McLaren Maintenance Cost [Preventive & Ongoing]

Many exotic supercar lovers dream of one day owning a McLaren. These vehicles are known as some of the fastest and most powerful on the market. However, one question may be holding you back: how much do they cost to maintain?

The average yearly cost of maintaining a McLaren depends on several factors. One of these factors is which McLaren model you have, and another is the area in which you live.

Generally, however, McLaren owners should expect to pay anywhere from $1,000-$3,000 per year to maintain their vehicles properly. 

Keep reading below for more information on the cost of owning a McLaren, as well as a few ways you can try and save money over the years. 

What is the Average Maintenance Cost for McLaren Vehicles?

How much you should expect to pay to maintain your McLaren depends heavily on what model you own. The mileage of your vehicle also plays a key role, as does the geographic location in which you live. 

After your new McLaren’s first 10,000 miles or around its first birthday, whichever comes first, it is recommended that you take your car in for its first service appointment.

The cost of this first appointment can vary based on the model you own. The table below will highlight the average first service appointment cost for several models of McLarens.

As you can see above, some McLaren models are much more expensive to maintain than others. The price also heavily depends on where in the world you are located. If you need an exact estimate, call your local dealership. 

McLaren Maintenance Schedule

Following McLaren’s suggested maintenance schedule will help you keep your vehicle in good working order year after year.

McLaren recommends that you bring your car in for a service appointment either every 10,000 miles or once per year, whichever occurs first.

The processes carried out during each service appointment will vary. At each interval, a mechanic will replace and inspect different components of your vehicle. 

In addition to the model of the vehicle and your geographic location, the amount of servicing it needs will also affect the total cost.

The maintenance schedule below outlines everything the mechanic will do the first few times you bring your McLaren in for a service appointment.

As your McLaren increases in both mileage and years, it may need additional servicing.  Make sure to bring your vehicle in for a full service appointment when recommended by the maintenance schedule to ensure its reliability. 

Are McLarens Reliable Vehicles?

In general, most people consider McLarens to be reliable vehicles. While a few minor problems may pop up here and there, most McLaren owners do not experience a lot of severe issues. 

Having your car serviced according to the recommended maintenance schedule will ensure its reliability. In addition, taking fewer long trips will help the car last longer than taking many short trips. 

Overall, however, you do not have to worry too much about reliability when you own a McLaren. Most of the time, these vehicles only require their yearly service appointment in order to function well. 

What Warranties Does McLaren Offer?

When you first purchase your new McLaren, you can get a three-year, unlimited, bumper-to-bumper warranty. Apart from worn components, this warranty covers everything that could possibly go wrong with your vehicle. 

In addition to this warranty, you also receive free roadside assistance for three years after your McLaren purchase. You can also opt for an increased ten-year, unlimited mileage, anti-perforation (or rust) warranty if you’d like. 

For added peace of mind, McLaren offers owners the opportunity to extend their warranty if they’d prefer.

For up to 12 years after the initial service date, owners can choose to extend the warranty in either one or two-year increments.

This warranty extension is valid for both new and Certified Pre-Owned McLaren Sports and Superseries vehicles.

However, there are a couple of caveats when it comes to this extension. The vehicle must be less than ten years old and have fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer at the time of purchase.

It also must be able to pass McLaren’s rigorous inspection and be up-to-date on its yearly maintenance. 

Do Most Mechanics Work on McLarens?

McLaren dealerships are few and far between. Because of this, many people in remote areas worry about finding a mechanic who will be able to work on their vehicle if needed.

This is definitely something to consider, as there are not many independent mechanics who are able to work on McLarens.

McLarens require special diagnostic and other tools to ensure that work is done on them correctly. Because McLarens are luxury vehicles, it can be difficult to find an outside mechanic who will have these premium tools. 

If McLarens are popular in your community, it may be easier to find a mechanic who is equipped to work on them.

Research exotic car mechanics in your area online, and then call around to find out if they can work on your vehicle. 

If you find it difficult to find a good independent mechanic, going to the dealership may be your best choice.

Repairs should be covered if your vehicle is still under warranty, and the mechanics employed at McLaren always perform high-quality work. 

Can You Maintain a McLaren Yourself?

At the end of the day, a McLaren is not that much different from your average vehicle. Most people with some level of mechanic skill can do an oil and oil filter change themselves, which may save money over time. 

However, the additional maintenance done at a service appointment may be difficult for you to do yourself.

Unless you have a lot of experience working on cars, you should still visit the mechanic so they can perform their routine inspections. 

Another issue you may run into is finding the right parts for your car. You will probably only be able to purchase genuine parts from the dealership, and they will not be cheap. 

McLaren’s website does offer owners access to a technical portal. This portal allows you to search through the different manuals and view repair procedures.

If you would like to save money by working on your vehicle yourself, this may be something useful to look at. 

However, McLaren does charge users by the hour to access this portal, and they do not allow printing.

Although this is inconvenient, you can still get away with screenshotting or taking pictures of the documents with your phone. If you can get past this, you may be able to save a significant amount of money on repairs. 

Overall, McLarens are about just as easy to work on as any other car.

DIY maintenance could prove to be incredibly useful if the closest McLaren dealership is hours away and there are no exotic car mechanics near you.

How Much Do McLaren Parts Cost?

If you have decided to do some maintenance on your McLaren yourself, you might be wondering about the cost of parts.

The prices will vary based on your location and the model you have, but the table below may give you a basic idea of what you’ll pay.

Depending on the amount of work your vehicle needs at its service appointment, doing it yourself may save you a significant amount of money.

While you will still have to pay dealer prices for most of the parts you’ll need, you won’t have to pay up to $200 an hour for labor!

The Bottom Line

McLarens are luxury vehicles that come with luxury costs. Expect to pay anywhere from $1,000-$3,000 each year to ensure your car is functioning at its peak. 

The price may vary significantly based on which McLaren model you have. The McLaren 650S Spider, for example, typically has one of the lowest yearly maintenance costs. Models like the P1 and F1, on the other hand, have some of the highest. 

If finding a McLaren dealership is difficult in your area, call local exotic car mechanics to see if they have the tools needed.

If you have some experience with mechanic work, you can also try performing some of the maintenance on your own.