Standard cars in this day and age are expected to keep running up to 200,000 miles, while cars with electric engines are expected to last for up to 300,000 miles. Keeping a car that long has a lot of benefits, including the fact that it could save you a great deal of money.
What's the Average Life of a Car? 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.
Shortly, the internal combustion engine whether it is diesel or petrol lasts about 1,000,000 km/miles if it is maintained well.
Average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.1 years, unchanged since 2015. Tasmanian vehicles reported the oldest average age at 12.8 years, whilst the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory had the youngest fleet with an average age of 9.4 years.
Generally speaking, petrol has a shelf-life of six months if stored in a sealed container at 20 degrees – or just three months if kept at 30 degrees. The more it's exposed to heat, the more quickly it will go off.
Expired petrol can cause damage to your car's pistons during ignition, which makes it harder to start the engine and reduces your car's performance when revving the engine.
The Shelf Life of Fuel
Regular gasoline has a shelf life of three to six months, while diesel can last up to a year before it begins to degrade. On the other hand, organic-based Ethanol can lose its combustibility in just one to three months due to oxidation and evaporation.
With proper care, cars can last between 200,000 and 300,000 km. The make and model of your vehicle can also be a factor. Here are the top vehicles are known to last over 200,000 km.
According to the New York Times, in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (160,000 km), but due to manufacturing improvements in the 2000s, such as tighter tolerances and better anti-corrosion coatings, the typical car lasts closer to 200,000 miles (320,000 km).
As such, the average mileage of a petrol car is typically slightly less than the overall car average (as this includes diesel models, too) - 6,000 to 7,000 miles per year is a good benchmark. Therefore, a petrol car that has travelled an average of 9,000 miles per year could be considered relatively high mileage.
Diesel engines last longer on average than petrol engines as they use less energy to power the engine.
Why are Toyota's so reliable? Yes, Toyota's are known for their reliability. Toyotas have an average lifespan of 200,000-250,000 miles. If you make sure to keep your car with proper care and maintenance, Toyotas can be driven over 500,000 miles.
A car with 100,000 miles on the odometer might have been used for fewer, longer trips on the motorway. Trips like this cause minimal wear and tear, whereas multiple short trips can cause strain on the engine. The engine will typically be healthy because it is constantly lubricated and will burn any carbon build-up.
A good car is 15,000 km a year, so if you can find a 10 year old car that has done 150,000 kilometres, that's a good car. On average, though, it's more likely to be 250,000 km.
The engine, whether it runs on petrol or diesel, is in all probability capable of 200,000 miles at the very least if it's serviced and maintained.
The lifespan of a Mazda is up to 300,000 miles. Mazdas last a very long time. They can travel between 200,000 and 300,000 miles with proper maintenance before experiencing major issues. Several Mazdas have over 350,000 kilometers on them and are still in use.
What is the most dependable car brand? Here are the brand rankings based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles, according to J.D. Power's 2023 U.S. vehicle dependability study. The industry average is 186. The highest-ranking premium brand was Lexus, and Kia was the highest-ranking mass market brand.
Whether you have a Toyota Corolla lease or you own it, drivers who follow the recommended maintenance schedule can expect their new Toyota Corolla's life expectancy to reach up to 10 years or 300,000 miles – or more! Learn how you can get the most out of your affordable car with the service experts at Beechmont Toyota!
The magic number that buyers look for on an odometer is 200,000kms. Once a car hits this number, it is significantly reduced in value. However, many vehicles around this number still have 5 good years of operation left in them.
I believe that, with proper care, any car can go 500,000+ miles. But that “proper care” phrase is going to be the key. Also, certain brands of cars will definitely meet your half-a-million-mile goal easier than others.
With proper care, including servicing, Mazda's popular Mazda3 model should last for several hundred thousand kilometres. Parts will wear out in that time, however, so don't think you won't have to get your mechanic to look after your car.
The short answer is no, or at least not in the next couple of decades. There are just too many gas-engine cars on the road, with after-market suppliers and local garages supporting the repair of internal combustion engines. Even so, your next new car could be an EV.
Old gas does not become contaminated necessarily, but rather loses its combustible properties and volatile compounds. When you use gasoline that's too old, it can damage internal engine components. It may also start to form a gum residue that could cause blockages.
Gasoline has a limited shelf life just like fruit or other perishable foods you'd find at your local supermarket. It will only last for about six months—if kept in ideal conditions—or possibly up to a year if a fuel stabilizer is used, but nowhere close to the 20 years that The Last of Us would have demanded.