How much does car maintenance cost?

When you own a car, you’re paying for more than just gas and insurance. Every year, there are also maintenance costs to keep it running properly and safe to drive. But oil changes, tires, brakes and batteries all add up over time. How much you actually spend will depend on your car, how much you drive and where you live. Here’s what those costs might look like in Canada.

What do most people spend in a year on car maintenance in Canada?

Maintenance costs tend to increase over time as vehicles age. Based on a few different Canadian estimates, for a typical Canadian passenger car in 2026, routine car maintenance usually works out to somewhere between $500 and $1,500 per year, depending on the age and model of your car, how much you drive and where you live.

That works out to a monthly average of about $40 to $125, which lines up with Statistics Canada’s figure of the average Canadian household spending around $79 per month on vehicle maintenance and repair costs.

But that doesn’t mean you’ll end up spending that much every single month. Some months may cost you nothing, while others may cost you a couple hundred dollars or more. For example, you only need to change your oil every three to six months, not every month.

How much does car maintenance cost?

Most routine maintenance schedule costs come from the same few items that come up again and again. Here are the average ranges for many routine services at dealerships and shops in Canada:

These are typical ranges, not guarantees. They’re based on typical pricing at various Canadian dealerships and independent shops in 2025 and they assume a standard passenger vehicle.

Actual costs and intervals vary by city, province, shop, parts availability and vehicle. Always confirm pricing locally and refer to your OEM’s recommended maintenance schedule before making decisions.

Putting that together

Seeing the price ranges is helpful, but it may be easier to understand what maintenance really costs when you look at how those services tend to show up over a full year. When you add it all up, an ordinary maintenance year may look something like this:

That’s about $1,010 per year, which fits neatly into the $500–$1,500 range most people experience.

*Rough cost estimates for each service are based on the average price ranges in the previous table.

What do different types of cars usually cost to maintain?

Here’s a rough idea of what people might spend each year on maintenance for different types of vehicles, assuming average Canadian driving (around 20,000 kilometres a year):

These ranges include routine things like engine oil, tires, brakes and filters. They don’t include accidents or major failures, such as a transmission or engine issue. Those are more unpredictable, so they’re generally kept separate from normal maintenance costs. They also don’t include car insurance premiums.

How do maintenance and repair costs differ by car brand?

Your annual costs can vary a lot by brand. European luxury brands are generally the most expensive to maintain, while some North American brands, like Lincoln and Buick, tend to cost less than every other mainstream or luxury brand.

While Toyota is often praised for its low maintenance costs, recent Consumer Reports rankings placed Buick and Lincoln ahead, with Toyota coming in third. At the other end of the scale, brands like Land Rover, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz ranked among the most expensive, with Land Rover’s 10-year maintenance costs coming in at nearly four times those of Buick.

Electric vehicle maintenance vs. gas cars

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a bit different to maintain, but they don’t remove maintenance altogether. There are a few routine maintenance costs that simply don’t exist with an EV. They don’t need oil changes, spark plugs or exhaust work. They also use their brakes less because of their regenerative braking, which helps to slow the car before the pads do much of the work. That usually means brake pads and rotors last longer than they do on a gas car. But most of the other wearable items are still there. For example, EV owners still need to pay for:

• Tires

• Suspension and steering parts

• Cabin filters

• Coolant, pumps and hoses for battery thermal systems

• Wipers

• Brakes (eventually)

• Software or sensor issues

In practice, that’s why many EV owners end up closer to the $250 to $900 range each year, compared with roughly $500 to $1,500 for a gas vehicle. So EVs are usually cheaper to maintain, but they aren’t maintenance-free.

What are the biggest cost drivers in Canada for car maintenance?

A few things have a much bigger effect on maintenance costs than most people expect. If you know what they are, it’s easier to make sense of why your own car costs what it does. Let's take a closer look:

The kind of car you drive

Bigger, heavier vehicles tend to cost more to maintain because they use larger tires and brakes, which are more expensive when they eventually need replacing. Luxury and performance cars can push costs higher still. They often rely on model-specific parts that cost more and aren’t always easy to source, which can increase both repair time and labour costs.

How much you drive your car

Most maintenance schedules are based on kilometres driven, not the calendar, which is why two drivers can spend very different amounts on the same car. Someone driving 25,000 kilometres a year will reach oil changes, tire rotations and brake service much sooner than someone driving 10,000. Once a car reaches roughly 80,000 to 160,000 kilometres, maintenance costs often rise as larger wear items like brakes and suspension parts start needing replacements.

Where you drive your car

City driving wears brakes faster because of constant stop-and-go traffic. Rough roads and potholes are harder on suspension and steering parts. And in much of Canada, winter road salt can speed up corrosion underneath the car, which can shorten the life of brake lines, exhaust parts and fasteners.

Where you bring your car for service

Dealerships usually charge higher hourly rates and use original parts, which will generally cost you more. Independent shops often have lower rates and more flexibility.

Inflation and rising costs

Even if nothing about your car changes, prices still do. Statistics Canada shows that vehicle parts, maintenance and repair costs were more than 22% higher in late 2024 than in 2019. Labour and parts simply cost more than they used to.

What’s the best way to budget for car maintenance?

There are two common ways people tend to handle car maintenance costs. Some people pay as they go. They just deal with each bill whenever it shows up. But that only works if you have enough room in your budget to absorb a $300 or $500 surprise now and then.

Others use what’s known as a maintenance sinking fund. It’s where you set aside a small amount each month and use it only for service and repairs. Kind of like your car having its own savings account.

If you buy a new car, repairs are usually minimal while it’s under warranty. Most of your maintenance costs during that time are oil changes, plus the occasional fluid service or alignment. Once the warranty ends, it makes sense to set aside a bit more each year as the car ages for scheduled service and the occasional unexpected repair. It may look something like this:

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