How much do you usually spend on RAV4 maintenance in the first 5 years vs the next 5?

Just wondering what kind of maintenance costs people are seeing with their RAV4s. Like how much do you think it adds up to in the first 5 years compared to years 5 to 10? Trying to get a rough idea of what to expect long term.

With ToyotaCare in the US, the first two years were pretty much free.

Over 5 years? Maybe a set of tires and a few oil changes after the free stuff ends. I’d guess under $1000 total.

Aldrin said:
With ToyotaCare in the US, the first two years were pretty much free.

Over 5 years? Maybe a set of tires and a few oil changes after the free stuff ends. I’d guess under $1000 total.

Do you mean $1000 total for 5 years, or $1000 every year?

@Ezri
Just total. I’ve got a 2021 with 36k miles and spent around $200 so far. Probably need tires soon. Maybe $100 more on car washes.

It really depends how much you drive.

I’d say under $1000 for the first 5 years unless you go with expensive tires.

For years 5 to 10, you’re out of free ToyotaCare so probably closer to $2000, depending what comes up.

Dane said:
I’d say under $1000 for the first 5 years unless you go with expensive tires.

For years 5 to 10, you’re out of free ToyotaCare so probably closer to $2000, depending what comes up.

Are those numbers for the whole 5 year chunks or per year?

@Ezri
Those are totals for each 5-year period.

If you’re hitting 100k miles in just a few years, that’s a different story. Most people don’t drive that much though.

Sidney said:
If you’re hitting 100k miles in just a few years, that’s a different story. Most people don’t drive that much though.

Yeah 100k that quick means you drive for work or something. Not the usual case.

I’ve got a 2020 with 65k miles and spent around $2000 total so far. Just regular stuff like oil changes and tires.

I’ve had mine for 4 years and 49k miles. Only thing I’ve replaced is tires. Paid about $800 for those and around $600 for dealer service plans after ToyotaCare ran out. So about $1400 total so far.

Depends if you’re sticking with dealer recommendations or doing your own thing. I’ve got a 2014 and follow a more detailed schedule. I’m 10 years in and spent about $6500 total.

Amory said:
Depends if you’re sticking with dealer recommendations or doing your own thing. I’ve got a 2014 and follow a more detailed schedule. I’m 10 years in and spent about $6500 total.

I’d probably follow what the dealer suggests, but open to hearing other approaches. $6500 over 10 years doesn’t sound bad, seems close to the average for Toyotas.

Mine’s at 150k miles after 6 years and I’ve averaged about 4.5 cents per mile in maintenance. Can share my full breakdown later if you want.

Ameliascarlet said:
Mine’s at 150k miles after 6 years and I’ve averaged about 4.5 cents per mile in maintenance. Can share my full breakdown later if you want.

Would love to see your list when you’ve got time.

@LillyGrace
Sure thing. I shared this before on this forum, but here’s my list again:

  • Oil changes: every 10k miles
  • Trans fluid: drain and fill every 50k
  • AWD service (diffs): every 50k
  • Brake fluid: every 3-4 years
  • Coolant: every 100k
  • Air filters: every 30k or sooner if dirty
  • Serpentine belt: around 75k
  • Spark plugs: around 75k to avoid them seizing
  • Brakes: as needed (I got 75k out of mine)
  • Tires: rotated every 5-10k
  • Battery: test once it starts getting old
  • Wipers: as needed, I use OEM inserts
  • Wash/wax/detail: quarterly
  • Lube door hinges and struts yearly

I’ve never done fuel injector service and only use top tier gas. Hope that helps.

First two years are covered with ToyotaCare. After that I used ToyotaCare Plus. It locks in pricing and might help if you ever need help from Toyota on out-of-warranty stuff. And resale is better with full records.

On my 2016 hybrid, 4 years and 95k miles cost about $2200 total. That includes oil changes, tires, and front brakes. My 2022 hybrid has 42k miles and so far I’ve spent $180 on two oil changes.

How much you drive makes a big difference.

I’ve got 125k miles and coming up on another service. New tires soon, front brakes again, wipers too. I’ve replaced air filters twice. I do the prepaid maintenance plan with Toyota which is $280 every 25k miles.