A new study by the research firm We Predict reveals that buying a new General Motors sport-utility vehicle is going to cost a lot when it comes to maintenance. The study, released Monday, takes its data from service and warranty costs in the first year of ownership for the past four model years, from 2018 to 2021.
But 2021 GM SUVs stood apart in the survey, newly redesigned models that share their platform with the Silverado/Sierra pickup trucks.
Service costs skyrocket
According to the new survey, service and warranty costs for the Cadillac Escalade more than tripled to $1,115 in the first year, up from $341 for the previous-generation 2020 model. The same is true of the Escalade ESV, with costs skyrocketing to $1,030 in 2021 from $348 in 2020, thanks to the new platform.
Buyers will see similar maintenance cost escalation in the Escalade’s corporate cousins. The Chevrolet Tahoe shot to $668 in 2021 from $144 in 2020, with the Chevrolet Suburban rising to $722 in 2021 from $225. The GMC Yukon’s service and warranty costs also skyrocketed to $716 in 2021 from $193 in 2020, and the Yukon XL costing $719 in 2021 compared to $251 in 2020.
How the costs compare
Curiously, the pickup trucks that share their platforms didn’t see anywhere near that price increase, according to We Predict — although costs rose notably. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 saw its service costs rise to $378 in 2021 from $253 in 2020, while the GMC Sierra’s costs nearly doubled to $583 in 2021 from $299 in 2020.
This doesn’t bode well for the new models, which could earn a reputation for excessive maintenance costs as they age.
Competitors’ costs
The data is a stark contrast to Ford, where first year maintenance costs fell to $211 in 2021 from $412 in 2020, while Ford F-150 costs climbed slightly to $234 in 2021 from $211 in 2020. Ram 1500 pickups also saw slight increases, to $202 in 2021 from $170 in 2020, as did the Toyota Sequoia, to $209 in 2021 from $183 in 2020. In contrast, Nissan Titan costs plunged to $385 in 2021 from $1,090 in 2020.
But the high cost of maintaining a high-end SUV isn’t unusual.
We Predict states that maintaining a Mercedes-Benz GLS costs $1,108 in 2021, up from $736 in 2020. That compares with the GLE, which is far less costly at $651 in 2021, up from $632 in 2020. Or, consider BMW: its X7 cost $753 to maintain, up slightly from $688 in 2020. That’s better than the X5, which escalated to $819 in 2021, up from $534 in 2020.
Given the increasing complexity of new vehicles, and their dozens of CPUs and microchips, such costs aren’t surprising.
We have a 2019 Sierra Denali. I just had its regular maintenance done. The cost was $78 at the dealer (with coupon) – oil change, tire rotation, multi-point check. That is pretty cheap, although it may need another oil change this year.