When you’re in the market for a new or used Lincoln, you’ll eventually wonder what a Lincoln generally costs in maintenance. In this blog, we’ve done our absolute best to give you a complete rundown of the costs and what you can expect for different models and model years. Let’s start with a quick answer:
Lincoln have an average annual maintenance cost of $879 per year. This is much more expensive than the average $646 for all car brands. However, Lincolns have reasonable maintenance costs compared to their peers, such as Cadillac ($783), Audi ($987), BMW ($968), and Mercedes-Benz ($908).
However, that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. Below, we’ll start by looking at the annual maintenance cost of the most popular models and their corresponding model years. Furthermore, We’ll look at the eight most common service points and discuss what a Lincoln costs you in this regard. We’ll also compare the annual maintenance costs of a Lincoln to 25 other car brands and discuss why a Lincoln is considered cheap or expensive in maintenance. Read on!
Also read: This Is Where Lincoln Cars Are Made
How Expensive Are Lincoln Models To Maintain?
First of all, we feel it’s essential to understand how much each model, and different model years, cost per year in terms of maintenance. For this, we’ve taken data from Repairpal. We’ve compiled this data in the table below.
As you can see, we’ve mainly been able to compile data from older versions of Lincoln. These older series have more information available, whereas newer cars (like the Corsair, Nautilus, and Aviator) have only been on the market for some years. However, that certainly doesn’t make this data any less valuable. From analyzing numerous brands, we know that analyzing older models still provides a good reference for what you can expect in the future.
What becomes apparent in the table below is that Lincoln does seem to be quite expensive to maintain. If you expect to pay less than $700 in annual maintenance costs, you’re better off looking for another brand. Depending on the size of the vehicle (larger vehicles have more expensive maintenance), you can expect to pay between $750 – $1,300 per year in maintenance costs for a Lincoln. Especially the Navigator consistently needs more than $1,000 per year.
| Year | MKC | MKS | MKT | MKX | MKZ | Continental | Navigator |
| 2019 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2018 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2017 | $ 896 | x | x | $ 858 | $1,007 | $1,288 | $1,131 |
| 2016 | $ 873 | $ 762 | $ 962 | $ 953 | $1,194 | x | $1,049 |
| 2015 | $ 813 | $ 928 | $ 939 | $1,019 | $ 984 | x | $1,254 |
| 2014 | x | $ 769 | $ 1,034 | $ 755 | $ 820 | x | $1,011 |
| 2013 | x | $ 987 | $ 1,125 | $ 778 | $1,033 | x | $1,166 |
| 2012 | x | $ 1,108 | $ 980 | $ 785 | $ 742 | x | $1,012 |
| 2011 | x | $ 820 | $ 1,040 | $ 841 | $ 653 | x | $1,067 |
| 2010 | x | $ 741 | $ 872 | $ 635 | $ 638 | x | $1,036 |
| 2009 | x | $ 778 | x | $ 765 | $ 604 | x | $1,058 |
| 2008 | x | x | x | $ 692 | $ 603 | x | $ 960 |
| 2007 | x | x | x | $ 606 | $ 476 | x | $ 745 |
Are Parts And Services Expensive For A Lincoln?
Furthermore, it’s essential to discuss the average cost of general maintenance tasks. This way, you know what to expect from your Lincoln, and you’ll be able to see if specific maintenance is more expensive than others.
Oil Change
An oil change on a Lincoln will generally cost you $118 – $140. On average, an oil change costs $40 – $60 for conventional oil and $60 – 120 for full synthetic oil for a car. Therefore, Lincoln is slightly more expensive than average. This mainly has to do with the fact that these cars will need synthetic oil, and they’re larger, which means they require quite some oil.
Brake Pads
Replacing the brake pads on Lincoln costs between $215 – $340 per axle. On average, brake pad replacement costs between $150 – $300 per axle. Therefore, most Lincoln costs are slightly above average for this procedure. This is mainly because Lincolns are SUVs that need larger brake pads.
Filters
Replacing filters is also a task you’ll encounter from time to time. The fuel filter is generally the most expensive filter to replace. Replacing a fuel filter in a Lincoln costs between $58 – $130. Replacing a cabin air filter is $56 – $99 and replacing an air filter is $43 – $61
On average, replacing a fuel filter costs $70 – $140, which means Lincolns carry average costs for this. Replacing a cabin air filter costs typically between $60 – $80, meaning Lincoln is average or slightly more expensive than average. Replacing the air filter costs usually $50 – $70, which means Lincoln is about average or slightly cheaper.
Battery
The average price to replace a Lincoln battery is $157 – $194. On average, replacing a car battery costs between $120 – $240. This means that Lincolns have average costs for this task. This is quite surprising given that Lincoln produces larger, luxury vehicles, which means batteries typically cost $250 – $450.
Timing Belt/Chain
Another replacement that you’ll come across when owning a car is a timing belt/chain replacement. Timing belts/chains need to be replaced around the 100,000 miles mark. Lincolns typically have timing chains. Expect to pay between $1,000 – $1,500 for a timing chain replacement.
