Car search and research company iSeeCars analyzed over 900,000 5- and 10-year old cars sold between July and December 2025 and the odometer readings of almost 400 million used cars to compile a list of the most reliable used cars for the money.
It found that the average 5-year-old car costs $24,377 with an average remaining lifespan of 7.4 years, or $3,310 per year of remaining life. And the average 10-year-old car costs $14,195 with an average remaining lifespan of 5.9 years, or $2,415 per year of remaining life.
“The average 1- to 5-year-old used car still costs more than $30,000, or 50% more than they did five years ago,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “And even 10-year-old used cars average more than $14,000 in cost, making reliability and remaining lifespan the two most important factors to consider when buying a used vehicle.”
With half the average per-year cost of a 5-year-old car, the Honda Fit was ranked most reliable 5-year-old car for the money. Its average price of $18,445 and expected remaining lifespan of right at 11 years resulted in a $1,693 per-year cost.
The most reliable 10-year-old car for the money turned out to be the Nissan Leaf at an average price of $5,675 and average expected remaining lifespan of a hair over five years making its price per year $1,108. It's notably the first electric vehicle to lead the overall rankings.
The rest of the rankings are as follows:
5-year-old trucks: Ford Ranger
10-year-old trucks: Nissan Frontier
5-year-old SUV: Buick Encore
10-year-old SUV: Jeep Compass
5-year-old passenger cars: Honda Fit
10-year-old passenger cars: Nissan Leaf
5-year-old hybrids and EVs: Toyota Prius
10-year-old hybrids and EVs: Nissan Leaf
