Car maintenance cost comparison Part 5: Mid-size sedans

Moving ahead from Part 2 of the premium and executive sedan segment, part 3 and part 4 of our maintenance cost study, we now present part 5 comprising of the mid-size sedan segment.

• Maintenance costs calculated over 60,000km
• Mid-size sedans maintenance costs compared
• Factors in parts cost and service life, labour ex-Delhi costs inclusive of taxes

The mid-size sedan segment may have had its market share eaten into by compact SUVs and mid-size SUVs lately, but it remains a desirable and aspirational vehicle type that many Indians still flock to as they upgrade from their hatchbacks.

In fact, this year alone has seen many big changes in the segment. The Maruti Ciaz has ditched its diesel engine, as have the Vento and Rapid, which have gained an all-new 1.0 turbo-petrol engine instead. The Verna was given a comprehensive facelift with three all-new engines, and of course, a brand-new generation of the Honda City was launched.

All these new developments will have undoubtedly brought a renewed interest to the mid-size sedan segment, and if you're in the market for one, be sure to refer to this study when making your decision.

Unfortunately, Maruti did not wish to participate in this study. However, we did manage to source the costs for the Ciaz from various dealer sources. Thus, the prices for the Ciaz should be treated as estimates.

Just how much does the overall maintenance for these sedans cost over 60,000km? Read on to find out, and be sure to check out our criteria and methodology for this detailed study in Part 1, which dealt with Premium and Executive SUVs.

Mid-size sedans maintenance cost comparison

• Honda City and Hyundai Verna are the only two sedans which offer a diesel engine option, in this otherwise petrol-only space.
• Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento have a one year or 15,000km service interval, while the rest have a 10,000km service interval.
• With relatively affordable cost of parts and labour, the Hyundai Verna, in either the 1.5L petrol, 1.0L turbo or the 1.5L diesel guise, is the most pocket-friendly over six years or 60,000km. Hyundai also charges for labour at a flat rate of Rs 2,879, from the third annual or 30,000km service onwards.
• The Toyota Yaris is also quite light on the pocket, and Toyota too charges for labour only from the 30,000km service onwards. Its AC filter/air refiner is the most expensive, which requires a replacement every 30,000km.
• The Honda City petrol is a bit pricier. While the Honda city diesel, is significantly more expensive when compared to the Hyundai’s diesel. This is a result of comparatively higher labour rates which alternate between Rs 3,646 and Rs 2,608, from the 20,000km service onwards for the diesel and Rs 3,198 and Rs 2,159 for the petrol.
• The Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid are the priciest to maintain in this comparison. The oil change is more expensive than the competition and labour rates too are comparatively higher than the others.
• Despite sharing its engine and components with other Maruti cars, the Ciaz petrol isn’t the most pocket-friendly of the bunch. Over the five chargeable services up to 60,000km, the Maruti commands a labour cost of Rs 14,384.

Did you find this maintenance cost comparison helpful? Tell us what you think in the comments section, and stay tuned for more maintenance cost comparison surveys of other segments that are coming soon.