Study Reveals the Cars Owners Keep for 10 Years

Looking to buy a used car that, above all else, has been in the faithful, caring hands of just one owner for its entire lifespan? A new study points you to the makes and models most likely to fulfill this primary concern. The automotive researchers at iSeeCars.com analyzed nearly 400,000 vehicle sales from the 2005 model year and determined the top tier of those most often purchased new and driven for 10 years by their one-and-only owners.

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"Cars kept by the original owners for a decade tend to be well-cared-for, in terms of actual maintenance and repairs as well as overall cleanliness," iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly said in a statement. "So a car shopper is likely to find more value than in a car that has been through multiple owners and with a history that may not be so straightforward."

That's why cars that made the list tended to be common family vehicles like SUVs, minivans and sedans as opposed to pickup trucks, which are often used intensely for work over shorter periods of time, or rental-fleet/lease stalwarts that typically change hands many times. They also tend to be from Japanese manufacturers that have reputations for reliability, with nine Toyotas and five Hondas dominating the top 15.

The No. 1 new car that owners keep for a decade, according to the iSeeCars report, is the Honda CR-V SUV. Nearly 29 percent of the original owners hung onto their CR-V's from 2005 to 2015. That's more than twice the overall average of 13.5 percent.

Here's iSeeCars' Top 15 New Cars Owners Hold Onto for 10 Years, followed by the percentage of those cars' owners who do so and how it compares to the average:

1. Honda CR-V SUV, 28.6 percent of original owners; 2.1 times the average

2. Toyota Prius hybrid, 28.5 percent; 2.1 times

3. Toyota RAV4 SUV, 28.2 percent; 2.1 times

4. Toyota Highlander SUV, 26.5 percent; 2 times

5. Honda Odyssey minivan, 25.6 percent; 1.9 times

6. Toyota Sienna minivan, 25.4 percent; 1.9 times

7. Toyota Camry sedan, 24.4 percent; 1.8 times

8. Toyota Avalon sedan, 23.8 percent; 1.8 times

9. Honda Pilot SUV, 23.3 percent; 1.7 times

10. Honda Element, 23.1 percent; 1.7 times

11. Subaru Forester, 22.9 percent; 1.7 times

12. Toyota Matrix, 22.6 percent; 1.7 times

13. Honda Accord, 22.1 percent; 1.6 times

14. Toyota Corolla, 21.5 percent; 1.6 times

15. Toyota 4Runner, 21.1 percent; 1.6 times