Which car do Tennesseans keep the longest?

KNOXVILLE – Tennesseans tend to hold onto Toyotas and larger, family vehicles longer than other cars, according to a newly released study that looks at how long Americans keep new cars.

Nationally, the longest-kept car is most likely to be the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Corvette, both of which are kept an average of 9 years.

The data, compiled by iSeeCars, shows Americans keep their vehicle for an average of 7.4 years after purchasing them new. Tennesseans, the data shows, keep their new cars a tick shorter, an average of 7.3 years.

"While the average car buyer gets rid of their car 7.4 years after purchasing it new, there is a wide variety of cars that owners are more likely to keep for longer,” iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly said in the report. “Many factors could contribute to a car’s longevity such as its function as shown by the dominance of family vehicles, or because of a fondness of a timeless classic like the Chevrolet Corvette.”

The only two vehicles that made both the Tennessee and national lists was the Accord and the Honda Odyssesy.

Overall, five Toyotas made the Tennessee list. Five of the vehicles are considered family vehicles, minivans or SUVs.

“These vehicles tend to be family haulers, which means that parents are likely to keep them for longer than average and not replace them until a large family vehicle is no longer necessary,” Ly said.