12 Cheapest Cars to Maintain in Nigeria

Just like cars are sold for different prices, their cost of maintenance also differ. As an unsaid rule in the world of cars, luxury cars are the most expensive to maintain while cars manufactured by Asian companies appear to be relatively cheaper to maintain.

Although what a car is built for will definitely affect the cost of maintaining it, there are other factors that determine what maintaining a car will cost. Very prominent among them are driver’s driving pattern, frequency of routine maintenance and recurring problems.

This article contains a comprehensive list of the cheapest cars to maintain in Nigeria. A knowledge of this should help you make the right choice when buying a car.

The 12 cheapest cars to maintain in Nigeria are:

Toyota Camry

Just as Volkswagen is known as “the people’s car” in Germany, Toyota Camry can be called “the Nigerian people’s car”. Toyota Camry comes first on this list because of the ease with which it can be maintained. One major reason Toyota Camry is the easiest car to maintain is the availability and price of its parts.

To fully understand why Toyota Camry comes first on this list, I have put down a list of maintenance tips for Toyota Camry.

They are;

Oil Change

This should be done after every 5,000 miles or after 6 months

Brake Pad Change

This should be done after every 2,500 miles. It can be done earlier if you put very high demand on your brakes

Being the cheapest car to maintain in Nigeria does not make Toyota Camry free from problems. One common problem owners of thus car face is excessive consumption of oil. This is the only regular problem an owner of a Toyota Camry will have to face.

Toyota Tacoma

This is one of Toyota’s cheapest trucks. It was built to serve as an everyday car as well as for conveying goods. This vehicle is very suitable for Nigerian roads and does not break down easily. This attributes make it cheap to maintain.

At low and moderate mileages, Toyota Tacoma works excellently. However, at mileages above 100,000, issues might arise with the shifting of transmission.

Ideally, the following should be done to maintain Toyota Tacoma;

Oil and filters should be changed after every 5,000 miles

Fluid levels should be checked if need be after 5,000 miles. The same should be done with the brakes

Toyota Corolla

After Toyota Camry and Toyota Tacoma, this is most easily maintained vehicle in Nigeria. This car is easily maintained because apart from issues of water pump failure, it does not have any real recurring problem.

The oil level of this car should be checked after every 5,000 miles. Also due for a check after every 5,000 miles are its brake pads and drums.

Toyota Sienna

Toyota Sienna is commonly used by transporters in Nigeria. This fact is an attestation to its sturdiness and the ease with which it is maintained. This car is very durable and does not break down easily.

Toyota Yaris

Toyota Yaris is cheap and is not known to meet very high demands. Parts of Toyota Yaris are cheap and always readily available when they are needed. This car is known to have issues related to ignition. These issues are usually repetitive and are not associated with mileage. They are known to occur in Toyota Yaris models with mileages as low as 200.

Kia Optima

Kia Optima is the first non-Toyota product to make this list.  Although Kia Optima requires almost the same maintenance tips as other Toyota Cars, it is not as sturdy as they are. This relative weakness of its parts means they have to regularly undergo change.

Toyota Highlander

Toyota Highlander is the only Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle to make this list. Basically, this car costs more to maintain because of its size. Although it is very sturdy, it comes with bigger parts as compared to other Toyota cars. This simply means it will cost more to buy its parts when the need arises.

Honda Accord

Honda Accord is the cheapest Honda car to maintain in Nigeria. It does not cost a lot to carry out the basic routine maintenance on this car. However, its parts are a little expensive. As a result of this, any need for a replacement of parts will lead to a slightly high expenditure.

In addition to the price of its parts, Honda Accord usually comes up with transmission issues. If not properly fixed, this could lead to a high cost of maintaining this car.

Honda Civic

This is the next popular Honda product in Nigeria after Honda Accord. However, quite unlike Honda Accord, Honda Civic is not very durable. Although Honda Civic has cheap parts, it is not perfect for Nigerian roads and also has gear transmission issues.

Volkswagen Jetta

This car is both very sturdy and easy to maintain. This is one reason it is popularly used by cab drivers. Volkswagen Jetta is not known to break down frequently. As a result of this, it can be used for a long time before developing a fault.

Due to its durability and reliability of this car, it should have a higher position on this list. However, this is not so because it has a number of common problems. Some of them are transmission issues at a high mileage and the continuous running of electrical fan when the car gets turned off.

Lexus Rx300

Although Lexus Rx300 is not exactly luxurious, Lexus is the luxury version of Toyota.  Therefore Lexus Rx300 is the only luxurious vehicle to be on this list. Lexus Rx300 is one of the most popular cars on Nigerian roads. This car has been a regular sight on Nigerian roads for a period of 10 years.

Although this car does not have any serious issues, maintaining it might be a little demanding because of the cost of its parts.

Toyota RAV4

This Toyota SUV is known for its durability. Also, its parts are readily available when needed. Toyota RAV4 starts developing multiple issues after reaching a mileage of 70,000.

As cars get older, they become more difficult to maintain. However, it should be note that the age of a car is not calculated by how old it really is but by its mileage.

Let us know what you think about the cheapest cars to maintain in Nigeria in the comments section!

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