RedBook reveals service costs for popular SUVs

Research by vehicle valuation expert RedBook has demonstrated the expense shorter service intervals add to the running costs of a vehicle.

RedBook analysed the capped-price servicing costs of four different mid-size SUVs: the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, the popular Hyundai Tucson and the Renault Koleos.

All four offer identical service intervals in terms of time at one year, but distance in kilometres is 10,000km for the Mazda, 15,000km for both the Toyota and Hyundai, and a long 30,000km for the Renault.

The duration of the capped-price service schemes also varied; the Hyundai offer is unlimited, Toyota’s is 10 years/150,000km, Renault’s spans five years/150,000km and Mazda’s five-years/50,000km.

The models selected from each range were the Toyota RAV4 GX, Mazda CX-5 Maxx, Hyundai Tucson Active and Renault Koleos Life.

All were front-wheel drive automatics with 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, bar the 2.5-litre Renault.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the 19 million registered vehicles on local roads travelled an average of 13,400km each in the 12 months ending June 30, 2018.

The average for passenger vehicles dropped slightly to 12,600km.

RedBook analysed the fixed-price servicing costs of the four cars if they were driven 15,000km per year for three and five years, 20,000km for three and five years and 30,000km per year from three and five years.

No matter which cycle was used, the Mazda had to be serviced the most often. In five out of six case studies it was also the most expensive to service.

The only time it wasn’t the most expensive was the 15,000km/five-year cycle where it cost a total of $2400 to service seven times, compared to $2715 for the five services the Renault was scheduled for.

That reflects the fact that Renault charges $429 per service for four of the five years and $999 in year four.

The disadvantage for the Mazda CX-5 blows out to its most extreme if the vehicle is driven 30,000km per year for five years, or nearly three times the national annual average.

In that time the Mazda owner must service his vehicle 15 times compared to 10 for the Toyota and Hyundai and five times for the Renault.

That adds ups to a hefty $6240 for the CX-5 owner, compared to $4034 for the RAV4, $3440 for the Tucson and a budget-preserving $2715 for the Koleos.

That’s 56.5 per cent cheaper for the Renault owner under the brand’s Easy Life Ownership scheme launched last November.

“There’s a lot more to buying a car than negotiating the best purchase price,” said RedBook data services director Ross Booth. “Service costs are one of the major ongoing expense you will incur.

“So check the service intervals and the kilometres.

“If there is capped-price servicing then check that out too. Manufacturers have all that available online.”

What also becomes apparent through RedBook’s number crunching is the Toyota RAV4 is also cheaper to service if the kays are kept lower.

That’s not only because more service appointments cost more money, but also because the Toyota becomes more expensive as the kilometres mount.

The first five services are $215 each, but then they skyrocket. Service six at 90,000km is $820 and service eight at 120,000km is $965.

The Hyundai is the only vehicle among these four that never charges more than $500 for a service, topping out at $480 at 150,000km.

Booth made the point that capped-price servicing schemes were not all created equal, which added a layer of complexity to the challenge of deciding which was the most cost-effective.

He also made the point that retained vehicle values also affected the overall value calculation. For instance, a CX-5 owner will recoup a higher percentage of the purchase price after three years than a Koleos owner.

“There are many different factors to the overall value calculation,” Booth said. “Servicing is an important factor, but it’s not the only one.”

Carsales.com.au reported on Mazda’s short kilometre service intervals earlier this year. Mazda Australia said its position remained unchanged from that time.