- A new report says the 2025 Honda Civic offers the best long-term value of any new vehicle.
- The study looked at new-cars prices and the longevity of those models to calculate a lifetime cost.
- The Corolla was second in the value table and Toyota secured four positions in the top 15.
If you’re the kind of buyer who likes to get maximum bang-per-buck and keeps a car for the long haul, make your next purchase Japanese. That’s the conclusion you can draw from a new study looking at the best-value 2025 vehicles on sale in America today.
Japanese brands locked out 14 of the first 15 places in the table, the only other nation getting a look in being Korea, with Kia. There were no European and no American-branded vehicles in the main list, though some US makes do appear in the by-segment lists, particularly the truck ones.
Related: The Top 5 Longest-Lasting Cars Are All Toyotas
The report by iSeeCars combined the new car price data for vehicles on sale in the latter part of 2024 with information complied for its previous longest-lasting cars study. Dividing the average new price by the expected lifespan gave a dollar price per year of ownership, which was then used to rank each vehicle.
We know there’s a slight disconnect here, because the lifespan data inevitably relates to models that are no longer on sale, and in many case the ones that are currently available have newer engines and technology whose life can’t yet accurately be predicted. But there’s still every reason to take the study very seriously.
Best new vehicles for the money
How did the Honda Civic top the overall best-value league table despite costing $2,300 more than the second-placed Toyota Corolla? It’s all down to the extra two years the Honda is expected to survive.
Though Honda took first place, it only has three vehicles in the overall list (including the Accord and CR-V), while Toyota dominated with four placings (Corolla, RAV4, Prius and Camry Hybrid).
The study’s authors note that the data doesn’t account for spending on service and maintenance, and that models from the likes of Kia as well as Hyundai (which doesn’t even figure in the top 15) could prove cheaper to own than some of the models that do appear due to their longer warranties.
Best new small SUVs for the money
The three top-rated small SUVS all cost around $2,400 per year, and are present in the overall vehicle list we looked at previously. But there’s a big jump to $2,925 for the fourth-placed Chevy Trailblazer, which is held back by its low 10-year lifespan (the CR-V is more expensive to buy, but good for 15 years).
Best new midsize SUVs for the money
Toyota dominates again in the midsize SUV table. Its Highlander comes first with a price per year of $3,489, and apart from the Ford Edge (second place, $3,533), Toyota-built products occupy every one of the first six positions. The Lexus RX 500h sneaks into 13th spot, too. And look how long the 500h and its RX 450h brother are expected to last: 15.7 years each. They could outlive the dog that made you buy an SUV in the first place.
Best new large SUVs for the money
Related: 2025 Buick Enclave Is Bigger, Prettier, And Techier
The external dimensions aren’t the only large things about these jumbo SUVs. So is the per-year costs relative to the numbers we’ve seen so far. The large SUV average is $7,888, but the best-rated Buick Enclave cuts that down to $5,555. And that’s despite it only lasting 9.6 years to the Lexus LX 600’s 16.4.
Best new midsize trucks for the money
Toyota’s Tacoma isn’t the cheapest midsize truck, but it’s the only one that costs less than $3,000 per year, thanks to its long expected lifespan.
Best new full-size trucks for the money
Yes, it’s another gold for Toyota, this time in the full-size truck category. Nissan’s Titan places second, but costs almost $500 per year more, again due to its short lifespan.
Best new hybrids for the money
By now you won’t be surprised to hear that the Prius is rated best-value hybrid, or that the Camry Hybrid is right behind it. Toyota and Lexus lock out another three places between them, the Hyundai Sonata is fifth and the Ford Escape Hybrid comes in eighth.
But the Escape’s 10-year predicted lifespan is shockingly poor. Given that 72-month loans are now commonplace, some buyers might have only just finished paying for the thing when it chokes.
iSeeCars also broke out the small and midsize cars into their own tables. We covered them earlier because they all feature in the overall best-value table, but we’ve included the data sheets below for reference.