In addition to the initial cost of purchasing a luxury car, maintenance costs during its usage is also a concern for many people who are considering upgrading from a regular car. Price quotes for luxury car maintenance and repairs, ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese Dong, have been shared on social media, causing confusion for potential luxury car owners.
Is luxury car maintenance as expensive as rumored?
There are many opinions that maintaining a luxury car is very costly. This is not entirely untrue.
According to estimates from an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership, the basic periodic maintenance every 8,000 km or 1 year is approximately 5 million Vietnamese Dong, excluding other incidental charges. Larger maintenance services will be significantly more expensive due to the need for more part replacements. If the car is equipped with an air suspension system, the cost of replacing each shock absorber can be up to 70 million Vietnamese Dong.
Genuine Mercedes-Benz car parts that need to be replaced can cost a fortune for car owners.
BMW car maintenance is also quite expensive for major services. According to a price quote from an authorized BMW dealership, the 40,000 km major service for a 5-Series is nearly 40 million Vietnamese Dong, and the 60,000 km service is over 13 million Vietnamese Dong. For minor maintenance services, the cost is a little over 3 million Vietnamese Dong. In summary, during the first 60,000 km, the average maintenance cost for the 5-Series is approximately 12 million Vietnamese Dong.
The reference price list for BMW 5-Series maintenance at an authorized dealership indicates high costs for major services.
However, it is not entirely accurate to say that the maintenance and repair costs of all luxury cars are very high.
According to a representative from the service department of a Lexus dealership in Hanoi, the cost of minor maintenance services for Lexus cars is a little over 3 million Vietnamese Dong, and if you take into account the average of major and minor maintenance services, the highest cost is still only about 6 million Vietnamese Dong per service. However, Lexus car owners do not have to pay for these services as the brand offers a policy of free maintenance, including labor and parts, for the first 3 years or 60,000 km.
In addition, the price of spare parts and components for Lexus cars is also much more reasonable compared to German car brands. For example, engine oil costs only about 240,000 Vietnamese Dong per liter, and a shock absorber for the ES series is priced at just over 7 million Vietnamese Dong. All genuine parts are clearly listed with their prices and import origins.
Lexus genuine cars come with free maintenance for 3 years or 60,000 km. The brand also offers lower prices for parts and components compared to other luxury car brands.
Which luxury car brand has the most affordable maintenance costs?
Currently, with the free maintenance policy, Lexus vehicles have the lowest maintenance costs. For the first 3 years or 60,000 km of usage (whichever comes first), Lexus owners will receive completely free maintenance services. This policy applies to all Lexus models sold by authorized dealers.
Following Lexus’ lead in offering free maintenance, Volvo has introduced a similar program. The Swedish brand also offers 3 years or 60,000 km of free maintenance (whichever comes first) to its customers. However, this maintenance package is offered as a promotion with a limited period, unlike Lexus, which publicly announces its after-sales policy on its website and includes it with every car.
Volvo offers free maintenance to its customers as a promotional add-on.
BMW is also joining the fray by offering support for car maintenance to its customers. According to a promotion from the brand, BMW owners will receive an 18% discount on parts, but this offer is only valid until the end of September this year. The dealership also mentioned that they are providing free maintenance packages to customers, but only for certain models.
In terms of warranty policy, Lexus is leading the way with a 5-year warranty with no mileage limit. Most other luxury car brands offer a 3-year or 100,000 km warranty (whichever comes first). Notably, Lexus offers a 7-year warranty on hybrid engine batteries with no mileage limit, while some other luxury car brands only offer a warranty on hybrid engine batteries that is equal to the vehicle’s warranty period. Volvo offers an 8-year warranty on hybrid car batteries but limits it to 160,000 km.
Not only in Vietnam but also worldwide, Lexus cars are known for their low maintenance costs. According to a survey by Consumer Reports, Lexus is the luxury car brand with the lowest maintenance and repair costs in the United States, with an average of only about 6,750 USD per car for the first 10 years. The corresponding figures for BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz are 9,500 USD, 9,890 USD, and 10,525 USD, respectively. Thus, among the four popular luxury car brands, Lexus has the lowest maintenance costs, while Mercedes-Benz incurs the highest maintenance and repair expenses for its owners.
The Lexus brand receives high reliability ratings from users.
Additionally, Lexus is the luxury car brand with the highest reliability rating in the United States in 2024, according to J.D. Power. This result is not surprising, as Lexus cars are also highly regarded by the majority of Vietnamese customers for their durability over the years.
