The Mazda With the Highest Annual Maintenance Costs Just Got Canceled
Car maintenance costs, and thereby reliability, are vital factors to consider when shopping for a new or used car. That’s because constant or costly repairs can quickly negate a low sale price. So, how does Mazda fare? According to RepairPal, one Mazda stands out as the model with the highest annual maintenance cost among the brand’s offerings, and it was just recently discontinued.
Mazda has a strong reliability rating among major automakers
According to RepairPal, Mazda models are some of the most affordable cars and SUVs to maintain. The website ranks Mazda at No. 5 out of 32 brands for its reliability rating, which is based on annual repair costs, the frequency of repairs, and their severity.
The annual average repair cost for all Mazda models is $462, well below the average of $652 across all 32 major brands. Mazda models require an average of 0.4 trips to a repair shop per year, which is on par with the average across the industry. Roughly 10% of Mazda repairs are considered “severe,” which is lower than the probability across the automotive industry.
Mazda’s average annual maintenance costs are slightly below Honda’s, which leads all automakers at $428 annually. Toyota models require an average of $441 annually, but Mazda ranks higher overall for a lower probability of “severe” repairs. Nissan ranks No. 8 on the list, with an average repair cost of $500 across all models.
The CX-9 has the highest annual maintenance costs among Mazda models
It is expected that a brand’s biggest and most expensive model will require the highest annual maintenance costs, and while that’s not true across all automakers, it rings true for Mazda. Among all Mazda models, the midsize, three-row CX-9 has the highest annual repair costs with an average of $539 per year, nearly $80 per year more than the average Mazda. YourMechanic, meanwhile, lists the average annual maintenance costs of the CX-9 at $661.
RepairPal lists hard shifts/transmission slips, water damage to the body control module, and chirps/squeaks from the front of the CX-9 as the model’s most commonly reported issues.
The CX-9’s high repair costs among the brand will soon only be relevant on the used market as the model has been pushed out in favor of Mazda’s new midsize three-row SUV.
The CX-9 has been discontinued to pave the way for the slightly larger CX-90
The CX-9 has served as Mazda’s largest SUV since debuting in 2006, but the model’s run is over as the 2023 model year serves as its last. The CX-9 has been discontinued as the Japanese automaker replaces it with the slightly larger and more luxe CX-90.
Notably, the CX-90 is now available with a range of drivetrain choices, including a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six and a more powerful variant delivering up to 340 horsepower. The CX-90 can also be had as a plug-in hybrid with 323 hp from its 2.5-liter inline-four and 68-kWh electric motor.
The Mazda CX-90 also sports larger overall dimensions than the model it replaces, which results in slightly better cargo and passenger space. The CX-90 is fitted with a larger standard touchscreen (10.3 inches versus a 7-inch display in the CX-9), a digital gauge cluster, and additional connectivity over the outgoing model. Additionally, the CX-90 can be differentiated from the CX-9 by its slightly boxier outward appearance.
While the CX-90, debuting for the 2024 model year, is a notable upgrade over the CX-9, the two models are priced similarly. The 2023 CX-9 started just above $40,000, while the 2024 CX-90 rings in at $40,970. However, the range-topping CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus is priced significantly higher at $59,950 MSRP.
