay, now they're hatchbacks
[13:56] only, but a Subaru is going to be a good
[13:59] buy for longevity. Uh, at least the
[14:00] Empreza is. Honda Accord. We're lasting
[14:04] over a decade here with the Accord. It
[14:06] seems to be fairing better than the
[14:08] Civic that we just talked about.
[14:10] Volkswagen Jetta, guys. Jetta last a
[14:14] long time. A lot of people say
[14:15] Volkswagens are very unreliable. Maybe
[14:18] some more than others, but the Jetta
[14:20] here is able to crank up the years and
[14:23] crank up the miles. All right, so Jetta
[14:26] make it in the top five. That's a
[14:28] surprise to me. Hatch Mazda 3 again.
[14:31] Okay, so they separated the Mazda 3
[14:34] sedan and the hatchback. The hatchbacks.
[14:37] Wow. Why are the hatchbacks outlasting
[14:40] the sedans by 3 years? I don't know.
[14:45] Maybe it's because enthusiasts
[14:48] have a love for the hatchback and they
[14:51] put more money into keeping them on the
[14:54] road. That's my theory. Uh that is
[14:57] strange. Let's get into the the two the
[14:59] top two now. Toyota Corolla. And I would
[15:02] put the Corolla Hybrid here, too,
[15:04] because well, it has the Prius hybrid
[15:07] powertrain, and Prius lasts a long time.
[15:11] Anyways, Corolla Hybrid I'd put right up
[15:13] in the list and not a surprise. And
[15:17] lastly, Honda Civic. Honda Civic is the
[15:20] king of reliable, affordable cars.
[15:23] Again, just keep in mind the Civic's new
[15:26] it has a new engine as a new 2 L as of
[15:30] like last year. They've had it with the
[15:32] CVT for for a long time now. But, you
[15:34] know, this is a really good culmination
[15:37] of reliable, affordable cars. You got to
[15:41] do your research though or just don't
[15:43] take it as gospel because some of these
[15:47] models they might have some big flaws in
[15:51] them especially on the newer models. you
[15:54] might be fine, you know, buying an older
[15:57] Civic or an older Corolla. You might not
[15:59] have much issues with them, but just
[16:02] keep in mind the track record for the
[16:04] cars throughout the history of of them,
[16:07] especially especially in the last decade
[16:09] or so. These are the cars that are going
[16:12] to last the longest for the least amount
[16:15] of money. And I know that the top 25
[16:17] list was dominated
[16:20] by small cars, right? They're very
[16:23] affordable and if they're reliable, then
[16:26] it's just a cheat code for having your
[16:28] best bang for your buck reliable car.
[16:31] But what if you want a small crossover?
[16:34] Well, here's your small list. Mitsubishi
[16:36] Outlander. They're so darn cheap. Okay.
[16:40] And they last a long time.
[16:42] CRV,
[16:44] Jeep Compass, Rogue, Trailblazer, Ford
[16:46] Escape. Don't know why the RAV 4 is not
[16:50] on here. If the CRV is on here, why is
[16:52] not RAV 4? Maybe they categorize the RAV
[16:54] 4 in a bigger class.
[16:57] I don't know. Very, very strange to me.
[17:00] Okay. Most reliable new midsize SUVs for
[17:04] the money. Keep in mind, this is largely
[17:08] tallying the old 4Erunner with what was
[17:12] it? The 1GR engine, the 4 L V6. Now, it
[17:16] has a turbo or a turbo hybrid.
[17:19] I don't know about that. Jeep Wranglers,
[17:21] they last a long time, but they cost a
[17:24] lot of money to to stay maintained. So,
[17:26] high maintenance cost, but it it's
[17:30] apparently more reliable for the money
[17:32] than a Highlander or Highlander Hybrid,
[17:35] uh, or any of these other vehicles,
[17:37] Honda Pilot, Pass or Pathfinder, Honda
[17:40] Santa Fe, etc. Okay. What if you want a
[17:43] full-size SUV? Uh, well, I would pick an
[17:46] Armada easily.
