8 Sedans Likely To Last 250,000 Miles

Modern cars consistently last longer than their predecessors, with a study by S&P Global calculating the average passenger car on American roads in 2024 to be 14 years old. A decade ago, the average was around 11.5 years old. According to the DOT, the average American drives roughly 13,500 miles per year, and so if a car reaches the current average age while doing the average annual mileage, it will have 189,000 miles on the odometer. However, some cars are capable of reaching considerably higher mileage without complaint.

Reaching 250,000 miles is certainly achievable in today's most reliable modern sedans, although it's by no means guaranteed. Factors like maintenance, winter road salt, and type of driving all play a big part in determining how many miles a car will be able to reach before becoming uneconomical to repair. However, some models are more likely to hit that figure than others, with these eight being among the most likely models that can be bought new in 2025.

The Civic is one of the most popular models in America, with Honda selling over 220,000 examples in the U.S. in 2024 alone. A key reason for that continued popularity is the Civic's long-term reliability, with scores of owners happy to attest to the longevity of previous generations. The 2025 Civic sedan received a high predicted quality rating from JD Power, and as of this writing, owner complaints logged with the NHTSA remain very low. However, the 2025 Civic has been subject to two recall notices, one involving a fuel pump and another involving the steering gearbox.

Both recalls affect a range of Honda models, and assuming the necessary recall work is correctly carried out, there's nothing to suggest that either recall will affect the car's reliability in the long run. The Civic remains one of the most affordable models in Honda's lineup, with prices starting just over $25,000 for base-spec trims and rising to around $33,000 for the top-spec trim.

Another long-running nameplate with a long history for reliability is the Toyota Camry. For the 2025 model year, the Camry has been given a makeover, complete with revised styling and a new standard hybrid engine. It starts from around $30,000 once the compulsory $1,095 destination fee is taken into account, with top-spec trims starting from around $6,000 more. During our own mixed testing, we didn't quite match the Camry's official efficiency figures — it's rated at 46 mpg combined, but we only saw 38 mpg. Still, that's enough to keep fuel bills low over the long run.

The car's power output varies slightly between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants, with the former churning out 225 horsepower and the latter making 232 horsepower. Our all-wheel drive tester felt suitably potent at everyday speeds, although the car remained far from sporty even with Sport mode engaged. While the Camry remains dependable, reasonably priced, and decently equipped, it's still not interesting to drive.

There's nothing to suggest so far that the 2025 Camry should be any less reliable than earlier model years, which are well known for their ability to hit high mileage figures. An iSeeCars study ranked the hybrid Camry within the top 20 longest lasting vehicles on the market, and JD Power gave the current model year a high reliability rating. The car's two current recalls involve minor issues – a damaged second row seatbelt and an incorrect load capacity sticker – that should be easily remedied by a dealer.

Sharing a platform with the Camry but offering a wider variety of engine choices and a plusher interior is the Lexus ES. It's the brand's mid-range sedan and isn't particularly remarkable to drive or to look at, but it should be far more reliable than its rivals. It received strong predicted reliability ratings from multiple industry sources for 2025, while the Lexus brand as a whole consistently scores well in that regard.

Buyers shouldn't purchase an ES expecting a car that's particularly sporty or exciting to drive — there are plenty of other rivals that cater better to enthusiasts. The Lexus' selling point is instead its combination of comfort and dependability, with it offering the longevity of a Camry with the ride quality of a luxury car. The car's equipment levels aren't particularly generous unless you skip to the top of the trim range though, so buyers without the budget for a top-spec ES might find a well-specced Camry a better value option.

Uncertainty around tariffs has left buyers understandably concerned about future price rises, but the Honda Accord shouldn't be impacted too much by the new rules as it's made in America. Consumer Reports also expects it to be more reliable than the average new car, and it's easy to find reports of owners with older Accords that have reached mileage far in excess of 250,000 miles. It's a sensible choice then, even if it isn't the most exciting. Drivers looking for more driving fun might want to consider Honda's other sedan, the Civic, which offers an Si trim complete with a manual transmission.

