When I was buying my first car years ago, I was primarily looking for a very mechanically and technically robust used model. However, I didn’t consider the rust resistance. And the latter matter a lot since it practically defines the longevity of the vehicle. This got me thinking, which are the old cars that are less prone to rust? In order to answer this question, we should also define what we will consider as an old car for this case. I decided on older than 15 years but younger than 25 as most car manufacturers’ bodywork warranty would have expired by the 15th year mark. Also, it is challenging to track corrosion resistance over than 25 years as it depends on various factors. Also, it is natural for any car to rust at this time already (most of them a lot sooner). I researched the topic and here are my findings.
So what are the best rust-resistant cars older than 15 years? The list consists of cars made by Volvo, Saab, Audi, some of the other representatives of the Volkswagen Group, BMW, Renault and Peugeot. In fact, the same brands’ current production is also excellent when it comes to rust resistance.
Before we explore the above list in more detail and also touch upon some other interesting related stuff, we have to say that every car’s corrosion resistance will also depend on multiple factors unrelated to its anti-rust coating. The more important of them being the climate in which the car is being used most of its time (including the coating of the tarmac with salt or chemicals against ice during winters), is it kept in a garage or not, how often and with what it is cleaned and of course did it had any crashes.
The most corrosion-resistant cars in more detail
Let’s start with the Scandinavian cars – Volvo and Saab. Those were probably the most expected brands by most of us to hit this list and with a good reason. The winters in the north are harsh and snowy and these are one of the most significant prerequisites for forming of rust. The quality galvanizing is a must for those two brands if they want their cars to survive year after year being driven daily in this sort of climate.
Audi too has a long-standing good reputation for corrosion resistance. Their cars from the past 25 years are still widely driven in some areas of Europe where predominantly second-hand vehicles are used. We should also include in the equation their aluminium cars. This metal, for which Audi is very fond of and with a good reason, doesn’t rust but corrode in a particular way which basically capsulate the corroded part and does not allow further spreading as the rust do. The Audi A8 and A2 bodywork is all aluminium and the A6’s from this era is partially made of it.
The rest of the Volkswagen group (besides Audi) also seems to be doing well for some of their cars. The VW Golf Mk 4 and 5 and their Seat equivalent – the Leon are a good example of well-galvanized cars although not really to the high standard of Audi. The smaller brother – the VW Polo (Skoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza) are also doing well. The VW Passat seems to be more contradictory, and apparently, there are complaints from owners for the Phaeton’s rust resistance.
BMW is another good example of quality when it comes to galvanizing their cars. Not all of them though seem to be well protected. The 5-series e39, its successor – the e60 and 3-series e46 (if not side crashed from power sliding) appears to hold very well the test of time. This, unfortunately, is not 100% true for the 7-series e38 as it seems. The latter seems to be more prone to rust around the more usual places like the wheel arches and especially the lower parts of the doors. Also, we have to mention that the BMWs from this era had issues with the door and windows seals which tend to be a significant cause for rust if not replaced as the water will simply go around them and flood the inside of the doors. Nonetheless, BMW seems to have done a great job in the anti-corrosive coating for their cars.
We reach the French brands – Renault and Peugeot. Both brands seem to be quite strict in terms of their galvanizing standards. I find it really hard to think of the last time I saw a badly rusted Renault within 15-25 years of age and they are rather common where I live. Surveys show that Renault makes some of the least rusting cars. Peugeots from these years are another fine example.
All of these brands did their best when galvanizing their cars which is why we still see a lot of them on the road with little to no rust.
How about some newer examples?
If we move the age down a bit, we should mention that Mercedes are very well galvanized after 2007 and according to some studies in the area Honda (or Acura depending on where you live), Toyota (including its luxury brand Lexus), Kia and Hyundai also improved their corrosion resistance at about this same time. Honourable mentions here are Ford with their Fiesta (5th and 6th generations), Focus (2nd generation) and Mondeo (Mk4), Citroën with their C5 (2nd gen) and Opel Astra H and J generations.
Related questions
Which cars rust the most? The cars which rust the most within the 15-25 years of age are pretty much all cars produced by Mercedes, Range Rover, Jeep, Mini, Fiat, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Pontiac, Suzuki, Hyundai, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler and Ford.
How to prevent your car from rusting? There are a few things which we all can do to stop the spreading of the rust and reduce the chance for it to occur sooner.
1. Wash the car regularly (at least once per month) including underneath after winter and consider waxing it from time to time.
2. Monitor your car’s paint for any blobs forming which signify the formation of rust and basically treat the rusted spots as early as possible to prevent spreading.
3. Check regularly the drain holes of the doors if they are clogged up with dirt and clean them if they are. Also, maintain the interior of the car. If you spill a liquid on the floor, always make sure to clean and absorb it as if any damping remains, it will start forming of rust under the carpets. This is a very nasty place for rust to start.
4. Consider anti-rust products.
I hope you have found the above information useful in the quest of searching for your next car or just to answer this question for which you were wondering.
Images: Tyler B, Martin Katler, Janfillem and Daniel Spase
Thanks guys!