Georgia mechanic investigates which car brand is the cheapest to maintain and is left shocked at the 'extremely underrated' result
Published on Mar 09, 2026 at 3:19 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 09, 2026 at 3:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
If you ever wondered which car brand is the cheapest to maintain, then one mechanic from Georgia might have the answers after conducting his own research.
Sherwood Cooke runs a repair shop in Georgia, and wanted to see which brand is the least hassle for customers and costs the least amount of money.
However, in the Facebook reel that showed his findings, he warned that the top results might catch some people off guard.
In fact, he said the ‘extremely underrated’ results would catch a lot of people out when they came to repair their cars.
Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology
These were the cheapest to maintain car brands
The brand at the top of the list may come as a massive surprise.
In fifth spot was Toyota, which Crooke was equally shocked about.
“That was a surprise for us,” he said in his reel.
Honda came in next, and Crooke’s son was surprised that Toyota and Honda weren’t one and two.
Then came Nissan, with Subaru following up in second place.
But at the top of the list was a big surprise.
Mazda came out as the cheapest car to maintain.
Notably, all the brands in the top five were Japanese.
“We did the numbers a few times just to be sure,” said the mechanic, to ensure the results were accurate.
Crooke also said he would not have predicted that lineup before doing the tests.
Why these results do stack up with industry data
Across the board, brands such as Honda, Mazda, and Toyota regularly rank towards the top when it comes to reliability and maintenance costs.
For example, Ciocca Automotive said the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are two of the cheapest cars to maintain.
Hybrids like the Toyota Prius also do well.
Mazda, meanwhile, does seem to be worthy of its ranking in Crooke’s list.
It has slowly built a reputation for making inexpensive cars to own, and parts are easy to find.
Viewers of Crooke’s video, including some fellow mechanics, were not as surprised as he was.
“Mazdas are extremely underrated,” said one viewer.
“In my shop, Toyota and Honda are always recommended for their extreme reliability,” said another.
While Crooke might have been surprised, these results do tally up with what others have found out.
Mazda then deserves its place as the car brand that is the cheapest to maintain.
History of Mazda
1920 – Company Founded
Jujiro Matsuda founded Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. in Hiroshima, Japan, originally producing cork products
1931 – First Vehicle
The company entered the automotive industry with the Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled truck, and its first vehicle
1960 – First Passenger Car
Mazda launched its first passenger car, the R360 Coupe, helping the company grow in Japan’s small-car market
1967 – Rotary Engine Innovation
Mazda introduced the Cosmo Sport 110S, one of the first cars with a Wankel rotary engine, a technology that became a Mazda trademark
1979 – Ford Partnership
Ford purchased a major stake in Mazda, beginning decades of cooperation in vehicle development and production
1989 – MX-5 Miata Launch
Mazda released the MX-5 Miata, a lightweight roadster that revived the small sports-car segment worldwide
1991 – Le Mans Victory
Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the rotary-powered 787B race car
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
