WASHINGTON — Nationwide, the average length of vehicle ownership is at nearly seven years and rising, but in the D.C region, many drivers are keeping cars even longer.
New and used vehicle marketplace and automotive research firm iSeeCars ranks Washington No. 9 among cities for long-term vehicle ownership. It says 11.4 percent of original owners have been driving their vehicles for 15 years or longer — 1 1/2 times the national average.
Baltimore ranks No. 4 for long-term vehicle ownership, with 12.9 percent of original owners holding on to cars for 15 years or longer.
The company also analyzed which models original owners in the D.C. area kept the longest.
The Toyota Prius tops the list in Washington, with 32.6 percent of original owners still driving them after at least 15 years. That is 4.2 times the national average.
Here are the top 10 vehicles in Washington that have been kept by their original owners for at least 15 years, and the percentage of original owners who kept them that long:
- Toyota Prius, 32.6 percent
- Volkswagen Golf, 31.8 percent
- Toyota Sienna, 29.2 percent
- Honda Pilot, 23.4 percent
- Toyota Tacoma, 20.8 percent
- Toyota Highlander, 19.4 percent
- Subaru Forester, 19.2 percent
- Audi TT, 19 percent
- Honda CR-V, 18.9 percent
- Chevrolet Malibu, 18.6 percent
Nationwide, iSeeCars analyzed more than 750,000 vehicles from the 1981 to 2003 model years sold in 2018.
Among the top 15 models, Toyota holds 10 spots, followed by Honda with three.
The top three spots across the nation are held by the Toyota Highlander, Toyota Prius and Toyota Sienna.
“Japanese vehicles are known for their quality and reliability, which is reaffirmed by the results of the list,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly.
See the results of iSeeCars long-term ownership research and analysis online.