How Many Miles Is Too Many for a Used Car?

The number of miles on the odometer goes a long way to determining the value and desirability of a used vehicle. The higher the number, the lower the value, and fewer shoppers will probably be interested.

Because it’s often difficult, if not impossible, to discover a vehicle’s complete history, the odometer reading becomes a key factor by default, along with a vehicle’s appearance.

How Many Miles Should a Used Car Have?

Depending on who you ask, the average miles driven per year is 10,000 to 15,000, with around 12,000 the most common yardstick (most leases allow 12,000 miles per year).

So, if you’re looking at a 5-year-old SUV with 124,000 miles on the clock, should that set off alarm bells? Yes, because the value of any used vehicle is in how many miles are left. What’s more, if the odometer is already making its second lap, that means that less than half of the useful miles remain — maybe a lot less.

With regular maintenance and a little bit of luck, however, vehicles can perform reliably for more than 200,000 miles, so the odometer reading alone might not tell the whole story.

A well-maintained vehicle that is driven 20,000 miles per year on highways and in sparsely populated areas where there are fewer traffic signals and stop signs generally has led an easier life than a similar vehicle that has half as many miles but has endured the daily grind of low-speed city driving. Frequent stops, lots of idling and constant pounding from pock-marked pavement increase wear and tear. In comparison, cruising on the open road is like living on Easy Street.

Likewise, a car that is 8 years old and has only 50,000 miles sounds like a sure bet. But if the owner changed the oil only every other year and neglected other routine maintenance and repairs, the engine and other components might be in far worse shape than the odometer would indicate.

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How Many Miles Is Too Many for a Used Car?

The bottom line: Miles take a toll on a vehicle’s overall health and lifespan, but so do age, neglect, rust, and where and how it was driven.

Having a qualified mechanic perform a thorough inspection of a used vehicle before you buy can provide a more meaningful assessment of whether it has too many miles than just the odometer reading.

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