If maintained well, some car models can last an incredibly long time. According to Consumer Reports, cited by NBC News, the average new vehicle will last around 8 years, though with good maintenance, a car may continue running for around 15 years.
Of course, there are plenty of vehicles that exceed this timespan. One Internet user recently laid out their picks for the longest-lasting cars, citing vehicles made by Honda and Toyota as among the most reliable for long-term use.
However, some vehicles make it impossible to last that long. In fact, according to one TikTok user, there’s a type of car that can actually expire.
The Toyota with an expiration date
Recently, TikTok user Daniel (@hydrogencarreviews) sparked discussion after revealing that his car, a Toyota Mirai, has a tag that says it should not be refueled after 2032.
“So, this car’s set to expire on 2032,” he states. “I cannot refuel it after this.”
The reason for this expiration is that the Toyota Mirai is neither an electric nor gasoline vehicle. Rather, it’s a hydrogen car—which means that its tank only has a certain lifespan.
“Since it’s a hydrogen tank, after a certain amount of years…the tank expires,” Daniel explains. “It’s not safe to fuel up after a certain amount of years. So yes, this car expires on 2032. You cannot fuel it up afterwards or else, I don’t know, it might blow up, right?”
Toyota’s hydrogen car
The Toyota Mirai was announced back in 2014, with retail sales beginning a year later.
Since its launch, Toyota has struggled to effectively market the car. This may be because almost all of the United States’ hydrogen refueling stations are in California, or because some people have cited cost issues with using the vehicle.
For example, the Autopian interviewed a driver who was initially happy with her purchase, as she was allocated free hydrogen refueling for a certain amount of time. Once that hydrogen credit expired, however, she was devastated by how much the car cost to refuel.
Using the mileage numbers provided by the driver, author David Tracy does some quick math to determine that the cost of using the vehicle in California at the time of writing was the equivalent of driving a 10-mile-per-gallon vehicle—a steep ask, given that the average MPG of a new car is around 24 miles per gallon, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
Why people buy hydrogen cars
In a TikTok direct message exchange with the Daily Dot, Daniel says he bought the car in part because it “was marketed as the cheapest car in the dealership when I went in to look at it.”
Issues like the car’s expiration date were not directly disclosed to him when he bought it, he claims.
“To be fair, I haven’t read the manual page by page but I’ve looked at the index and [there’s] nothing about that,” he details.
As far as resolving this issue is concerned, he says that, as best he can tell, there is “no solution.”
“I think you can refuel but at your own risk,” he shares. “I think after so many refuels the tank become unreliable.”
As a result of his experience, Daniel says he would not advise that others buy a hydrogen vehicle.
“After knowing what I know now, would not recommend at all,” he declares. “I’ve actually reached out to Toyota this month for a buyback of this car but no response yet.”
@hydrogencarreviews Another negative of the toyota mirai #toyotamirai #toyota #mirai @Toyota ♬ original sound – Daniel
Commenters sound off
In the comments section, some users noted that this was a problem with not only hydrogen vehicles but other cars that use non-gasoline fuel sources.
“CNG vehicles are the same,” declared a user. This user is referring to compressed natural gas cars, which the U.S. Department of Energy says, “have a useful life of 15 to 20 years, depending on their construction and how they were certified by the original manufacturer.”
Others simply shared their lack of enthusiasm for this particular car.
“I love toyota but the mess up with that car,” said a user.
“these cars suck,” stated another.
The Daily Dot reached out to Toyota via email.
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