We drill down to the specifics on warranty cover, roadside assistance, servicing costs and resale value to find the best mid-size SUV from an aftersales POV
Nobody intends to sign up for a new car that costs a bomb to maintain, drops like a stone in resale value and has uncompetitive warranty inclusions. That might’ve been the risk you’d take with some brands years ago, but transparency is now rife across the industry. More than ever, car-makers have made it much easier to work out some of the routine expenses you’ll face once you drive out of the showroom. Servicing, resale and warranty provisions are all on the table – up front, before you even buy the vehicle. And as you’ll see, some of the 14 short-listed contenders for carsales’ Best Mid-Size SUV 2022 are a much better proposition than others.
For many years, Australia’s car industry seemed to be stuck on a maximum three-year warranty.
And as far as servicing and resale value went, those were entirely at the whim of the service centre and the used car market respectively.
How things have changed.
Among the models in contention for carsales’ Best Mid-Size SUV 2022, the Haval H6, Kia Sportage and MG HS have the best warranty provision with cover for seven years and unlimited kilometres.
The rest have a now-standard five-year warranty, with unlimited kilometres for all except the Mitsubishi Outlander, which is capped at 100,000km.
Mitsubishi will extend its warranty up to 10 years (or 200,000km, whichever comes first), but any warranty claim past the five-year mark is only considered if you have evidence that all servicing has been performed by an authorised Mitsubishi service centre – a difficult task for some owners.
Toyota will also cover its RAV4 past five years, offering a powertrain warranty for up to seven years – provided you have maintained the vehicle according to the maintenance schedule. However, that maintenance doesn’t have to occur at a Toyota dealer.
All of our 14 short-listed mid-size SUVs have 12-month service intervals, but if you travel more than 10,000km each year it will pay to take note of the differences between the brands, some of which will require an early return to the workshop – depending on your mileage.
The majority have a 15,000km distance cap, but six have shorter 10,000km interval periods – the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, MG HS and Nissan X-TRAIL.
The Subaru Forester is unique with its 12,500km intervals, while at the other end of the scale the Renault Koleos can run for 30,000km each year before a pitstop for routine maintenance, despite close similarities with underpinnings and powertrain with the Nissan X-TRAIL.
Free roadside assistance is included for at least one year from almost all manufacturers represented here. Toyota is the odd one out, offering no complimentary breakdown assist.
Haval, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, on the other hand, provide five years of free roadside assist for nix, while MG provides support for seven years.
To make a relevant service price comparison, we tallied five years of scheduled servicing (a period all the manufacturers offer) and calculated an annual average.
Toyota almost always wins the service price comparison with its typically heavily subsidised prices, but in this group this year it was beaten by Honda and Mitsubishi.
The CR-V costs $125 a year for routine servicing, while the Outlander costs $199. The priciest set service cost belongs to the Volkswagen Tiguan with an eye-watering $792 average per year.
Depreciation is typically the biggest cost of new-car ownership. Buying a vehicle with a known, strong resale value can ease the pain when it comes time to sell.
The COVID-19 pandemic and myriad roll-on effects including supply chain issues has created an unusual resale situation in Australia.
We’re all used to the idea that if you buy a new car, you will drop a pile of money when driving it out of the showroom. Historically, only specific, rare and highly prized exotics would ever see values increase in the short term.
Yet in 2022, the chronic supply shortage and widespread price increases has meant that a couple of SUVs on test here are likely to be worth more in 12 months’ time than the sticker price on their windscreen in the showroom today – if you can get hold of one.
According to RedBook resale figures, a Toyota RAV4 kept in good condition will yield 11 per cent more if sold at a year old than its new price, while the Subaru Forester will also gain value, but with a relatively modest 2.1 per cent increase.
On the flipside, the MG HS has the highest drop in value in a year at 23.9 per cent, although it’s worth noting that its new price includes on-road costs which will inflate its depreciation against most of the others, which don’t include these costs.
See our table below for the full rundown.
Tyre prices also often change in what is a very competitive industry. But according to tyresales.com.au, the average price for a good quality tyre from a reputable brand is up to about $300 to $350 for almost all brands on test here.
The exception to the rule is the Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed Tourer, which has expensive 20-inch wheels that’ll set you back between $350 and $500 for a replacement tyre.
Ford Escape Vignale AWDWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $300Dealer service network: 240
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Haval H6 Ultra AWDWarranty years/km: 7 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $352Dealer service network: 90
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 5 years (100,000km) free/No
Honda CR-V VTi LXWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $125Dealer service network: 97
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 5 years free/No
Hyundai Tucson Highlander AWDWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $319Dealer service network: 240
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Kia Sportage GT-LineWarranty years/km: 7 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $493Dealer service network: 134
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Mazda CX-5 AkeraWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $349Dealer service network: 150
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 5 years free/No
MG HS Essence XWarranty years/km: 7 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $411Dealer service network: 72
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 7 years free/N
Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed TourerWarranty years/km: 5 years/100,000kmService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $199Dealer service network: 200
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Nissan X-TRAIL TiWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/10,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $371Dealer service network: 189
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 5 years free/No
Renault Koleos Intens AWDWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/30,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $543Dealer service network: 56
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Skoda Karoq 140TSI SportlineWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $310 (prepaid)Dealer service network: 36
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Subaru Forester 2.5i-SWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/12,500kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $484Dealer service network: 114
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Toyota RAV4 EdgeWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $230Dealer service network: 200
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: None/No
Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI EleganceWarranty years/km: 5 years/unlimitedService intervals months/km: 12 months/15,000kmAverage annual cost for first 5 services: $792Dealer service network: 105
Roadside assist period/linked to servicing: 1 year free/Yes
Best Mid-Size SUV 2022 RedBook resale table:
Make/Model/VariantNew PriceGood condition resale valueValue after 12 monthsFord Escape Vignale AWD$50,090$45,500-9.1%Haval H6 Ultra AWD*$41,990$33,800-19.5%Honda CR-V VTi LX*$53,200$47,800-10.2%Hyundai Tucson Highlander AWD$50,400$48,800-3.2%Kia Sportage GT-Line*$49,370$47,090 to $43,000-8.7%Mazda CX-5 Akera$50,880$47,700-6.3%MG HS Essence X*$42,990$32,700-23.9%Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed Tourer$51,490$45,400-11.8%Nissan X-TRAIL Ti$46,115$39,100-15.2%Renault Koleos Intens AWD$46,390$38,400-17.2%Skoda Karoq 140TSI Sportline$41,290$41,100-0.5%Subaru Forester 2.5i-S$44,190$45,1002.1%Toyota RAV4 Edge$50,200$55,70011.0%Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI Elegance$54,490$50,300-7.7%
*Prices exclude on-road costs except Haval H6, Honda CR-V and MG HS (drive-away). Resale value for Kia Sportage based on previous model.