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10 vehicles with the best odds of hitting 250,000 miles, per a new industry study

A new industry longevity study crunched more than 395 million vehicle records to find which models are statistically likeliest to cross the quarter-million-mile mark. Full-size SUVs, heavy-duty trucks and Toyota-Lexus hybrids dominate the upper ranks, while the average vehicle on the road has barely a one-in-twenty shot. Here are ten vehicles that beat those odds by a wide margin.

1. Toyota Sequoia: The Study’s Top Score

Toyota Sequoia — Image Credit: Elise240SX - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Elise240SX – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

Toyota’s full-size Sequoia leads the 2026 longevity rankings with a 42.3% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, the best odds of any vehicle in a study built on hundreds of millions of vehicle records.

The figure is nearly eight times higher than the average vehicle’s 5.4% chance, a gap that reflects the payoff of body-on-frame construction paired with a drivetrain Toyota has refined for decades across the Tundra pickup platform the Sequoia shares. Studies like this one typically track how many examples of a model are still registered and running at high mileage rather than surveying owners. For anyone shopping on long-term durability, the Sequoia now sets the bar the field chases.

2. Lexus LS: A Luxury Sedan Surprise

Lexus LS — Image Credit: Dinkun Chen - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Dinkun Chen – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

Lexus’s flagship LS sedan posts a 38.8% probability of reaching 250,000 miles, second-best among every model the 2026 study measured, trailing only the Sequoia in the overall rankings.

Beating nearly every truck and SUV on the list is a rarity for a full-size luxury sedan, a segment usually judged on cabin refinement and equipment rather than mechanical staying power. The number suggests Lexus’s engineering reputation, built largely on its compact and midsize crossovers, extends further up the lineup than most buyers assume. A used LS holding that kind of durability score also reshapes the depreciation math that typically weighs against large luxury sedans on the resale market.

3. Toyota 4Runner: Body-On-Frame Pays Off

Toyota 4Runner — Image Credit: Elise240SX - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Elise240SX – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The Toyota 4Runner’s body-on-frame platform helps it land a 33.1% likelihood of reaching 250,000 miles, among the study’s top finishers and well clear of most midsize SUVs on the market.

Body-on-frame construction, borrowed from truck engineering, trades some ride comfort and cabin refinement for a simpler frame and drivetrain layout that traditionally holds up better over high-mileage use than a unibody crossover. That trade-off explains why owners planning to keep a vehicle well past the average trade-in point have long favored the 4Runner over rival SUVs built on car-based platforms, even as Toyota has since redesigned the model for its newest generation.

4. Lexus RX Hybrid: Hybrid Crossover Standout

Lexus RX Hybrid — Image Credit: Anders Dahnielson from Tranås - CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Anders Dahnielson from Tranås – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons

Lexus’s RX Hybrid records a 28.9% chance of hitting the 250,000-mile mark, the best odds among hybrid crossovers in the 2026 longevity study, ahead of every other electrified SUV the researchers tracked.

Putting a gas-electric SUV ahead of most conventional crossovers in the rankings pushes back on the assumption that added battery and motor hardware creates more long-term failure points than a traditional engine. Toyota-built hybrid systems have generally posted strong reliability marks in prior industry surveys, and the RX’s result extends that pattern to outright longevity. For buyers weighing fuel savings against durability, the RX Hybrid’s showing argues the trade-off between the two is smaller than commonly assumed.

5. Ram 3500: Best Odds Among Pickups

Ram 3500 — Image Credit: Kevauto - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Kevauto – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The heavy-duty Ram 3500 has a 31.9% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, best odds of any pickup in the 2026 study, outranking every half-ton and midsize truck in the field.

Trucks built for towing and payload duty tend to run heavier-gauge frames, axles and diesel-capable drivetrains than half-ton counterparts built mainly for commuting, and the Ram’s ranking reflects that added durability margin. Fleet and commercial buyers have long favored one-ton diesel trucks for exactly this kind of longevity under sustained heavy loads. For anyone cross-shopping heavy-duty trucks on cost per mile rather than sticker price, the figure is a meaningful data point.

6. GMC Sierra 3500 HD: GM’s Heavy-Duty Leader

GMC Sierra 3500 HD — Image Credit: HJUdall - CC0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: HJUdall – CC0/Wiki Commons

GMC’s Sierra 3500 HD scores a 26.2% probability of reaching a quarter-million miles, top mark among GM’s trucks, ahead of every Chevrolet Silverado HD variant the study covered.

Behind only the Ram 3500 among heavy-duty pickups, the Sierra HD still clears the study’s 5.4% average vehicle’s odds by a wide margin, a gap that heavy-duty buyers often weigh alongside towing capacity, payload rating and dealer network when choosing between the domestic truck brands. Shared underpinnings with the mechanically similar Silverado HD suggest GM’s one-ton platform as a whole holds up well under sustained work duty.

7. Mercedes-Benz G-Class: Luxury’s Lone Entry

Mercedes-Benz G-Class — Image Credit: Vauxford - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Vauxford – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is the only luxury SUV to crack the study’s upper ranks, with a 17.3% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, well ahead of the rest of the luxury SUV segment tracked in the same data.

Borrowed from military-vehicle roots decades ago, the G-Class’s boxy body-on-frame construction and low-stress drivetrain tuning appear to give it a mechanical edge that most unibody luxury SUVs, built for on-road comfort rather than off-road durability, cannot match. For shoppers in that price bracket, longevity is rarely the headline feature next to badge appeal and off-road capability, but the figure adds one more concrete argument in the vehicle’s favor over other six-figure SUVs.

8. Honda HR-V: Small Crossover, Big Odds

Honda HR-V — Image Credit: Alexander Migl - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Alexander Migl – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

Honda’s subcompact HR-V posts a 17.6% likelihood of reaching 250,000 miles, best mark among small crossovers in the study, ahead of every other subcompact SUV the researchers ranked.

Standing out in a segment usually engineered to a low price point rather than to a high-mileage target, the result echoes Honda’s broader reputation for four-cylinder engines that run well past typical ownership periods with routine maintenance. Buyers looking for an affordable, long-lasting daily driver or a first car for a new driver now have a concrete figure to back up that reputation, rather than relying on brand impression alone.

9. Toyota Highlander Hybrid: A Three-Row Hybrid Contender

Toyota Highlander Hybrid — Image Credit: Kevauto - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Kevauto – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid shows a 20.7% chance of hitting 250,000 miles, one of the study’s top three-row finishers and among the strongest odds of any hybrid tracked in the study.

Three-row SUVs typically carry more curb weight and log more stop-and-go family duty than smaller crossovers, so a hybrid model clearing roughly one-in-five odds of hitting 250,000 miles is a notable result. Families cross-shopping midsize SUVs for a long ownership window now have a longevity figure to weigh against cargo space, towing capacity and third-row legroom when they compare the Highlander against gas-only rivals.

10. Chevrolet Suburban: Full-Size Longevity Holds

Chevrolet Suburban — Image Credit: OWS Photography - CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: OWS Photography – CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons

Chevrolet’s full-size Suburban still carries an 11.6% shot at 250,000 miles, more than double the average vehicle’s odds despite closing out the ranked field.

Full-size SUVs built on heavy-duty truck platforms tend to outlast unibody competitors over a long ownership span, and the Suburban’s number reflects that pattern even at the bottom of this particular top-ten list. The 2026 study also found Japanese manufacturers claiming seven of the ten top spots overall, which makes a domestic nameplate’s showing here notable. For buyers who need three-row space, towing capacity and long-haul durability in one package, the figure still beats the average vehicle by a wide margin.


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