Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes: Which Costs the Most to Maintain?
FixMyCar looks at which premium German manufacturer makes the cheapest cars to maintain.
Compare maintenance pricesEllie Dyer-Brown
Tuesday April 23 2024
2 min read
BMW, Mercedes and Audi are three of the most popular car makes, but which is the cheapest to maintain? Find out in this guide.
Methodology
We compared the maintenance prices of BMW, Audi and Mercedes using data from FixMyCar collected in 2023. All prices in this guide are averages.
We added the prices from the following categories to create a total annual maintenance cost for each model:
Average annual maintenance costs
| Maintenance type | BMW | Audi | Mercedes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full service | £202.33 | £198.70 | £206.15 |
| Interim service | £142.28 | £139.32 | £146.09 |
| MOT | £43.55 | £43.57 | £43.97 |
| Aircon regas | £68.50 | £71.29 | £75.19 |
| Total | £456.66 | £452.88 | £471.40 |
As you can see from the table, Audi is the cheapest manufacturer for maintenance, though BMW isn't far away, with a total cost that's just £3.78 higher.
Data insights
The manufacturer with the cheapest full service price is Audi at £198.70. The most expensive is Mercedes, costing £206.15 on average.
The story is the same for an interim service. The average price for an Audi is £139.32; for a Mercedes car, it costs £146.09.
In the MOT category, BMW owners come out on top with the cheapest average price: £43.55. Mercedes is the most expensive, with a price of £43.97.
When it comes to aircon regas, BMW proves to be the most cost-effective choice, with an average price of £68.50, compared to £75.19 for Mercedes.
Which brand is the most expensive overall for maintenance?
Mercedes has the highest average maintenance costs of the three, and this is the case right across the board. However, prices vary between models, so the best way to get an accurate estimate is to request quotes through FixMyCar.
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