- How does iSeeCars determine potential lifespan?
- Honda Odyssey & Toyota Sienna go nearly 240k miles
- How far can these vans really go?
The minivan may not be the darling of the family-hauler class the way it was 15 years ago, but their use of space remains unparalleled. The most common critique of the family 3-row SUV is typically related to the third row. Not many are actually suited to adults—or people with legs. Unless you’re over 6 feet tall, minivans are usually pretty comfortable in the third row.
More important than the need for comfortable seating, most families need their vehicles to take some abuse and rack up some miles. iSeeCars has done a study to determine the minivans with the greatest potential lifespan. According to the study, only two have a potential lifespan of over 225,000 miles.
2023 Toyota Sienna | Toyota
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How does iSeeCars determine potential lifespan?
To make the lists as accurate as possible, iSeeCars analyzed over 2 million cars between January and October of 2022. Compared to the 282 million vehicles registered in the United States, that may not seem like a huge number, but it is a good enough sample size to get a reasonably accurate idea of a vehicle’s average longevity.
The criteria for these 2 million cars were as follows: no heavy-duty trucks or commercial vehicles were counted, and only models that had 10 years of production between 2002 and 2021 were counted.
Additionally, only vehicles still being produced as of 2020 were considered for the list. For the cars that fit this criteria, the top 1% in mileage was then used to compile the rankings. In other words, the highest mileage examples within the 2 million vehicles analyzed make up the top 1%.
The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna were the only minivans with a top 1% eclipsing 225,000 miles. Let’s take a closer look at these vans.
Honda Odyssey & Toyota Sienna go nearly 240k miles
Unsurprisingly, the top two vehicles on iSeeCars list are from Honda and Toyota. Both companies have built a reputation for reliability. The Dodge Grand Caravan and Kia Sedona are also on this list, but only manage to eclipse 200k miles.
Coming in second place is the Honda Odyssey with a “potential lifespan” of 235,852 miles. Given the Honda has been using a variation of the J35 V6 since the 2nd generation began in 1999, it’s not all that surprising that there are quite a few high-mileage Odysseys out there.
Honda, like Toyota, tends to slowly develop and improve their powertrains over many years resulting in some pretty bulletproof engines and transmissions.
The minivan with the highest “potential lifespan” is the Toyota Sienna at 239,607 miles. Like Honda, Toyota has been slowly developing their 2GR-FE and later the 2GR-FKS since the 2GR-FE was introduced for the Sienna in 2007.
Both engines, like the engine in the Odyssey are 3.5L V6’s and both have very good reputations for reliability and durability.
How far can these vans really go?
You may be wondering what “potential lifespan” means for the overall longevity of these vehicles. When asked about the term, iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said, “And to be clear, this study isn’t reporting the maximum lifespan of these vehicles. This is simply a measure of current odometer readings. Most of these cars are still in use and going strong.”
That being the case, there are likely vehicles on the list that have higher mileage, but were not included in the 2 million car sample size, so if you’re shouting at the screen that your Odyssey has 310,000 miles—iSeeCars has recognized that their list is not 100% comprehensive.
However, it’s safe to say that these Japanese-made minivans are some of the best you can buy. Naturally, no car is perfect and both the Sienna and Odyssey have had some issues here and there, but studies like these prove the continued longevity of vehicles made by Honda and Toyota.
Keyword: 2 Minivans With the Best Chance to Last Over 225K Miles