Looking to buy a used Toyota Avalon? We’ve narrowed down the best model years of Toyota’s flagship sedan.
Famed for its solid build quality and unmatched reliability, Japanese marque Toyota has established quite a foothold in America, consistently setting sales records, reports Bloomberg. Although the auto industry has moved toward SUVs and crossovers, a younger market reportedly still prefers sedans.
And considering that Toyota landed on Car & Driver’s “25 Best-Selling Cars, Trucks, and SUVs of 2020,” six times, there’s no doubt that Toyota knows a thing or two about making great vehicles.
Introduced in 1995, the Toyota Avalon serves as the brand’s flagship sedan in the United States. Although the full-size sedan started its life by borrowing parts from the Camry, it took a while before Toyota decided to step things up.
Since its inception right up to its current (fifth) generation, the Toyota Avalon has seen many memorable updates.
Interestingly, the Toyota Avalon shared its underpinnings (K-Platform) with the Camry up until the fourth generation. After that, Toyota decided to base the fifth-generation Avalon on its Toyota New Global Architecture platform, which it currently shares with the Lexus ES.
Is Toyota Avalon a Good Used Car?
Toyota’s reputation for reliability is pretty remarkable, and they are famously easy to maintain. Out of the most reliable brands, Toyota seemed to top the list consecutively for many years, only to have been surpassed by Mazda in 2021.
Buying a used Toyota is really not as difficult as some of the other brands. As it turns out, Toyota owners are usually very satisfied with the cars they own. Since Toyota has been at the forefront of robust engineering, people have developed a certain trust towards the name.
Toyota is synonymous with dependability, and the Avalon is no exception. Buying a used Avalon could easily be one of the best decisions from a rational standpoint.
Broadly speaking, Repair Pal points to the Toyota Avalon scoring a reliability rating of four out of five with an average annual repair and maintenance cost of $463.
Taking into account Repair Pal’s general insight, we’ve narrowed down the pros and cons of buying an older generation Avalon versus sticking with one of the newer ones.
According to Trued Delta, owning a pre-2010 Toyota Avalon will result in a 27% greater repair frequency as opposed to a 2013 or later model year. Out of the fourth-generation Avalons, models belonging to 2015 and later seem to have better reliability.
Also, buying the latest and greatest is usually the best in terms of added safety and infotainment features along with improved reassurance. Without further ado, here’s our list of recommendations for the best model years of the Toyota Avalon.
2015 Toyota Avalon
The 2015 model belongs to the fourth generation of the Toyota Avalon and comes with one of the most reliable V6s in the market. The 2015 Toyota Avalon is by far the best bang for the buck when it comes to buying a used sedan.
As per Co Pilot Search, you save around $26,500 when buying a 2015 Toyota Avalon as opposed to a 2021 model. With Kelley Blue Book listing a used fair market range of $14,706 to $17,916, the 2015 Avalon is an absolute bargain.
When it comes to consumer ratings, the 2015 Toyota Avalon scored 82 out of 100 overall from J.D. Power. In terms of exterior design, there’s not much differentiating the 2015 Avalon from any of its later model years.
However, it’s not all fun and games though. The 2015 Toyota Avalon misses out on some of the crucial bits of modern-day motoring.
As per J.D. Power, owners did not like the built-in voice recognition inside the 2015 Avalon.
Also, it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or smartphone integration, which, to be honest, makes life a lot easier. The 2015 Toyota Avalon has been recalled twice along with having around 40 complaints registered as per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That being said, the amount of value in question is hard to overlook. You roughly save over 50% when compared to the 2021 Avalon’s average price of between $35,875 and $43,300.
If things like smartphone connectivity and satellite navigation are a deal-breaker for you, then a newer 2017 Toyota Avalon should suit you better.
2017 Toyota Avalon
The 2017 Toyota Avalon as per J.D. Power, scores a commendable 81 out of 100 overall. As part of the fourth-gen Avalon, the 2017 model year is not vastly different from 2015 or 2016.
The reason why the 2016 Avalon isn’t part of the list is because of its similar J.D. Power ratings to the 2017 model year. Also, the 2017 Avalon slightly betters the 2016 model in terms of recalls.
The 2017 Toyota Avalon was subjected to two recalls with 12 complaints, while the 2016 model year got three recalls with 18 complaints.
If you were to compare the 2017 to the 2016 Avalon or the 2017 to the 2015 model, there’s not much to tell apart. However, satellite navigation is one of the standout features for the later model year.
In terms of pricing, you save around $20,000 when buying a 2017 Avalon as opposed to a 2021 model.
As per Kelley Blue Book, 2017 models start from $19,711 and top out at $25,334. Considering the savings over a brand-new Avalon, we’d advise going for it.
There are a few nuances pointed out by customers.
As per J.D. Power, owners were not pleased with the navigation system and the available interior storage spaces.
However, customers were absolutely happy about the 2017 Avalon’s robust build quality and in the way that it drove in terms of smoothness and overall refinement.
2019 Toyota Avalon
In 2018, the Toyota Avalon was completely redesigned. Part of the fifth and latest generation of the flagship sedan, the Avalon was updated with the latest tech and safety features.
However, the 2018 Avalon scored the worst in terms of J.D. Power ratings. Scoring just 79 out of 100 for reliability as opposed to the 2017 Avalon’s 87 out of 100. The updated model year’s debut wasn’t the best. Adding to that were two recalls and 17 complaints.
Come 2019 and the Toyota Avalon received much better consumer ratings.
In fact, J.D. Power gave it an overall score of 83 out of 100. It even outperformed the 2020 model. The 2019 Toyota Avalon is among the top three thanks to its updated design and improved reliability.
Also, the fifth generation brought along a much-needed interior and exterior refresh alongside an infotainment upgrade.
Finally, the Toyota Avalon comes equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with industry-leading safety features.
One of the advantages of going for a 2019 model is that it’s virtually the same as the 2020 and 2021 Avalon. You’re effectively getting the same car albeit with a smaller price tag. The only thing you’ll be missing is the 2021 Avalon’s AWD setup—a first for Toyota’s flagship sedan. Price-wise, you save around 26% when buying a 2019 Avalon as opposed to a brand-new 2021 model.
Kelley Blue Book has listings for the 2019 Avalon starting from $26,647. If you’re on a budget looking for a like-new Toyota Avalon with not many miles on the clock, the 2019 model year is the one to go for.
Photos: Toyota
