This Luxury Sedan Is More Likely To Hit 250,000 Miles Than Any Pickup Truck

9 minutes reading

Tuesday, 6 Oct 2026 10:00 0 10 autotech

Luxury sedans and high-end cars aren’t always known for their longevity records. If we buy new, we tend to buy them to look good now and then swap them in later. SUVs, pickup trucks, and mainstream cars are usually the ones to go for if you want to see huge mileage and fuss-free driving for years.

Pickups Don’t Have A Monopoly On Longevity

Front 3/4 shot of 2027 Toyota Tundra Trailhunter parked off-road

Toyota

While we usually look toward the pickup truck market for a vehicle that is built to tackle the wild, the work site, towing, and seeing hundreds of thousands of miles, when it comes to the data, they are generally not the best choice. According to iSeeCars, the pickup truck with the highest chance of reaching 250,000 miles is the Toyota Tundra. They say it has a 28.2 percent chance of reaching a quarter of a million miles, which makes it 5.3-times more likely than the average vehicle.

Heavy-Duty Trucks Are Built To Take Serious Mileage, But Few Reach 250,000 Miles

Front 3/4 shot of 2025 Ram 2500 HD parked

Bigger is not always better. Heavy-duty trucks look the part, are generally overbuilt, tend to be equipped with a massive low-stress engine, and can tow and haul things around for years, but they don’t tend to reach a quarter of a million miles as often as some of their smaller counterparts.

There is an example of a late ’90s Ram 3500 HD reaching 2.86 million miles after a lot of care and attention, but when it comes to iSeeCars’ estimates, the likelihood of the most popular HD trucks reaching 250,000 miles is much lower than one might expect.

The Lexus LS Has A 38.8-Percent Chance Of Reaching 250,000 Miles

Front 3/4 shot of 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritag Edition in black parked

Lexus proves yet again that you don’t need a huge vehicle for longevity. The Lexus LS sedan is estimated by iSeeCars to have a 38.8 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles. And this is a luxury sedan.

Production of Lexus’ flagship sedan comes to an end this year with the 2026 Lexus LS 500, so now could be the time to try and get a new one to hold on to. Lexus says the final edition of the LS has an MSRP of just shy of $100,000.

LS Outlasts Every Pickup In The 2026 Study

Profile shot of 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition parked

Front 3/4 action shot of 2024 Ram 3500 Limited towing trailer

Not only does the Lexus LS have a higher chance of reaching a quarter of a million miles than one might expect from a vehicle built for a refined, comfortable, and sporty ride all at the same time, but it is estimated to outlast every truck on the market.

iSeeCars says that the Ram 3500 has the highest chance, at 31.9 percent; then there is the Sierra 3500 HD, with a 26.2 percent chance; the Tacoma, with a 25 percent chance; and the Sierra 2500 HD, with a 17.2 percent chance. To date, the highest-mileage Lexus LS model, an LS 400, has been reported with over a million miles on the clock.

At 228,218 Miles Average, The LS Outlives Most Cars By Nearly A Decade

Rear shot 2026 Lexus LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition

The car with the highest mileage is still Irv Gordon’s Volvo P1800S, which has over three million miles on the clock, and while we haven’t seen an LS with that kind of mileage yet, a million miles from one is quite a feat. With a 38.8 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles, and an average estimated lifespan of 228,218 miles, or around 25 years, the LS is by far one of the longest-lasting cars you can buy.

The Engineering Decisions That Make A $100,000 Sedan Last 25 Years

Front 3/4 shot of 2025 Lexus LS F SPORT parked

Lexus has some sort of secret recipe on how to create a car that can last, while still adding in the fancy features that make them so nice to own and drive.

There is no shortage of Lexus models that are known to go forever, and at the heart of why this keeps happening is Lexus’ work with Takumi Masters, a commitment to not changing things for the sake of progress, using proven components, sensible engineering decisions, and adding features that are genuinely useful.

This all pays dividends, and while quicker sprint times may be found in a BMW sedan, when it comes to dependability, no one is beating Lexus at the moment. According to the 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Survey, Lexus has the lowest reported problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).

Lexus Scores 151 PP100 — Nearly 25% Better Than The Industry Average

The market averagePP100 is currently 204. Lexus has a reported 151 PP100. Not only is that significantly lower thanthe industry average, but it is also noticeably lower than Buick, which is in second place with 160 PP100.

The current-generation LS rides on the GA-L platform, which is shared with the LC 500 Coupe, and is made from a high-tensile aluminum and steel blend, providing rigidity and a relatively lightweight build. For the current model, Lexus also added REDS (Resin-Damped Structure), which introduces a strengthened center tunnel alongside thermosetting resin into braces around the rear suspension, which soaks up harsh road vibrations.

Double-joint ball multi-link suspension is also used at the front and rear as standard, which consists of multi-link rear suspension for agility and double-ball joint upper arms to help distribute the weight evenly. These may sound like unremarkable details for a plush sedan, but they do help to keep it from shaking apart or being subjected to undue stress for mile after mile.

Luxury Doesn’t Mean The Powertrain Can’t Take A Beating

Close-up shot of 2025 Lexus LS engine bay

Then there is the engine under the hood. The 2018–2026 LS is equipped with a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V35A-FTS V6 good for 416 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 442 pound-feet of torque at between 1,600 and 4,800 rpm. Power is sent through a hardy Aisin ten-speed Direct Shift automatic to all four wheels via all-wheel drive and a Torsen limited-slip differential.

0–60 mph times have been clocked at around 4.6 seconds, which is respectable, but where the LS’s engine truly excels is in how it is built for both responsive performance and long-term durability. Torque is delivered low in the rev range, which means the engine doesn’t have to overstress itself to produce meaningful output, and it is conservatively tuned to prioritize engine integrity over outright, track-focused performance.

The V35A-FTS is also overbuilt in all the right places, with heavy-duty rotating assemblies, robust cooling systems, strong cylinder walls, cast-iron main bearing caps, a hefty double-sided timing chain, and metal overlay bearing liners, all of which help handle the higher heat and pressure demands of turbo technology.

250,000 Miles Changes How You See The LS

Front 3/4 action shot of 2025 Lexus LS driving on road

Shot of 2026 Lexus LS Heritage Edition interior showing front cabin

Buying a used current-gen LS 500 can be a shrewd move if you are looking for real comfort and luxury performance that should last. According to owners who left a review on Kelley Blue Book, 88 percent would recommend one, and they have rated it 4.5 out of 5 overall, 4.5 out of 5 for comfort, 4.6 out of 5 for value, performance, and styling, 4.8 out of 5 for quality, and 4.9 out of 5 for reliability. One owner sums it up nicely.

Less maintenance, less costly upkeep, absolutely no exterior or interior flaws (problems), incredibly good highway mileage of 28 to 35 mpg. Just a “nice car”, that will be as good with 200,000 miles as it is with 30,000 . . ..guaranteed!

CarEdge also says that, for a luxury sedan, the LS 500 is cheap to maintain, with an annual five-year maintenance bill of just $2,239. There have also been a lot of owners on forums saying that they have put lots of miles on their models with just simple maintenance.

However, you should be aware that while the LS is famously tough, some things can crop up. The LS 500 does not offer as much technology as some of its rivals, but owners have reported massaging seat malfunctions, non-working HUDs, and other electrical issues in models with 50,000 miles or more on the clock.

Rear 3/4 action shot of 2025 Lexus LS 500 driving on road

The LS 500 also tips the scales at around 4,900 pounds, and despite Lexus’ best efforts, some owners of high-mileage models have reported that suspension components can wear out over time. RepairPal estimates that replacing the shocks or strut can cost up to $7,825. Obviously, depending on who you buy from, the leather interior could also need some TLC after a quarter of a million miles.

By the time 250,000 miles have been put on an LS 500, even the most recent and final edition will likely seem somewhat dated compared to whatever will be available in 20 years or so. With an LS, though, that won’t matter so much. The Japanese marque has long been expert at providing classic luxury in a modern package that ages gracefully. We expect the last LS to do the same thing.

Front 3/4 action shot of 2024 Lexus LS driving on road

U.S.-wide, it is very hard to find a 2026 model for sale; Lexus only made 250 to send it off, so we could be seeing a future collector’s item here. Currently, Classic.com says that the average auction price for a 2024 model is just over $82,000, and that isn’t a final edition model.

There is no guarantee that a Lexus LS will last 250,000 miles; maintenance is key, and keeping on top of consumables is always more important than fitting a larger turbocharger. However, with odds like iSeeCars has given the LS, even compared to work vehicles, it is the kind of luxury sedan that could make it.