Articles by Matt Campbell

Skoda Australia backs every model in its entire range with a capped price servicing plan which spans six years or 90,000km. Service intervals for all models are 12 months/15,000km.

French manufacturer Peugeot may not have its own in-house local representation in Australia, but the company’s local distributor, Inchcape, has seen to it that customers are getting a decent deal.As such, there is a capped-price servicing plan for all Peugeot models, from the pint-sized 208 city hatchback to the family focused 5008 seven-seat SUV. It also covers models no longer on sale here, including the 4008 (a Mitsubishi ASX in make-up). The intervals for servicing differs somewhat between models, with some models due for maintenance every 12 months/15,000km, while others have slightly lengthier distance gaps (12 months/20,000km).As for servicing costs, the French brand hasn’t necessarily managed to get it down to where it should be - on average, Peugeot models are more expensive to maintain than pretty much any other brand, be it from Europe or elsewhere.The brand does back its models with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, though, which puts it in the mix among a lot of its mainstream contemporaries.See the table below for all the important details for Peugeot capped price servicing across each of the brand’s models sold in Australia.

Mercedes-Benz Australia offers its customers a three-year capped-price servicing, which covers all models - from the entry-level A-Class all the way up to those thumping Mercedes-AMG models

Mazda offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, and it falls under the company’s ownership program known as Mazda Service Select.

Mitsubishi offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, and it falls under the company’s ownership program known as Diamond Advantage.

In early 2020, Japanese luxury brand Lexus joined the rest of the developed automotive world by finally announcing a form of capped-price servicing for its model range.When the brand’s Encore ownership program was updated, Lexus finally added a level of assured price servicing to its ownership program for all models sold from January 1, 2020.The Lexus Capped Price Servicing plan spans a three-year duration for all models in the range, bar electric versions of the UX SUV.Most models in the range require servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first - except for the Toyota LandCruiser-based Lexus LX SUV, which needs maintenance every six months/10,000km. It is considerably more expensive to own than the other vehicles in the range as a result.Aside from one model, prices are set at between $495 and $595 per maintenance visit - see the table below for more detailed information model-by-model.The company offers owners a loan car, and in some instances even offers a pick-up and delivery service of your car when it comes time for maintenance.Lexus still betters some of its competitors with a slightly longer duration for its warranty plan, which spans five years with unlimited kilometres. 

Kia offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, which it inventively calls Kia Capped Price Service.Kia Australia says it believes "that when you purchase a vehicle, you should have a clear understanding of what it will cost to maintain", and true to form, the company's service offering is very impressive.Along with a strong seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, Kia backs its models with a seven-year servicing plan - no matter what model you own. The plan has been in play since October 2014, meaning that the brand's customers from way back then still have new-car warranty and capped-price servicing - where many competitors would have already done their dash.The Kia ownership plan is fully transferrable between owners, which helps with resale value; selling a four-year-old car with an ongoing ownership plan is a pretty enticing offer.Most Kia models require maintenance every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, making for a maximum service cover of seven years/105,000km, but turbocharged petrol (T-GDI) models require maintenance every 12 months/10,000km. Some earlier turbo models required visits every six months/10,000km, meaning an annoying 14 scheduled services over the coverage period.Kia also backs its cars with a roadside-assistance plan. Every time you service your vehicle at an authorised dealership, you will receive a 12-month extension, up to a maximum of eight years.As with many other brands, you can enter your VIN (vehicle identification number) online to get quotes specific to your exact car.While seven years isn't as lengthy as some competitors that offer lifetime capped-price service plans, the fact it includes a seven-year warranty makes it rather tempting. You can check out the table below for the average cost per service for each of the models in the Kia range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of the different variants listed.

Jeep's Australian arm offers a capped price servicing program for all of its current models, which forms part of its There & Back Guarantee program.

Hyundai offers a capped-price service program for all of its current models, which it calls a Lifetime Service Plan. Hyundai claims this is "Australia's most comprehensive, fully transferrable" plan. Fully transferrable means that, when you sell your car, the next owner can continue to take advantage of the service plan established for that particular vehicle. And, as you may derive from the name, the Lifetime Service Plan offered by Hyundai covers capped-price servicing for the life of the car.But the life of a car depends on the model, it seems. The brand quotes 34 years for most models, with certain Kona, i30 and Tucson variants quoted up to 51 years.You can search online and book a service at your most convenient dealer, and the system allows you to choose your service by duration or distance intervals. You will then be able to see the Hyundai service costs applicable to your car.Maintenance requirements are dependent on the drivetrain fitted, with turbocharged petrol models needing servicing a little more regularly (in terms of kilometres) than turbodiesel and non-turbo petrols. But every Hyundai should still only require maintenance annually, which is a tick for the Korean company - some competitors require servicing for their cars every six months.If you service your car with a participating Hyundai dealer, you will get up to 10 years of roadside assistance included. So if you get a flat battery, run out of fuel, get a flat tyre, lose your car keys or lock yourself out, you can rest assured the company's care team will do its best to assist you. Hyundai will even tow your caravan or trailer, if you're towing one when you run into strife.See the table below for the average cost per service for each of the models in the Hyundai range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of the different variants listed.

Honda offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, with the company's Australian arm labelling it Honda Tailored Servicing for vehicles sold prior to July 1, 2021, or Honda Genuine Servicing for those purchased thereafter.According to Honda Australia, "we want to make sure that Honda servicing is tailored to your needs", and "that means guiding you through how much it costs to maintain your vehicle".So, whether you own a Jazz or a Civic Type R, a HR-V or an Odyssey, there's a capped-price plan to suit your car.But depending on what you own, the servicing schedule may be different. Older Honda models require maintenance every six months or 10,000km, where newer examples from the Japanese company need servicing every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.Those intervals are worse than plenty of competitors (many now have annual or 15,000km intervals), but Honda makes up for it with transparent pricing, including costs for additional extras.Honda is one of the brands that now has a compelling five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for its models, as well as a five-year roadside assist program.See the table below for the average cost per service for each of the models in the Honda range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of the different variants listed.If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below: