The Toyota Sequoia has a 42.3% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, the best odds of any vehicle in iSeeCars’ 2026 longevity study. Across all vehicles in the same analysis, only 5.4% get there, which makes the full-size Toyota SUV 7.9 times likelier than the typical vehicle to cross a quarter-million miles. The study, published September 15, covers more than 395 million vehicles, and its answer to which models outlast the rest is lopsided: Toyota, Lexus, Honda and Acura hold 25 of the top 27 places.
A modeled probability, not a count of survivors
The number is an estimate. iSeeCars says the company analyzed over 395 million vehicles using proprietary modeling built on average odometer readings at different vehicle ages, then estimated how likely each model is to reach a given mileage. No fleet of Sequoias was followed to the 250,000-mile mark, so the 42.3% describes where the odometer data points rather than a tally of trucks that already made it. Coverage of the study describes the underlying listing data as spanning 12 years. The study leaves out heavy-duty vehicles and models discontinued as of 2022, though heavy-duty trucks received a separate analysis.
The ranking behind the top figure, laid out on the iSeeCars study page, has a steep drop-off. Autoevolution’s rundown puts the Lexus LS second at 38.8% and the Toyota 4Runner third at 33.1%, followed by the Lexus RX Hybrid at 28.9% and the Toyota Tundra at 28.2%. Seven percentage points separate the Sequoia from the next entry, and nearly fourteen more separate that entry from the fifth.
Ranks six through twenty-four, and the two outsiders
The Quartz summary continues down the table: the Toyota Tacoma at 25.0%, the Lexus GX at 23.3%, the Toyota Avalon at 23.2%, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid at 20.7% and the Honda Accord Hybrid at 18.5%. Quartz also notes that eight of the top ten are either body-on-frame designs or hybrids, a pattern that points to how the winners are built rather than where they are sold.
Only two vehicles break the Japanese sweep of the 27 top slots. According to Road Ethos, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class sits 14th at 17.3% and the Chevrolet Suburban 24th at 11.6%. The Honda Accord Hybrid at 10th is the first entry that is neither a Toyota nor a Lexus, and the Sequoia itself leads the SUV category outright.
Other segments have their own leaders, each with far smaller odds than the Sequoia. The Ram 3500 tops trucks at 31.9%, the Lexus LS leads passenger cars, and the Lexus RX Hybrid leads hybrids. The Tesla Model X leads electric vehicles at a much lower 3.6%, with the Model S at 3.1%, and the average truck sits at 4.8%.
Brand averages and the economics of keeping a car
Powertrain matters too. AutoGuide reports that hybrids such as the Lexus RX Hybrid at 28.9% and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid at 20.7% outrank comparable gasoline models, and ties that to lower operating costs and heavy fleet use in rideshare services. Quartz adds the segment picture: the Sequoia leads SUVs, the Tundra leads light-duty pickups and the LS leads passenger cars, so the top of the overall table is a mix of body styles rather than one niche.
Brand-level numbers show the same split. Toyota averages 19.7% across its lineup, 3.7 times the 5.4% mark, followed by Lexus at 14.4%, Honda at 13.3%, Acura at 9.5% and GMC at 5.8%. Only those five brands sit above the average, which leaves every other make in the study below the all-vehicle figure.
Karl Brauer, iSeeCars’ executive analyst, ties the pattern to ownership economics as much as engineering. AutoGuide quotes him describing a 10-year-old car that costs $5,000 a year to maintain and is worth $6,000: an owner in that spot is probably not going to keep it. Road Ethos relays his view that Toyota and Honda emphasize durability and long vehicle lifespan, while the G-Class’s military heritage and the Suburban’s robust design let those two break into the top rankings.
The 5.4% baseline sits against a fleet that already runs old. S&P Global Mobility put the average age of U.S. light vehicles at 12.8 years in its 2025 fleet analysis, with passenger cars averaging 14.5 years and light trucks 11.9. Todd Campau, the firm’s aftermarket practice lead, called the fleet resilient despite high new and used prices and economic uncertainty.
Sports cars fall outside the pattern. Porsche 911s, engineered to last, rarely pile up miles because their owners drive them infrequently, AutoGuide reported, so the 250,000-mile test measures use as well as durability.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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