Dec 18, 2025
For some, owning a luxury car is a marker of success. Others have a great love and deep appreciation of fine automobiles, from opulent finishes to cutting-edge technologies.
But luxury cars are often impractical and come with higher maintenance and repair costs. And, when they do need to be serviced, it may be harder to find a mechanic who specializes in that particular make and model. They also typically come with higher insurance premiums and could depreciate faster than less pricey models.
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These downsides can feel especially painful, given how much you’re going to pay for a set of new (luxury) wheels. However, some models come with more downside than others, so it helps to know what these are when making a buying decision.
Two car experts, Alan Getland, owner of a Hollywood repair shop that specializes in German cars, and auto expert Chris Pyle, were recently asked their opinions by GoBankingRates on which luxury car brands to avoid. (1) Here are five brands they’d steer clear of:
Range Rover Sport
In its 2025 report card, Consumer Reports ranked Land Rover 14th out of 15 luxury automobile brands and 30th out of all 32 luxury and mainstream brands combined. Indeed, it doesn’t recommend a single model from Land Rover. (2)
Land Rovers have earned a reputation for breaking down frequently and being expensive to maintain. “The parts are not cheap and labor is high too, since most shops will not touch them, so you are stuck using the dealer,” Pyle said. “Also, failures have repair bills in the thousands, not hundreds.”
This is likely one of the reasons that three of the top 10 vehicles most likely to be resold within a year are Land Rover models. (3) Gelfand says the Land Rover Sport model, in particular, “has earned its place as one of the most troublesome models for repair technicians to work on.”
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BMW 7 Series
Consumer Reports ranks BMW as the top luxury brand overall and second among all car makers. (2) The 7 Series flagship model, however, hasn’t lived up to this reputation.
“The 7 Series flagship model from BMW comes with advanced technology, but this advanced system leads to multiple system breakdowns that result in high repair expenses after warranty expiration,” said Gelfand. Fortunately, there are plenty of other BMW models to choose from that rank high overall.
Mercedes-Benz CLS
Mercedes falls in the bottom half of Consumer Reports’ ranking of all brands and the bottom third of luxury brands. (2) Four Mercedes-Benz models are ranked within the top 10 cars most likely to be resold within a year. (3)
Indeed, 14% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class purchasers resell their vehicle within a year (3) — and this is the particular model that Pyle warns against. “The Mercedes-Benz C-class is a vehicle often seen in the shop getting things worked on in the cab and under the hood,” he said. Although the more expensive CLS executive sedan was discontinued in 2023, Gelfand says it continues to plague owners with frequent and expensive maintenance.
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Audi A3
As a brand, Audi is rated a respectable fourth among luxury brands and sixth overall by Consumer Reports. (2) However, Pyle feels the A3 model doesn’t deliver the power that luxury car buyers are likely to expect.
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“It was designed to be a car with luxury and good MPG, but it needs a little more bang under the hood,” he said, adding that you’re going to “get left in the dust” by cheaper cars with better performance. So if you want an Audi, you might want to opt for a different model.
Cadillac Escalade
Some luxury buyers want to go big with plenty of raw power, interior seating and hauling capability. For these, the Cadillac Escalade can deliver. According to Motortrend, it’s the largest SUV available in 2025; its exterior dimensions are a staggering 211.9 inches in length and 92.7 inches in width. (4) That’s about 18 feet long by eight feet wide.
Now imagine trying to parallel park that 18-footer. That’s one reason the experts recommend avoiding it. “The Escalade provides an imposing appearance but lacks functional usability,” said Gelfand, adding that it also has poor fuel efficiency. To add insult to injury, Pyle points out that Cadillacs depreciate rapidly, losing 15% of their value in the first month and 70% in five years.
Other considerations
Insurers assess data on claims, repair costs and theft, which in turn influence the premium of a specific car model. Brands or models known for poor reliability — such as frequent breakdowns and repairs — typically come with higher rates.
That’s especially the case with luxury models, since parts are more expensive to procure and specialists are harder to find.
While buying a car is a personal decision, it makes sense to be armed with knowledge about a particular brand or model you want to buy — not just about the bells and whistles, but the potential downsides — to avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
GOBankingRates (1); Consumer Reports (2); iSeeCars (3); Motortrend (4)
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Vawn Himmelsbach is a veteran journalist who has been covering tech, business, finance and travel for the past three decades. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Metro News, Canadian Geographic, Zoomer, CAA Magazine, Travelweek, Explore Magazine, Flare and Consumer Reports, to name a few.
