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. 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.

Mid-size sedan maintenance costs (in Rupees)
	Honda City	Honda City	Skoda Rapid	Toyota Yaris	Volkswagen Vento	Hyundai Verna	Hyundai Verna	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Ciaz
Engine	1.5P	1.5D	1.0P	1.5P	1.0P	1.0P	1.5P	1.5D	1.5P
COST OF PARTS
Air Filter	437	350	338	242	382	275	275	275	310
Oil Filter	175	395	99	501	99	89	89	425	165
Fuel Filter	NA	1250	NA	NA	NA	845	845	1018	505
Fuel Filter - In Tank	514	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Washer Drain Plug	36	36	155	54	155	NA	NA	NA	5
Spark Plug (for entire set)	1964	NA	891	NA	891	NA	NA	NA	440
Fan Belt/ Drivebelt	NA	NA	NA	NA	382	NA	NA	NA	NA
Coolant	1146	1240	NA	NA	NA	544	525	610	432
Engine Oil	1043	2024	3840	1073	3840	1368	1444	1704	2072
Transmission/Transaxle Oil	430	583	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Brake fluid	396	330	596	345	648	NA	NA	NA	355
Pollen / HVAC filter	779	779	614	2199	614	371	371	371	NA
Service Intervals	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 15,000km	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 15,000km	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 10,000km	1 year or 10,000km
1st Service Cost (parts+labour)	2033	3234	4860	1627	4860	1457	1533	2129	2242
2nd Service Cost (parts+labour)	5668	8549	8872	1627	9284	2074	1875	3684	5861
3rd Service Cost (parts+labour)	4588	6172	7938	6220	7425	4336	4687	5008	5133
4th Service Cost (parts+labour)	5668	8549	10558	4798	11450	4953	4754	6563	7234
5th Service Cost (parts+labour)	4192	7082	NA	4022	NA	4880	4937	5619	5003
6th Service Cost (parts+labour)	6493	9463	NA	6220	NA	5731	5808	6563	5979
Total Cost	28642	43049	32228	24514	33019	23431	23594	29566	31452
Maintenance cost per km (upto 60,000km)	0.48	0.72	0.54	0.41	0.55	0.39	0.39	0.49	0.52