Tire Rotation And Replacement
Replacing a set of tires on a Lincoln will cost $300 – $600. Lincolns are larger cars, to begin with, which means they require larger tires. On the lower end, you’ll pay $300 – $400 to replace a set of tires for the MKZ, whereas you will pay between $500 – $600 for a set of tires for the Navigator.
Spark Plugs
Replacing a set of spark plugs costs between $160 – $293 per set for a Lincoln. On average, it costs $75 – $250 to replace a set of spark plugs. This means replacing spark plugs on a Lincoln is average or slightly more expensive than the average. Once again, larger and more luxurious vehicles need more durable spark plugs, which end up costing more.
Headlight Bulbs
On average, it costs between $58 – $263 to replace a set of headlight bulbs on a Lincoln. On average, replacing headlight bulbs costs between $100 – $150 for a set. Lincoln is, therefore, all over the place. In this case, it’s mainly the MKZ that drives up the average price costing more than $200 to replace a set of headlight bulbs.
Is Lincoln More Or Less Expensive Compared To Other Brands?
Knowing everything we know now, it’s essential to have a final look at Lincoln as a brand. For this, we’ve compiled data from 24 other carmakers. The average annual maintenance costs of each carmaker are in the table below. By comparing all brands to each other, we understand how expensive a brand truly is in maintenance.
As we can see in the table below, Lincoln is an expensive brand to maintain. Expect to pay an average of $869 per year in annual maintenance costs when you own a Lincoln.
However, that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, comparing Lincoln to brands like Honda can be considered unfair because both brands target entirely different markets.
Furthermore, when we compare Lincoln to brands like Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, we see that Lincoln is only beaten by Cadillac, whereas all the foreign luxury cars are much more expensive. Why do these differences exist? We’ll discuss that in the following subheading.
| Brand | Average Annual Maintenance Costs |
| Honda | $428 |
| Toyota | $441 |
| Mazda | $462 |
| Hyundai | $468 |
| Kia | $474 |
| Nissan | $500 |
| Acura | $501 |
| Mitsubishi | $535 |
| Lexus | $551 |
| Buick | $608 |
| Chrysler | $608 |
| Subaru | $617 |
| Dodge | $634 |
| Jeep | $634 |
| Infiniti | $638 |
| Chevrolet | $649 |
| Volkswagen | $676 |
| GMC | $744 |
| Volvo | $769 |
| Ford | $775 |
| Cadillac | $783 |
| RAM | $858 |
| Lincoln | $879 |
| Mercedes | $908 |
| BMW | $968 |
| Audi | $987 |
Why Is Lincoln So Expensive?
Finally, we’ll need to discuss the factors that differentiate the annual maintenance costs of Lincoln from the maintenance costs of the other carmakers in the market. There are two distinctions: Lincoln compared to the general market and Lincoln compared to its peers. Let’s have a look.
The Types Of Cars Audi Builds
First, we must discuss the gigantic difference between Lincoln and brands like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Dodge, Infiniti, Volkswagen, etc. That’s the fact that all these other car brands manufacture cars for the general public. Of course, there may be slight exceptions between these brands, but typically they focus on building affordable and reliable cars.
This means that these brands build their cars using reliable parts and technology. As a result, they don’t offer their drivers the best of the best. Instead, they offer them something reliable and high quality. The only exception here may be Infiniti. However, even Infiniti isn’t a genuine luxury brand but rather more like an upper-end brand compared to the performance and technology Lincoln offers.
Since Lincoln builds luxury cars, they focus on performance and luxury and less so on affordability and reliability. As a result, if something in a Lincoln breaks, it’s challenging to replace, and it’s most likely also much more expensive to produce. Both of these factors drive up the maintenance costs immensely.
Reliability Compared To Its Peers
Then, there’s the comparison between Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lincoln. Even though all these brands are closer together in terms of maintenance costs, Lincoln is cheaper than three of them while Cadillac beats them all; why is that? We believe part of it has to do with the brand’s reliability. Using data from Repairpal, we’ve gathered the average number of unexpected visits to a garage and the chance of the car having a severe problem while doing so. These are the results:
- Audis have to visit the garage 0.83 times per year for unexpected maintenance, with a 13% chance of the car having a severe problem.
- BMWs have to visit the garage 0.95 times per year for unexpected maintenance, with a 15% chance of the car having a severe problem.
- Mercedes-Benz have to visit the garage 0.73 times per year for unexpected maintenance, with a 13% chance of the car having a severe problem.
- Lincolns have to visit the garage 0.44 times per year for unexpected maintenance, with a 15% chance of the car having a severe problem.
- Cadillacs have to visit the garage 0.38 times per year for unexpected maintenance, with a 17% chance of the car having a severe problem.
Immediately, it becomes clear why Lincoln and Cadillac have annual maintenance costs that are quite a bit lower: they’re more reliable and end up in the garage less often. Suppose you only have to visit the garage unexpectedly one time every two years, whereas Audis and BMWs have to visit almost yearly. In that case, this will make a significant difference in maintenance costs in the long run.
Sources
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!