Is the Nissan Altima high maintenance?
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not especially. The Nissan Altima is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 medium sedan benchmark, it costs about $1,787 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — $131 more than the $1,656 all-vehicle average. Nissan Maintenance Care covers up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Owners filed 0.331 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Altimas sold (2015–2022 sales), #6 of 18 sedans we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.354).
Verdict
About average
about average to maintain
Per year
$1,787
AAA 2025 benchmark
5 years
$8,935
75,000 miles
NHTSA complaints
0.331 / 1k
Above average for sedans
Altima maintenance cost: 5 and 10 years
| Period | Miles | Estimate | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per year | 15,000 | $1,787 | AAA medium sedan, 11.91¢/mile |
| 5 years | 75,000 | $8,935 | AAA's own 5-year window |
| 10 years (floor) | 150,000 | $17,870+ | AAA's 5-year per-mile rate, extended in a straight line |
Method: AAA 2025 medium sedan benchmark: 11.91¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Altima-specific quote. The 10-year figure is a floor: it doesn't add the larger age-related repairs (and later scheduled items such as spark plugs or coolant) that come after year 5.
How the verdict is set: Two inputs. Cost: the estimate against AAA's $1,656 all-vehicle average (more than 3% under counts in the car's favor, more than 3% over against it). Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 sold against the median of every model in our study (0.48); well under the median helps, well over hurts, roughly double or more hurts twice as much. Both low = "No"; both high = "Yes". Models without a dollar estimate get no verdict.
Altima service schedule highlights
From Nissan's documents for the Altima:
- 2026: oil 10,000 mi/12 mo
- CVT fluid replaced every 60,000 miles/72 months
- Spark plugs every 105,000 miles/126 months
- Drive belts first inspected at 40,000 mi/48 mo
Oil changes
Normal service: Rogue: 7,500 miles or 12 months. Altima: 10,000 miles or 12 months.
Severe or special conditions: Same as normal: Nissan's 2026 schedule lists the same oil interval for severe conditions on both models
Intervals come from Nissan's per-component schedule pages for the 2026 model year (default configuration, no VIN entered).
Included maintenance
Nissan Maintenance Care
Term: Up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first (announced for new 2025 Nissan vehicles; 2026 terms not confirmed on pages opened)
Covers: Oil changes with Genuine Nissan oil and filter, provided through Security+Plus Protection Plans. Excludes Nissan EVs, which are covered separately by EV Carefree+.
Nissan factory schedule
| Interval | Service items | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rogue — every 7,500 miles or 12 months |
| 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Rogue — every 15,000 miles or 24 months |
| 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Rogue — every 30,000 miles or 48 months |
| 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Rogue — every 60,000 miles or 96 months |
| 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Altima — every 10,000 miles or 12 months |
| 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Altima — every 20,000 miles or 24 months |
| 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Altima — every 30,000 miles or 36 months |
| 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Altima — every 60,000 miles or 72 months |
| 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| Altima — every 105,000 miles or 126 months |
| 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
| 105,000 miles or 84 months (first) |
| 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) |
Common Altima problems (NHTSA data)
Owners filed 0.331 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Altimas sold (2015–2022 sales), #6 of 18 sedans we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.354).
- 9,677 owner complaints on file with NHTSA across all Altima model years.
- Most-reported systems: electrical system (1,008), powertrain / transmission (652).
- Model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis: 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
- Best-rated years: 2011, 2021, 2022, 2023.
Complaints measure problems owners reported to the government, not repair bills: a high count signals more unscheduled repairs, which AAA's category benchmark doesn't adjust for. Altima years to avoid →
How the Altima compares in its AAA category (medium sedan)
Same AAA category means the same dollar benchmark, so the complaint rate is what separates them. Luxury models aren't priced.
| Model | Est. per year | Complaints / 1,000 sold | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Altima | $1,787 | 0.331 Above average | About average |
| Honda Accord | $1,787 | 0.463 Worst | Somewhat — above average |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Not priced | — | Not priced |
| Genesis G70 | Not priced | — | Not priced |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Altima high maintenance?
Not especially. The Nissan Altima is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 medium sedan benchmark, it costs about $1,787 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — $131 more than the $1,656 all-vehicle average. Nissan Maintenance Care covers up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Owners filed 0.331 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Altimas sold (2015–2022 sales), #6 of 18 sedans we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.354).
Is the Altima expensive to maintain?
Plan on about $1,787 a year, $8,935 over 5 years. AAA 2025 medium sedan benchmark: 11.91¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Altima-specific quote.
How much does a Altima cost to maintain over 10 years?
About $17,870 at 15,000 miles a year (150,000 miles), extending the AAA 5-year per-mile rate in a straight line. Treat it as a floor: AAA's rate is measured on a car's first 5 years, and older cars need larger repairs.
How often does the Altima need an oil change?
Nissan's published oil-change interval: rogue: 7,500 miles or 12 months. Altima: 10,000 miles or 12 months. Check your owner's manual for your engine; severe-service intervals are shorter.
What is the cheapest Nissan to maintain?
Of the 2 Nissan models we cover, the Rogue has the lowest estimated maintenance cost: about $1,746 a year (AAA 2025 compact SUV (FWD) benchmark).
What Altima years should I avoid?
Our NHTSA years-to-avoid analysis flags 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. Owners filed 0.331 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Altimas sold (2015–2022 sales), #6 of 18 sedans we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.354).
Related
Sources and method
Dollar figures: AAA's 2025 Your Driving Costs category benchmark (retail parts and labor for routine maintenance specified by the vehicle manufacturer, a comprehensive extended warranty, repairs to wear-and-tear items that need service during 5 years of operation, and one set of replacement tires). Schedule, oil interval and included maintenance: Nissan's own documents, linked by row. Complaints: NHTSA's public complaint database, divided by published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).
- Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
- Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
- NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
- 2026 Nissan Rogue Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) — Nissan (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2026 Nissan Altima Service & Maintenance Guide — component intervals (maintenance-schedules.nissanusa.com) — Nissan (opened 2026-11-06)
- New Nissan Maintenance Care service program enhances ownership experience (Nissan USA newsroom, Jul 25 2024) — Nissan (opened 2026-11-06)