Owning a Bugatti sits at the summit of automotive aspiration, but the sticker shock doesn’t end with the keys. The true cost reveals itself in maintenance, where even an oil change can rival the price of a brand-new compact SUV.
A Dacia for an oil change
Car prices have climbed across the board, yet the gulf between a mainstream vehicle and a multi-million-euro hypercar has never felt wider. With Bugatti, a single maintenance task can match the cost of a new daily driver.
As collector and entrepreneur Manny Khoshbin has shown, the numbers are staggering. A set of Bugatti tires can cost roughly as much as a Cupra Formentor, or a new Dacia Duster—with enough left for a used commuter.
What it takes to service a Bugatti
Servicing a Bugatti Veyron is not a quick stop at a corner shop. To reach the engine’s oil system, technicians must remove the rear wheels, brakes, fenders, and multiple panels to access up to 16 drain plugs.
That level of complexity explains the bill. An oil service can reach about $25,000. A tire swap? Around $50,000. Replace the wheels as well, and you’re staring at another $38,000.
- Oil change: about $25,000
- Tires: about $50,000
- Wheels: about $38,000
- Routine cadence: every 15,000 km or annually
- Four-year program (Chiron Pur Sport): €340,000–€405,000 before taxes
Add it up and a “routine” visit can easily cross $100,000. That’s not a glitch in the matrix—it’s a feature of running a machine engineered to perform far beyond normal road cars.
The four-year bill for the Chiron Pur Sport
If the Veyron’s service costs sound extreme, the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport scales them to a new dimension. A full four-year maintenance program can total between €340,000 and €405,000 before taxes.
At this level, keeping the car in peak condition is part of the ownership experience. Skipping service isn’t an option when you’re managing thousand-horsepower engineering with microscopic tolerances.
“In the world of hypercars, the price of admission is just the beginning—the cost of participation is the real gatekeeper.”
Ferrari’s Corse Clienti is another planet
Think Bugatti is the ceiling? Ferrari’s Corse Clienti program runs its own private universe. It’s reserved for owners of historic Formula 1 cars and track-only specials like the 599 XX and LaFerrari FXX K.
Back in 2014, a Ferrari FXX K cost around €2.5 million—with a twist. Owners don’t take it home. Ferrari keeps the car, transports it, preps it, and serves up turnkey race weekends with engineers, mechanics, and even chefs.
The appeal is obvious: maximum speed with factory-level support, without the logistics burden. The price reflects the access, the exclusivity, and the unstinting commitment to performance.
Why owners accept it
For most, these figures are unimaginable. For hypercar owners, they are the cost of safeguarding reliability, resale value, and the thrill that only a Bugatti or Ferrari can deliver.
There’s also the matter of scarcity. With few cars built and even fewer maintained to factory spec, pristine examples can command a premium. Paying more now can mean losing less later.
A world apart
These numbers aren’t meant to shock for shock’s sake; they reveal a different economic reality. Owning a hypercar isn’t about transport—it’s about craft, heritage, and status.
So yes, the oil change may cost as much as a new family car. But in this rarefied world, that’s simply the price of keeping legends alive and ready for the next run down an empty stretch of tarmac.
