5 4-Cylinder Cars Most Likely To Last 250,000 Miles

Of all common engine configurations, the modern inline-four has to be the most versatile. On one hand, it can be an affordable base powerplant for countless sedans and SUVs. Pair one with a hybrid system, and you'll get huge fuel-efficiency numbers. Go the other direction and add a turbocharger, though, and the humble inline-four can power world-beating performance cars like the Honda Civic Type R and iconic sports cars like the Ford Mustang. 

Four-cylinder engines can also do extremely well when it comes to longevity. Of course, how long specific vehicles last will vary significantly depending on multiple factors, but there's plenty of data that can help us identify which models overall are best at racking up miles. 

For a baseline, we'll use iSeeCars' study of the longest-lasting cars. The study used registration and odometer data from nearly 400 million vehicles across all segments to identify those that are most likely to still be on the road at 250,000 miles. The average vehicle has a 5.4% chance of lasting that long, and the data indicates that Toyota and Honda models, especially four-cylinder hybrids in particular, are very capable of exceeding that. Below are five of the best.

For most of the Toyota Highlander's lifespan, it had a V6 as the primary engine. But when Toyota introduced a new Highlander for the 2020 model year, the hybrid version moved to Toyota's venerable 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine, helping the Highlander Hybrid offer a praiseworthy blend of practicality and fuel efficiency.

The move to a four-cylinder improved the SUV's fuel economy numbers and, it seems, helped the model's longevity. The Highlander Hybrid places ninth overall on iSeeCars' ranking, with a 20.7% likelihood of reaching the 250,000-mile mark — or 3.8 times the average for all vehicles. Other sources back up the Highlander's reputation for reliability, with JD Power giving the 2025 model a "great" ranking in for quality and reliability with a score of 84 out of 100. Elsewhere, surveys of Highlander Hybrid owners from Kelley Blue Book show that reliability and quality were often named the model's strongest features. 

It's worth noting that Toyota is moving the next-generation Highlander to an all-electric platform for the 2028 model year. Thus, buyers interested in internal combustion and hybrid powertrains will have to switch to the larger Toyota Grand Highlander.

Even with the rise of the SUV, the Accord sedan remains one of Honda's bread-and-butter products, and reliability has long been one of its biggest draws. While the Accord delivers high reliability scores, iSeeCars's longevity study breaks down the Accord Hybrid separately — and its results are quite strong. The Accord Hybrid is the highest-finishing model that isn't a Toyota or Lexus, placing 10th overall.

More specifically, the Accord Hybrid has an 18.5% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, which is 3.4 times the average. It does well in the short term, too, excelling in Consumer Reports' road test, leading to a score almost equal to that of the highly-rated Toyota Camry Hybrid. This is all on top of a driving experience that offers efficiency, spaciousness, and even a bit of fun, as we found out when we reviewed a 2026 Accord Hybrid.

In case you were curious, the non-hybrid Accord (which is also four-cylinder-powered) has an 8.4% chance of making it to 250,000 miles, according to iSeeCars.Given the Accord Hybrid's strong performance in both short-term tests and long-term reliability, we wouldn't be surprised to see Honda follow in the Toyota Camry's footsteps by switching to an all-hybrid Accord in the future.

Compared to the other nameplates on this list, the Honda HR-V is a relative newcomer, having only been on sale in North America since the 2016 model year. Slotting below the CR-V in Honda's crossover lineup, the HR-V is notable because, unlike other Honda models, this one has yet to offer a turbocharged or hybrid engine option. 

All HR-Vs sold in America have been powered by a traditional, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine — a 1.8-liter in the 2016-2022 model and a 2.0-liter in the 2023 and newer versions. While it might not have the latest tech under the hood, our time with the Honda HR-V has shown this subcompact SUV to be a very competitive player in the segment. Its old-school, naturally aspirated four-cylinder has also proven quite reliable.

The HR-V places 11th overall on the iSeeCars longest-lasting cars list, with a 17.6% chance of reaching 250,000 miles, or 3.3 times the average. The iSeeCars rankings don't differentiate by generation, but JD Power's scores show the newer model with a slightly higher 83-point reliability score than the earlier version's 76. It may be Honda's least expensive SUV, but the HR-V looks like it should still provide owners with lots of trouble-free miles.

Toyota has plenty of four-cylinder vehicles with strong reputations for longevity, including the Corolla, Camry, and Prius. One less-expected model, however, outperforms those bigger names in the iSeeCars study: the Toyota Avalon Hybrid. Toyota may have discontinued the Avalon sedan several years ago, but iSeeCars' numbers suggest the Avalon and Avalon Hybrid will be on our roads for a long time to come. 

Before being discontinued, the Avalon was available with either a naturally aspirated V6 engine or Toyota's proven 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain. Though both earn very high marks, powertrain choice does influence the Avalon's expected longevity.  The four-cylinder Avalon Hybrid has a 17.4% chance of lasting 250,000 miles, 3.2 times the average and good for 13th place overall.

While those are strong numbers, the non-hybrid, V6-powered Avalon does even better, coming in eighth with a 23.2% chance of making it to 250,000 miles. JD Power doesn't break down its scoring between the Avalon and the Avalon Hybrid, but the 2022 Avalon received an exceptional 91 out of 100 points in the quality and reliability category.

It probably comes as no surprise to see the ultra-popular Honda Civic perform well in iSeeCars' longevity study. Honda offers the Civic in a wide variety of flavors, from a fuel-sipping sedan to the fire-breathing Civic Type R hot hatchback, but they're all powered by a four-cylinder engine of some sort.

In recent years, Honda has sold the Civic with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a turbocharged four-cylinder, and a hybrid four-cylinder — but iSeeCars does not break the model by engine type. It does, however, separate the Civic sedan and Civic hatchback. In the overall longevity rankings, the Civic sedan comes in 15th with a 15% chance of lasting 250,000 miles, while the Civic hatchback places 18th with a 13.2% chance. 

JD Power's numbers back up the Civic's strong reliability, with an 84 out of 100 score for the 2025 model year. Starting in 2025, Honda added the ultra-efficient Civic Hybrid to the lineup and, if the Accord Hybrid is anything to go by, the Civic Hybrid could end up being the best choice for longevity — but time will tell.

We selected these four-cylinder vehicles based on where they ranked in iSeeCars' longevity rankings, regardless of vehicle category. To offer a more rounded picture of each vehicle, we drew on reliability information and general opinions from JD Power, Consumer Reports, Kelley Blue Book, and our own reviews.