This is a very difficult question to answer, because it depends on two factors.
Perspective: To some people, a paving job would need to be re – done as soon as it gets a worn spot or broken edge, while others will be perfectly content dodging potholes for many years as long as they have a clean paved surface for vehicle traffic.
Job Site/Usage: Durability can vary based on several factors such as climate, traffic conditions, base, and the number of courses of chip seal used, naturally asphalt or tar & chip will last much longer on a low traffic, residential driveway than they will on a county road or city street.
Answer: Let’s say we are talking in averages. Let’s assume that we are talking about the point where a paved surface is in bad enough condition that repairs are no longer a viable option. And that job site, traffic conditions are pretty typical. The life expectancy for an asphalt paving job is probably around 12 years and in that time repairs such as patchwork, crack sealing and seal coating will be required. For tar & chip, probably around 8 years and in that time repairs such as patching and isolated re – tar and chipping will be required. Tar & chip paving, should last approximately two thirds as long as asphalt paving would on the same job.