How Many Miles Can a Car Last? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Miles Can a Car Last? ›

A conventional car can last for 200,000 miles. Some well-maintained car models will reach 300,000 or more miles total. The average passenger car age is currently around 12 years in the United States. Choosing a well-built make and model can help extend your car's longevity.

What is considered high mileage on a car? Often, 100,000 miles is considered a cut-off point for used cars because older vehicles often start requiring more expensive and frequent maintenance when mileage exceeds 100,000.

As a general rule, most vehicles begin to seriously degrade at around 150,000 miles. It is considered rare, and therefore outstanding longevity, if a car reaches 200,000 miles on the road. That said, there's more to identifying good versus bad mileage on a used car than just the odometer reading.

The current quality of high-mileage used cars ultimately comes down to its maintenance. A 500,000-mile used car or truck has obviously seen its fair share of wear and tear but if the damages wear repaired immediately and the parts were changed when they were supposed to, the vehicle is bound to survive long.

In the past, the average lifespan of a car was significantly lower than it is today. Now, you can expect a standard car to last around 12 years or about 200,000 miles. More advanced vehicles like electric cars can go even longer, up to 300,000 miles.

So, for an easy way to calculate how many miles on a used car is too much, just multiply its age by 10,000. For example, a five-year-old car would ideally have 50,000 miles or less on its odometer. If a car's mileage is far larger than the average, then you will have to take a deeper look at the car's history.

Depending on the car's value, repairing it might be worth the money to keep it going for a few more years. However, most modern gasoline-powered vehicles will start to struggle after the 200,000-mile mark. Electric cars can usually make it up to 300,000 miles before they're considered well used.

Many modern cars with 100K-150K miles are in great condition and will easily go another 100K. However, if a car has not been maintained properly and has been driven hard or previously wrecked, it can be junk with only 30K miles on the odometer.

Traditional wisdom used to warn car buyers to keep away from vehicles with over 100,000 miles. Put simply, though, the 100,000 mile-marker is no longer a good indicator for buying used. If a vehicle has been properly maintained, it can last several hundred thousand miles.

How many miles does a car last? A conventional car can last for 200,000 miles. Some well-maintained car models will reach 300,000 or more miles total.

What car will last the longest miles? ›

While there are no exact mileage figures that definitively label a car as too old, auto industry experts recommend considering 200,000 miles as an upper limit. Beyond this point, even the most reliable cars may start showing indications of usage and deterioration.

Minor things, if the rest of the car is still functioning well, I would say yes. If anything major goes wrong, like a transmission, or an engine, probably not. I would continue to do the regular maintenance as necessary.

It can be somewhat risky to buy a vehicle that has racked up more than 100,000 miles. Even if it's well-maintained and has about 100,000 miles left in it, such a car is already past its prime. Generally, vehicles are likely to start experiencing problems after the 100,000-mile mark.

Finding a four-year-old car with 50,000 miles on it can be a great deal, as it means that the driver used it a little less than average, and it could have more life left in it. However, you should be a bit wary of vehicles that are a decade old with only 50,000 miles to show for it.

A conventional car can last for 200,000 miles. Some well-maintained car models will reach 300,000 or more miles total. The average passenger car age is currently around 12 years in the United States. Choosing a well-built make and model can help extend your car's longevity.

Reliability was more questionable then, and many vehicle odometers didn't even reach six figures, never mind driving beyond that milestone. Today, however, most cars are engineered to drive well past 100,000 miles, which means buying a high-mileage car can lead to a great deal.

Although it may have been well maintained, the purchase of a vehicle with over 200,000 miles on the odometer might lead to significant maintenance costs. At this point, the car is likely nearing the end of its useful life, and you may soon need to either invest a significant sum in repairs or replace it entirely.