Nonetheless, the Accord remains an appealing option for drivers looking to cover high mileage but still needing enough room to fit a family. The 2025 model is available with or without a hybrid powertrain, with non-electrified models starting from roughly $30,000 including destination charge. The cheapest hybrid model is available from around $35,000, with top-spec trims starting just north of $40,000 with the destination fee included. The top-spec Touring Hybrid trim benefits from niceties such as a Bose audio system, a head-up display, and a heated steering wheel.

A '90s example of the Lexus LS famously hit one million miles under the ownership of auto journalist Matt Farah in 2019. It's safe to say that most drivers won't ever see figures like that, but it means that 250,000 miles should be readily achievable for examples of the car that are correctly maintained. Reports of examples hitting over 300,000 miles are commonplace, and there's nothing to suggest that the latest generation of the LS will be any less reliable than its forebears.

Of course, the LS does come with one major caveat that will be a dealbreaker for many buyers — its price. The base LS 500 starts from $81,685, but opt for the hybrid powertrain and that price leaps up to $116,560. That puts it out of reach for all but the most deep-pocketed shoppers, but for those who can justify it, few — if any — other cars can match its combination of luxury and reliability.

As a cheap, reliable runabout, the Toyota Corolla continues to impress. Older Corollas have consistently proven their ability to rack up mileage figures well beyond the average new car, assuming that they're properly maintained. The Corolla is also one of the cheapest new cars on the market, and can be bought for under $25,000 in base-spec form. Even in top-spec Hybrid XLE form, the car slips just under the $30,000 mark, assuming no options are added.

Despite its low price, the Corolla boasts top safety ratings and very low levels of owner complaints to the NHTSA. It also boasts plenty of standard safety tech, including lane departure warning and forward collision warning. Particularly in hybrid form, it's also highly efficient, with Toyota officially rating the car for 53 mpg in the city and 46 mpg on the highway. That all adds up to a package that remains just as competitive as previous iterations of the car, and should be just as reliable too.

Anyone not convinced by the Toyota Corolla might want to consider one of its similarly affordable Japanese rivals, the Mazda 3 sedan. With careful maintenance, owners report that the Mazda 3 can achieve mileage in excess of 200,000 miles, with drivers who do most of their driving on the highway able to achieve significantly more. So, 250,000 miles — or even 300,000 miles — isn't out of the question. The Mazda 3 also gets a high reliability score from Consumer Reports for the 2025 model year.

In top-spec form, The Mazda 3 produces 250 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.5L engine. However, that top-spec trim isn't cheap, costing around $37,000 with destination fee taken into account. Thankfully, drivers on a tighter budget can pick from multiple sub-$30,000 trims further down the range. The cheapest of those is the 2.5 S trim, which starts from around $25,000 including destination fee. It offers a still-decent 191 horsepower from its naturally aspirated 2.5L engine, but it misses out on the safety features and moonroof available on pricier models.

While the Toyota Crown doesn't boast the same level of name recognition as most of the other models here — at least, not in America — it's a safe bet for reliability. It's been a staple model in the manufacturer's Japanese lineup for many decades, although it was only reintroduced to North America for the 2023 model year. At its launch, we found the car to be impressive both in its ride and in its power output, with the Hybrid MAX powertrain offering plenty of poke. Its unusual looks also make it a more attention-grabbing model than other high mileage heroes.

The Crown receives consistently strong predicted reliability ratings for 2025, helped by the fact that it shares parts including its powertrain with other, better-known models in the Toyota range. It's not a traditional sedan in the sense that it offers a ride height more akin to a crossover, and unfortunately the Hybrid MAX powertrain that we found impressive during testing doesn't achieve the same high efficiency figures as the base-spec powertrain. However, we came away sold on the Crown's charms overall, not least because it should be just as reliable as other, less unusual Toyota models.

While there's no way to predict with certainty that any new car will be able to reach high mileage figures without issues, there are some models that are more likely than others based on current data. To draw up our list of models, we combined predicted reliability scores from expert sources like JD Power and Consumer Reports with NHTSA data about current model years. We also considered reports from owners on the lifetime mileage of previous model years with models that showed the consistent ability to rack up high mileage over multiple generations scoring most highly.

This isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and is not ranked in any particular order. Buyers looking for a new car should always conduct their own research before heading to a dealership. All prices listed are accurate as of the time of writing but are potentially liable to change due to the effects of the current government's present and planned tariffs.