Is It Expensive To Maintain A Lexus GX 550? What To Know Before You Buy

Lexus launched an all-new GX for model year 2024, with the GX 550 sitting as the only option, albeit available in numerous trims. It's no secret that Lexus boasts a great reputation for reliability and reliable engines, but when a new model comes along, the true dependability and cost of ownership is something of an unknown for some period of time. Until owners start piling on the miles, and discovering how much it really costs to keep one maintained and in fine fettle, the very best the rest of us can do is speculate and make estimations of how much a new car will cost to maintain.

That being said, we've decided to tackle the question of how much does a Lexus GX 550 cost to run head-on, by looking into third-party estimates, set servicing costs, and by finding out what owners have got to say about the experience so far. We made it clear in our first drive review of the 2024 Lexus GX 550 that we are fans of the model, but prospective owners need to know whether or not the model is pricey to maintain. So, while we can't provide an exact dollar figure on how much maintenance will be, we are looking to establish whether the upkeep of a new GX 550 is expensive or not.

One thing's for sure, nobody can predict the future, so trying to establish exactly how much the next however many years of maintenance is going to cost you — down to the penny — is impossible to establish before buying. Lexus can take much of the guesswork away, though, by offering pre-paid servicing plans when you buy a GX 550.

This is a hot topic over on the LX Owners forum, with many model enthusiasts wondering if the purchase makes financial sense or not. Keen to make the right decision, one owner did considerable homework to establish whether or not it was worth buying, and the answer was a resounding yes. This user established that the 5,000 and 10,000-mile services were free, that subsequent routine services would be in the region of $750, and major services with 30,000-mile intervals would cost in the region of $1,900. These estimates were established by reading the 2024 GX 550 Warranty And Servicing Guide, in addition to talking with numerous Lexus service advisors.

After establishing that the aforementioned would cost $9,500 across 75,000 miles of driving, the forum user decided that paying $3,795 for a 75,000-mile/6-year servicing plan made perfect sense, and would save themselves considerable expense. Over six years, this plan equates to $632.50 per annum, which is notably cheaper than RepairPal's estimated $770 figure, given to the GX 550's predecessor, the GX 460, for maintenance and repairs.

In addition to reading into what current owners think and predict when it comes to maintenance costs, it's worth seeing how third-party sites rate the GX 550 in terms of reliability. For example, CarEdge suggests that the SUV will, on average, cost $8,245 in repairs and maintenance over the first 10 years of ownership – a figure which does match up with the user-quoted figures above.

According to CarEdge, this beats the luxury SUV average by $4,249, and the GX 550 is also 17.37% less likely to require a major repair within the timeframe too. For comparison, CarEdge estimates that a Land Rover Defender, which is one of the GX 550's key rivals, will set owners back over $18,000 in repairs and maintenance throughout the same period, and suffers from a shocking 51.26% chance of requiring major repairs during the same first 10 years of ownership.

The data, then, clearly suggests that, for a luxury SUV with off-roading capabilities, the Lexus GX 550 is not expensive to maintain. Something that all potential buyers should know before buying a Lexus GX is that pre-paid servicing schedules certainly look to be a wise investment, especially to those that value peace of mind due to fixed servicing costs.