[17:49] Tahoe or Suburban. Yeah, maybe with the
[17:51] V8. It can last a long time, too. But
[17:54] I'm a big Armada fan. So, I'd be going
[17:56] with the Armada uh in this case. But I
[18:00] like the new Armadas better actually
[18:01] than the old Armadas just from a
[18:03] packaging standpoint. It's much more
[18:04] roomy for families. All right. So, but
[18:07] like older Taho, I wouldn't hesitate if
[18:09] you needed something like that in your
[18:11] life. All right. So if here here are the
[18:13] small cars if we take them out. Okay,
[18:17] not a surprise. Not a surprise. We
[18:20] already covered that in the top 25. What
[18:23] about midsize cars? Okay. Well, no
[18:26] surprise. We kind of already covered
[18:28] these as well in the graph. Most
[18:30] reliable new new midsize trucks for the
[18:33] money. Well, again, keep in mind there
[18:37] there's seen a lot of old Tacomaomas out
[18:39] there that run forever. It's not
[18:42] indicative of new Tacoma reliability.
[18:45] Um, and the new Frontier is probably
[18:49] more reliable than anything else out on
[18:52] the road in this segment, and you can
[18:55] get them on huge discount, and they
[18:57] drive the best. So, just go get yourself
[18:59] a Frontier.
[19:01] uh most reliable new full-size trucks.
[19:05] Keep in mind, this is no longer true
[19:08] because they're seeing a lot of old
[19:11] Tundras on the road. Old Tundras with
[19:13] the 5.7 L V8 would last forever.
[19:18] Okay, the new Tundras can't even leave
[19:21] the lot without being, you know, the re
[19:23] that their engine recall. Okay, so I
[19:26] would not trust a Tundra. That's just
[19:28] me. If you feel fine about it, then go
[19:31] buy yourself a twin turbo V6 Tundra and
[19:34] the engine can fail after 20,000 miles.
[19:36] If you buy a new Tundra, get yourself an
[19:39] extended warranty on the powertrain,
[19:41] especially if it's a hybrid, because
[19:43] Toyota is refusing to recall the hybrids
[19:46] on those trucks, even though those are
[19:47] also having catastrophic engine
[19:49] failures. So, do yourself a favor. Don't
[19:53] buy yourself a Tundra, a new one. If
[19:56] you're on the used market, go buy
[19:58] yourself an old V8 one. It'll last for
[20:00] as long as you want. All right? And I
[20:03] could probably say the same for a lot of
[20:04] these trucks. Just go get a V8.
[20:07] Naturally aspirated and it should last a
[20:11] really, really long time. Most reliable
[20:14] new hybrids. I mean, sort of. Okay. Ford
[20:17] Escape Hybrid cancelled. Highlander
[20:20] hybrid going to be cancelled soon for
[20:23] the full EV version. Sonata hybrid, good
[20:26] car, good buy. Prius plug-in hybrid,
[20:30] good car, but pretty expensive. All
[20:32] right. Civic hybrid, great vehicle.
[20:35] Camry hybrid, great vehicle. Prius, I
[20:38] wouldn't give it great. The Camry and
[20:41] Civic are much better buys than a Prius,
[20:43] but a Prius is still a really, really
[20:44] good car for the money. All right.
[20:47] Should last a long time. So, pretty much
[20:49] any any hybrid you get out there are is
[20:53] going to be a good long lasting reliable
[20:55] car. It's crazy that there aren't that
[20:57] many, but the Escape hybrid, I think
[20:59] they discontinued it and they brought it
[21:01] back. Yeah, that's why this number is
[21:03] too low. But yes, anyways, I'm going to
[21:06] shut it down there. I will see you guys
[21:08] in the comments. Uh, let me know which
[21:11] car surprised you the most. Which one
[21:14] are you going to be getting? If you need
[21:16] a truck, Frontier. If you need a car, I
[21:20] would say Mazda 3. If you don't want a
[21:23] hybrid, I would say if you want a
[21:25] hybrid, Camry hybrid um or Civic hybrid.
[21:29] Simple as that. Thank you guys. Have a
[21:31] good day and peace