7 6-Cylinder Cars Likely To Last 250,000 Miles

In the modern auto industry, the six-cylinder engine — particularly in its naturally aspirated form — has become an endangered species. While there are still some notable inline-6-powered vehicles, the once ubiquitous, naturally aspirated V6 engine has increasingly found itself replaced by the turbocharged four-cylinder. 

Industry-wide, the debate over the reliability of the turbo four-cylinder versus the V6 is unsettled, but there are lots of people who associate the basic, naturally aspirated V6 with reliability and longevity — and data seems to back up that assumption, at least for some six-cylinder engines. In iSeeCars' 2026 vehicle longevity study, which analyzed nearly 400 million cars to find which ones were most likely to reach 250,000 miles, several six-cylinder models performed much better than the average.

Real-world vehicle longevity will vary, of course, and models that are driven often may do better in this study because they'll hit the 250,000-mile mark quicker. Other vehicles, like heavy-duty trucks, can be outliers because owners might keep them on the road longer because of their value as working vehicles, even if they need significant repairs along the way. Even so, by narrowing down the top finishers to those models primarily powered by six-cylinder engines, you can see that the V6, and the naturally aspirated Japanese V6 in particular, performs very well. Below are five long-lasting models that prove that.

Of all the top finishers in the iSeeCars study, the Toyota Tacoma might be the least surprising model. Overall, the Tacoma's reputation for longevity is nothing short of amazing, with one famous example having racked up over 1.5 million miles. In the iSeeCars longevity study, the Tacoma is ranked the sixth-highest of all vehicles, with a 25% chance of making it to 250,000 miles, or 4.6 times the average vehicle's chance of making it to that point. 

It's important to point out that the current Tacoma now uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but much of its reputation for reliability rests on older V6-powered models. The iSeeCars rankings don't differentiate between model year or generation, and some of the vehicles are available with multiple engine types, but given that the current Tacoma has only been around since the 2024 model year, the longevity data is almost certainly driven by the previous-generation model. 

Long-term data for the new truck is limited, and there's still a chance that the turbocharged four-cylinder Tacomas may end up lasting just as long as the previous-generation model, which was powered primarily by Toyota's naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine. For now, though, those who place longevity above all else may want to stick with the older truck and its proven V6.

It probably doesn't come as a big surprise that Japanese automakers dominate iSeeCars' rankings, with Toyota in particular doing extremely well. This strong performance also extends to Lexus-badged vehicles. When it comes to six-cylinder-powered Lexus models, the Lexus IS is the highest finisher in the study, with a 17.5% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, or 3.3 times the average. 

Though the IS has had turbocharged four-cylinder engines available in entry-level models at various points, a six-cylinder engine has always been a huge part of the car's history going back to the 2JZ-powered IS300 of the early 2000s. In the late 2000s, the car switched to V6 engines, with a 3.5-liter V6 powering the IS 350 for the last 20-plus years. At the moment, a V6 is actually the only engine available in the Lexus IS, with the decades-old naturally aspirated 3.5-liter helping it stand out from the crowd.

As the numbers show, the Toyota-built V6 doesn't just make the IS fun to drive; it also makes it very reliable. Notably, iSeeCars has the Lexus IS as the top finisher in the luxury compact car segment, with the sport sedan carrying on the longstanding Lexus reputation of blending European-grade luxury with Toyota's signature reliability.

Finding cars or pickups that still offer naturally aspirated V6 engines is much harder than it used to be, but there are still a few big brands keeping the V6 alive – one of which is Honda. Sure, Honda's V6s might be basic compared to the turbo and hybrid offerings in competing models, but as we're about to see, the engine's longevity seems to speak for itself.

You could dedicate separate entries to the Honda Ridgeline pickup and the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX SUVs, but we've grouped them together here because there've always been large similarities between the two, including shared platforms and naturally aspirated V6 engines. iSeeCars has the Honda Pilot ranked 16th overall with a 14.3% chance of making it to 250,000 miles, with the Honda Ridgeline ranked right next to it in 17th, with a 13.7% chance of lasting 250,000 miles. The V6-powered Acura MDX, which shares a platform with the Pilot, is an equally reliable Honda offering here. It's ranked 19th overall, with a 13.1% chance of hitting the 250,000-mile mark.

At the moment, the Ridgeline is one of the oldest designs in Honda's lineup, and a next-gen model is on the way for 2028. Fortunately for six-cylinder fans, it looks like the new Ridgeline will still have a V6, though Honda plans to add hybrid power to the mix. 

Interestingly, one of iSeeCars highest-ranked models for longevity is a car that's no longer in production: the Toyota Avalon. The Avalon was first introduced back in the 1990s as a larger, more upscale sedan counterpart to the Camry. It lasted until the 2022 model year, after which Toyota discontinued it in favor of the Toyota Crown. 

It's been a while since the Avalon was last available in Toyota showrooms, but the car still has a big presence in the iSeeCars study, which has the Avalon ranked eighth overall of all models, with a 23.2% chance of lasting 250,000 miles, or 4.3 times the average. In its later years, Toyota offered the Avalon with either a 3.5-liter V6 engine or a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain and, unlike many other models, iSeeCars's study treats the two models separately, with the non-hybrid model finishing several spots ahead of the Avalon Hybrid.

With the dominance of SUVs on today's market, an older sedan like the Toyota Avalon can often get overlooked when shopping for a used car. However, if you're looking for a car that you can put a lot of trouble-free miles on, a used V6 Avalon might just be the perfect under-the-radar choice. 

As with its Toyota Tacoma counterpart, the Toyota 4Runner is another model that you'd expect to be on this list. After all, the 4Runner is known as one of the most reliable SUVs ever made, and the iSeeCars study backs this reputation up. The SUV ranks third overall, with a 33.1% chance of making it to 250,000 miles — a massive 6.2 times the average. 

There is, however, an important caveat when talking about the 4Runner's engine. As it did the previous year with the Tacoma, Toyota fully redesigned the 4Runner for the 2025 model year, replacing its outdated but proven 4.0-liter V6 engine with a newer, more powerful and more fuel-efficient 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. 

This means the bulk of the long-term reliability data likely comes from the previous-generation V6-powered 4Runner, which went largely unchanged between the 2010 and 2024 model years. Indeed, the newer 4Runner might get the edge when it comes to performance, fuel economy, and refinement, but if you want to put hundreds of thousands of miles on your SUV, the earlier models and their proven track record will be very hard to beat.