According to statistics, in 2020 the average annual car mileage on Britain's roads was just 6,800 miles.
Overall mileage has been consistently dropping year-on-year. In 2021, vehicles in Great Britain have averaged just 5,506 miles annually. This means that 57% of vehicles are consistently traveling less than 100 miles each week.
On average, a car should have around 10,000 miles per year. 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.
To get an idea of what is considered a 'normal' mileage for a particular used car, you can divide the quoted mileage by the number of years on the road. If the result is higher than 7,500 this could be considered a high mileage car, and if the number is below, it's low mileage.
Modern cars seem to be designed for a life of about 5-7 years and 150,000 miles, after that most main dealers are not interested, parts are unobtainable. So if you want to keep your car for a long time- say ten years, or more, you have to be careful what you buy.
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.
On average, car owners actually keep their cars for up to six years. Many cars on the road are already 11 years old or more. While a lot of people keep their cars that long, that doesn't mean you should also do the same.
While it's a good idea to consider the age of a vehicle and the number on its odometer, it's more important to look at how well the owner maintained the car. A 10-year-old car with 100,000 miles may have received more TLC than a five-year-old model with 50,000 miles.
If dividing the quoted mileage of a car by the number of years on the road gives you a figure below 7,500, this can be considered a low mileage. This means the car has covered less distance than most cars of the same age.
In retaining “like new” quality and inheriting a slower depreciation rate, the best used car age for buying is 2-3 years. In fact, Americans are saving up to $14,000 on a 3-year-old vehicle. For example, a car that may have cost you $30,000 when new would cost around $16,000 after just 3 years.
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.
What we found was that overall the average internal combustion engine (ICE) depreciates around 67p per mile. This means that today, the average car will depreciate £4,669.90 per year, based on a recent study that stated the average annual mileage pre-COVID was 6,970 miles a year.
A car that is four years old should have around 60,000 miles.
Cars up to three years old rack up an average of 10,400 miles a year and that's split up into 12,500 miles a year for diesel cars, 9,400 for electric cars and 7,500 for petrol cars. That means the average mileage for a used car varies depending on what fuel it uses.
The mpg figure simply refers to the number of miles you can drive using one gallon of fuel. As a rule of thumb, an efficient car will do more than 60mpg. Anything more than 50mpg can be regarded as decent fuel consumption, but if you're getting less than 25mpg, efficiency probably isn't your priority.
An average car does around 14,000 km per year however some cars that have done more may still be a bargain buy and present you with upwards of 5 years road worthiness.
If you're looking for a car that you can keep for many years, then it's important to focus on the vehicle's mileage rather than its age. That's because a car with lower mileage is more likely to last longer and require less maintenance than a car with higher mileage.
The generally accepted standard has risen from a consumption of around 8.1 to 7.1 litres per 100km (around 60 miles) (35-40mpg) in the past to more like 5.6 to 5.1 litres (50-55mpg). As a rule of thumb, vehicles listed at less than 6.0 litres/100km are considered to have 'good' MPG.
Speedometers. All vehicles registered in the UK since 1977 have been required to have a speedometer capable of displaying speeds in kilometres per hour (km/h) as well as miles per hour (mph). Foreign registered vehicles are generally not required to have speedometers capable of displaying miles per hour.
Average car mileage per year
Experts agree that the common rule of thumb on mileage for a used vehicle is roughly 12,000 miles added each year of ownership. That means if you are looking at a 5-year-old vehicle, it should have about 60,000 miles on it.
Since its founding in 1903, Ford has been a leader in reliable, powerful automotive manufacturing. You can generally expect a Ford to last around 200,000 miles or 13 years. Ford rated 10th in J.D. Power's 2020 vehicle dependability study, above both the industry standard and competitors like Ram, Dodge, and Jeep.
Yes. As car's age, fuel economy declines. No matter how well you take care of your vehicle, it's engine efficiency and power are never as good as when you drive it off the lot. However, while a product of the miles you've driven, this decrease in efficiency is most likely due to faulty or worn engine components.
The average age of scrapped cars is 14 years, according to Scrap Car Comparison who compiled the data, and looking back the the best sellers in 2007 the Focus, Astra, Fiesta and Corsa topped the sales charts. Completing the top five was the Volkswagen Golf with 13,468 cars.
The absolute best age to purchase a second-hand car is when it is between two and three years old. Two-year old cars have a full year left before they will need their first MOT, and are almost guaranteed to be in nearly-new condition, while three year old cars often sail through that first MOT without any issues.
One of the most significant findings revealed that British motorists will get through 13 cars in their lifetime, on average. When asked about their experiences of vehicle ownership throughout the years, it was revealed that respondents typically own cars for longer, later in life.