Car maintenance cost comparison Part 3: Mid-size SUVs

We carry on from Part 2 of our Maintenance Cost Comparison, which dealt with Premium and Executive Sedans, and bring you Part 3, which takes on a popular segment – Mid-size SUVs.

• Maintenance costs calculated over 60,000km
• Mid-size SUV maintenance costs compared
• Factors in service parts & life, labour rates and service intervals

SUVs are all the rage now and this segment has been hugely popular, all the way since it was born with the Renault Duster back in 2012, with a number of customers as well as players.

Just how much does the overall maintenance for these SUVs cost over 60,000km? Read on to find out, and be sure to check out our criteria and methodology for this detailed study in Part 1, which dealt with Premium and Executive SUVs.

Midsize SUV maintenance cost comparison

Comprising of blockbuster models like the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta, this segment also includes other biggies like the Renault Duster petrol and the ladder-frame Mahindra Scorpio.

Unfortunately, Maruti and Nissan didn’t wish to participate in this study. However, we did manage to source the costs for the S-Cross petrol from various dealer sources. Thus, the prices for the S-Cross should be treated as estimates.  

• All the models in this segment have a one year or 10,000km service interval.

• The Hyundai Creta is the most economical to run in this segment, with the lowest part prices and the most affordable labour rates.

• What’s interesting is that, contrary to the popular notion of turbo-petrols being more expensive to run, Hyundai’s turbo-petrol costs only about as much as the regular 1.5-litre petrol version.

• The Renault Duster is the only one that warrants a coolant and fan belt/drivebelt change every 48 months, thus adding to its costs.

• Hyundai and Kia share the same engine as well as several parts, but the newer entrant in the market, the Kia Seltos, is a bit more expensive to run than the Hyundai.

• Because the S-Cross petrol shares its engine with the Brezza, the cost of spares and also the service is identical. However, the total cost itself is a bit higher than its competitors, making this petrol crossover the most expensive to run.

• Mahindra charges for labour only from the 30,000km service onwards, but the Scorpio is costlier to run due to the comparatively higher costs of oil change every 10,000km and air filter change every 20,000km.

Did you find this maintenance cost comparison helpful? Tell us what you think in the comments section, and stay tuned for more maintenance cost comparison surveys of other segments that are coming soon.