5 SUVs With The Cheapest Maintenance Costs In 2026

Making sure that you won't have to spend too much money keeping your new car on the road has arguably become just as important as the initial investment. Industry-wide prices are still high, with the average cost of a new car continuing to hover around the $50,000 mark as of July 2026, according to KBB. And while there are a good number of SUVs that come in under this price, not all of them will save you more money down the line. 

Fortunately, the manufacturers that get the most praise for reliability are often the ones that have a decent selection of SUVs to choose from. At the lowest end of the brand-new market, you can buy the most affordable models for around $25,000, some of which are also the cheapest to maintain both initially and over the following years. If your budget is higher, it's equally important that you don't have to keep paying repair costs that make it not worth the money in the first place. Using data from various outlets, including RepairPal and CarEdge, here's a look at five SUVs with the lowest maintenance costs.

Toyota's compact SUV has been a favorite among U.S. drivers for quite some time now, frequently ranking near the top of yearly sales charts. The RAV4 is the second-best-selling Toyota so far this year, only behind the Camry. For the base model, the 2026 RAV4 starts at $31,900 (with a $1,595 destination charge), which is pretty standard for this sort of crossover. However, the Toyota manages to keep costs down throughout your time with it, particularly its maintenance costs.

Very few brands have the same reputation as Toyota when it comes to reliability, which the RAV4 more than upholds. According to RepairPal, you can expect to pay around $429 per year on maintenance costs, $92 below the segment average of $521 in 2026. The same is echoed with CarEdge's data, which reports a five-year average cost of $1,938. Over 10 years, the number rises to around $6,004, but that's still $2,500 less than the average for SUVs across the board.

Electric cars are still relatively new to the industry, but some have been around long enough to generate solid data regarding how long they can actually hold up over long-term ownership. In 2021, Hyundai released the Ioniq 5, further establishing itself in the rapidly growing segment. Up until 2025, you could get three years of free, limited maintenance coverage from Hyundai, but that's no longer offered in 2026 because it cost too much. Luckily, though, the data shows that you shouldn't have to worry about spending loads to keep it on the road.

It's important to cover the integrated charging control unit (ICCU) issues that arise with the Ioniq 5 platform whenever we mention repair costs. While not every SUV will be affected by the potential faults with the crucial component, Hyundai will still fix the issue free of charge and has extended the warranty to 15 years or 180,000 miles. Software updates are also used to combat the issue if the ICCU as a whole doesn't need to be replaced. 

Overall, CarEdge reports a five-year maintenance cost of just $1,712, making it one of the cheapest SUVs to maintain, according to the outlet's data. Elsewhere, Edmunds also shows promising signs for the Ioniq 5, with only about $213 in costs within the first year of ownership.

Dropping down a size below the likes of the RAV4, the Honda HR-V is one of the smallest SUVs you can buy at the moment. Designed with city living in mind, the HR-V is Honda's best choice if you need a little more space than traditional cars offer without adding too much bloat. Subsequently, it's cheaper than plenty of other SUVs, coming in at $26,600 (with a $1,450 destination fee). Still, a few rivals manage to come in even cheaper, but the Honda should make the initial investment worth it by keeping costs down over time.

As per RepairPal, Honda comes out on top as the most reliable brand overall, with an average repair cost of just $428 per year. However, the HR-V manages to cost well below even that, at just $301 annually. It's also one of the most affordable gas-powered SUVs to maintain, according to CarEdge, sitting at $2,347 over the course of five years. Higher than the RAV4, for example, but still well below plenty of others in the segment. You also won't have to worry about spending excess money for fuel, with the EPA reporting an average annual cost of $2,200, which is bang on the average for a new car in 2026.

Alongside the likes of Toyota, Subaru is another brand that has been establishing itself as one of the most reliable, as proven by coming in sixth place overall in J.D. Power's 2026 Vehicle Dependability Study. And one car that gets its own accolade is the compact Crosstrek, being named the most reliable in its segment this year. For the base price of $26,995 (with a $1,420 destination charge), you get neat features like the standard all-wheel drive and almost nine inches of ground clearance. It naturally leans towards light off-roading more than many of its rivals, so not having to worry about things failing is a massive bonus.

By being super reliable, it's no surprise to see the maintenance costs also be relatively low as well. As per RepairPal, the Crosstrek should cost you around $492 per year to maintain. The outlet also puts it in first place in the segment for reliability to boot. Looking into the future, Edmunds reports that in the first few years, maintenance costs stay below $750 for the first three years, before having to spend more as the SUV gets older.

Back to Toyota, the RAV4's larger counterpart is another SUV that finds itself at the more affordable end of the maintenance ladder, further bolstering the manufacturer's position as one of the most dependable brands. Being mid-sized and leaning more into the premium end of the segment without going all-out luxury, the newest Highlander costs $46,270, along with a $1,495 destination fee. The 2027 all-electric redesign isn't available yet. All-wheel drive is now standard across the board in the States, with the base trim offering plenty of comfort features, making it a solid value-for-money purchase given how cheap it is to run.

RepairPal reports an average annual maintenance cost of $489 for the Highlander. CarEdge's data also shows the Highlander to be stronger than most, costing only around $2,048 in maintenance over five years. At 10 years, the price rises to $6,224, with yearly costs never exceeding $1,000. If you're looking for an SUV that offers a luxury-like feel without adding too much on top, the Highlander is certainly worth considering.

To select these SUVs, we looked at a variety of reputable sources that all have data available regarding repair costs, whether that be yearly or over a longer period of ownership. This includes RepairPal, Edmunds, KBB, and CarEdge. We then cross-checked that each model here has consistently low maintenance costs to earn a spot in this list.