Hypercar Ownership: Bugatti Chiron Maintenance Costs Detailed

With that in mind, have you ever wondered how much it costs just to maintain your average modern hypercar? Everyone expects it to be a hassle on the old Louis Vuitton wallet, but some costs are truly monumental from an average person's point of view.

Let's assume you've struck it big with your business, or you're a trust fund baby, and you already have your dream home(s), usually fly private, and you no longer remember how much is a carton of milk.

Things are going so great financially that it's time to honestly treat yourself and buy your first hypercar to round up the fleet of Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis, and limited-edition Porsches parked in your multi-car garage.

Albeit being spoiled for choice regarding boutique exotic carmakers in this time and age, most people will invariably begin their hypercar collection with a Bugatti, a symphony of power and opulence on wheels.

Despite a tumultuous history, especially in recent years, Bugatti is not only a name but an emblem of automotive extravagance. The Chiron currently sits at the apex of this illustrious car brand, a hypercar that transcends most superlatives and speeds (pun intended) into the realm of automotive divinities.

From the very inception of Bugatti in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti, this French-Italian - now also German and Croatian - fusion of engineering excellence vowed to embody the spirit of artistry in motion.

The Bugatti Chiron, with its ever-increasing number of versions, is only the latest in a long lineage of mechanical marvels, so it's only logical that the least expensive model started at a whopping $2.6 million (2.4 million Euros) when it went on sale in 2016.

You'd be lucky to find a non-customized one for under $4 million (3.6 million euros) on the used car market nowadays, the only choice you have without spending over $6-7 million for a new one-of-one or limited edition version.

The extravagant acquisition price is only part of the deal because once you get your hands on a Chiron, the high spending is only beginning.

After rummaging through hypercar forums and various owners' social media, these are all the costs involved with the long-term ownership of a Chiron I could find.

When buying a new Bugatti Chiron, you get a four-year bumper-to-bumper warranty with unlimited mileage. After that is finished, you can get it extended or pay per service visit, which is much more expensive.

Regular Servicing and Inspection Costs

Somewhat surprisingly, and despite the Chiron being almost twice as expensive as its predecessor, the Veyron, the overall maintenance costs for the former are slightly more manageable.

This is all while a simple LED taillight costs upward of $10,000 (9,000 euros). You can't pull a Lamborghini and go for less expensive Audi parts on your Bugatti. Oh, and never lose your keys because a replacement key fob is $13,500 (12,500 Euros).

The regular one-year annual inspection for a Bugatti Chiron costs $11,500 (10,500 Euros), with specialized mechanics checking everything that can go wrong after driving a car capable of over 250 mph (402 kph) if road conditions allow it.

Bugatti recommends changing the fluids on the model's 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine every 14 months or 10,000 miles (16,000 km). This operation includes 16 drain plugs, coolant, filters, and the recommended Castrol Edge 10W-60 oil for $22,000 (20,000 Euros).

Tires, Wheels, and Brakes

No matter how cool those wheels may look and the stress they can take at 200+ mph speeds, Bugatti also recommends changing them every 10,000 miles (16,000 km) at a cost that starts at $45,000 (41,000 Euros) for the most 'basic' versions.

Remember, this is a 250+ mph car that weighs almost as much as a mid-size SUV (4,056 pounds, or 2,070 kg), so those special wheels go hand in hand with specially developed tires. Thankfully, unlike its Veyron predecessor, Chiron owners are spoiled for choice regarding tires, which are also much less expensive than before but still specially developed for the model.

As standard, the hypercar comes fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport PAX all-season, run-flat tires, which cost around $7,200 (6,600 Euros). If you ever decide to track your Chiron or drive it more in the summer, you can get a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 XL tires for the same price.

Not content with the grip those Cup 2s offer? There are also specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R TR tires available for a cool $38,000 (35,000 Euros).

Surprisingly, those who remember that the Chiron is all-wheel-drive can use that 1,500 horsepower to dig snow trenches in the winter with a set of Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires, which cost as much as the all-season Michelins.

What about replacing those gargantuan brakes? Well, the front carbon-ceramic rotors, which measure 420 mm in diameter, can be replaced for no less than $45,000 (41,000 Euros). The accompanying 3D-printed titanium brake pads with 8 calipers? Those are just $8,100 (7,500 Euros).

I haven't found any numbers for the rear, 400-mm rotors, and the 6-piston calipers, but they should be a tad cheaper than those in the front. That said, brake fluid and other component cleaning or replacement during a brake job will cost you another $54,000 (50,000 Euros).

Miscellaneous Long-Term Maintenance and Repairs

Obviously, most of the above only cover yearly routine maintenance, but with such a complex vehicle, other, much higher costs can be involved.

Like its predecessor, the Veyron, the Bugatti Chiron houses a formidable array of 10 radiators for cooling that 8-liter, quad-turbocharged, 16-cylinder beast of an engine. Those intercoolers will need to be replaced every three to four years, and it will only cost you $19,800 (18,200 Euros).

Pricing for the four turbochargers, which can pump up to 60,000 liters of air into the engine per minute? A reasonable $23,400 (21,500 Euros).

Need some engine tuning and calibration from time to time? That will be $26,000 (23,700 Euros). Want a new coat of paint over that sculpted carbon fiber body from the factory? That's at least $49,000 (45,000 Euros) for the least expensive option.

Speaking of which, Bugatti recommends you never wash your Chiron using an automated car wash - you wouldn't want tiny scratches on your 50 grand paint, would you?

Did you manage to crack your Bugatti Chiron windshield? Tough luck because an OEM replacement is an eye-watering $54,000 (50,000 Euros).

Too many overly optimistic launches on an incline to test the 2.4-seconds 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) acceleration? Your 7-speed DCT transmission may be grenaded, meaning you must now fork out a staggering $185,000 (170,000 Euros) for a replacement.

Total cost for a brand-new, 8-liter, quad-turbocharged, W16 Chiron engine? At over $856,000 (788,000 Euros), it's almost a third of the car's cost when new.

Most car owners are recommended to replace their windshield wipers at least once, if not twice, per year, but this usually doesn't break their wallets. However, most car owners don't own a Bugatti because that would mean they'd need to pay $3,400 (3,150 Euros) to change their wiper blades.

Addendum

In short, the Bugatti Chiron is an amalgam of excesses, from its engine's number of cylinders to its 261 mph (420 kph) electronically limited top speed.

However, Bugatti isn't a marque content with mere velocity. No, Bugatti masterfully merges swiftness with sophistication, sculpting an interior haven that feels more like a lavish penthouse than a conventional car cockpit within the Chiron.

It's an orchestration of luxury that transcends mere transportation, an ambiance where craftsmanship and comfort intertwine to redefine the very essence of automotive indulgence.

Yes, all this isn't cheap, but most good things aren't. With that in mind, Bugatti has created the so-called Passeport Tranquillité service program for Chiron and Veyron customers worldwide.

In translation, the program gets you an extended four-year warranty covering everything from oil changes to cracked wheels for a mere $204,000 (188,000 Euros). That sounds like a bargain.