The most overlooked SUV that will last a lifetime

Last year, Americans bought hundreds of thousands of Toyota RAV4, Tesla Model Y and Honda CR-V SUVs. America’s appetite for SUVs seems insatiable. This much becomes clear when you take a cursory glance at the country’s list of bestsellers. However, the US market didn’t spend its hard-earned money on the nameplate that would likely go the distance: an oft-overlooked, hulking three-row Toyota SUV.

It is the Toyota Sequoia, currently the largest SUV that you can find in the brand’s extensive range. The extra real estate makes it a pricier proposition than its smaller siblings in Toyota’s SUV lineup. As such, Americans often overlook the Sequoia. Instead, SUV buyers are choosing to buy many times more of its competitors, such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition. However, Toyota’s large SUV is at the end of its vehicle life and has the industry’s best chance of continuing to rack up massive six-figure mileage.

The Toyota Sequoia is the longest-lasting SUV available

According to a 2025 iSeeCars Research into vehicle lifespan shows that the Toyota Sequoia offers car buyers the absolute highest chance of seriously high mileage. Specifically, the Sequoia has a 39.1 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles. That’s enough to put the three-row Toyota SUV in first place. Not only within the segment, but industry-wide. Among SUVs, the Toyota Sequoia is 9.1 times more likely to travel a quarter of a million miles than the segment average of 4.3 percent. The chance that the car will reach that mileage is also 31.4 percent greater than a comparable Chevrolet Tahoe.

The Sequoia is 8.1 times more likely to reach the magic mileage of 250,000 miles than the industry-wide average. Executive analyst Karl Brauer of iSeeCars applauded the Toyota Sequoia for its ability to last. “Given that the average car has a 4.8 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles, even the lowest-ranked model, Acura’s MDX, is still nearly twice as likely to see that mileage. The top-ranked Toyota Sequoia is truly impressive. With a predicted 39.1 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles, the Sequoia is more than eight times as likely to hit that milestone as the average vehicle.” In short, according to iSeeCarsAccording to the sustainability study, the Sequoia is simply the longest-lasting vehicle in existence.

Longest lasting, but not best selling

The Toyota Sequoia may be on the list of the longest-lasting cars, SUVs, minivans and trucks, but the overlooked Toyota SUV is nowhere to be found among the industry’s best sellers. In October of this year, American buyers took home 21,078 Toyota Sequoias. While that’s significantly more than the hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to Toyota’s more popular, smaller SUVs.

Toyota sales figures (2024)

In fact, the Toyota Sequoia isn’t even on track to match last year’s sales figures. In 2025, Toyota sold 26,097 units of the large three-row SUV. It was a record year, an increase of 5,540 on the previous year. But as 2025 draws to a close, the Sequoia likely won’t achieve the same sales numbers as last year. As a result, the Sequoia is nowhere near Toyota’s top sellers, such as the RAV4, Camry, Corolla, Tacoma or Highlander.

A reputation for reliability

The Toyota Sequoia may have taken the top spot among the longest-lasting SUVs, pickup trucks, passenger cars and minivans. But it is far from alone. As far as automakers go, Toyota as a brand has a 17.8 percent chance of reaching 250,000 miles. That is 13 percent higher than the industry average for all car manufacturers. Toyota holds many of the top spots on the list of long-lived vehicles. JD power Toyota routinely ranks among the top five brands in the annual Vehicle Dependability Survey. This year, Toyota took fourth place, just behind Mazda. Lexus, Toyota’s luxury car manufacturer, took the crown as the most reliable brand. In the 2024 Vehicle Dependability Survey, Lexus and Toyota were the first and second most reliable brands, respectively. In short, Toyota’s reputation for reliability is well-founded.

Toyota has six of the ten longest journeys

According to the longest-running vehicle study, the Toyota Sequoia is far from the brand’s only marathon runner. In fact, Toyota has six of the top 10 vehicles that are likely to drive 155,000 miles. Just behind the Sequoia, the Toyota 4Runner and Highlander Hybrid occupy numbers two and three. Both SUVs have a better than 30 percent chance of driving a quarter of a million miles, almost seven times the industry average.

If you expand the scope a bit, Toyota continues to dominate the rankings with 10 of the 25 longest-lasting cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans. That is a significantly larger share than Honda, which captured five of the top 25 places. Additionally, Lexus, Toyota’s luxury car brand, has four of the longest-lasting nameplates on the list: the Lexus IS, the Lexus GX, the Lexus RX hybrid, and the standard, non-hybrid Lexus RX.

The largest and most expensive Toyota SUV

Toyota’s smaller, more affordable offerings dominate the brand’s sales figures. The 2026 Toyota Sequoiaon the other hand, is on the larger and more expensive side. For 2026, the three-row Sequoia is the largest SUV in the brand’s lineup, measuring nearly 18 feet long and weighing more than 6,000 pounds in AWD form. As for price, the entry-level 2026 Toyota Sequoia SR5 starts at around $66,120. By comparison, the smaller, more popular Toyota Highlander starts at $47,240. At the top of the lineup, the Toyota Sequoia Capstone commands closer to $86,530.

Pricing information Toyota Sequoia 2026

Should you buy it?

We’ve determined that the Toyota Sequoia has the potential to go a long way. But does that make it a good buy? If you’re looking for the longest-lasting SUV with optional AWD and room for the whole family, a Sequoia is one of the best options on the market. However, some competitors in the Toyota Sequoia’s segment surpass it in overall usability.

The 2026 Chevrolet Tahoefor example, offers 25.5 cubic feet of cargo space, 3.2 more than the Sequoia. And with the third row stowed, the Tahoe will swell to a whopping 123 cubic feet, much more than the Toyota. If you want it to last, the Toyota Sequoia gets top marks. But it’s just not as spacious or utilitarian as some of its closest rivals.

Sources: iSeeCars, Good carBad car, JD power