Mileage car: gasoline, diesel, electric & motorcycle

The mileage of a vehicle is a key indicator of its value and condition. Because the mileage indicates how many kilometers the car has covered since it was manufactured and is therefore an important factor in the assessment of the vehicle. In the car leasing and financing sector, the mileage plays a decisive role in determining the total number of kilometers a vehicle is allowed to cover during the contract period. High mileage can increase the risk for the lessor, as it indicates that the vehicle has been used frequently and thus has a higher rate of wear and tear.

What is the mileage on a car?

Mileage is the number of miles a vehicle has traveled, or will travel in the future. It is usually expressed in kilometers per year and is an important factor in assessing the condition of a vehicle.

Importance of mileage on cars

The mileage of a car is an important factor to consider when making a purchase decision. It provides information about the condition of the vehicle and can be an indicator of the expected life of the car. High mileage can also be an indication of higher maintenance intensity, which is necessary to keep the vehicle in good condition.

But, have you ever considered that mileage shouldn't be the only buying criterion? Sure, if you like a car and the mileage is not too high, that's great! But keep in mind that mileage only shows how far the car has been driven overall.

The mileage of a car says nothing about whether the motor vehicle has been driven over longer distances or in city traffic. The driving profile has a strong influence on wear and tear. For example, the clutch is much more stressed on urban routes than on the highway. Even short trips are detrimental to the engine, which often runs cold. Therefore, mileage falls short as the sole criterion for evaluating a used car. Also pay attention to the interior, the condition and sound of the engine, the bodywork and the service booklet.

Nevertheless, the mileage has as an important purchase criterion your justification, because one can say that with cars with higher mileage more frequently problems with wearing parts occur, in comparison to cars with lower mileage.

What's more important: mileage or age?

When it comes to a decision between a younger car with higher mileage and an older car with lower mileage, DEKRA advises to go for the older car with less mileage. For this they have 15 million. Vehicles examined.

The realization of the DEKRA: The mileage calls more expensive defects than the age of the vehicle. The risk that particularly cost-intensive defects, such as worn bearings, are due to the kilometers driven rather than the age of the vehicle. Defects typical of old vehicles, such as brittle seals, are less expensive to repair and are therefore usually not as serious.

DEKRA thus comes to the clear conclusion that low mileage is more important than a low age when buying a used car.

If you take out a car loan without Schufa, you should therefore place emphasis on a lower mileage, so as not to get an expensive repair shop bill in the near future.

Nevertheless, this finding, whether mileage or age is more important is controversial among auto experts. Because mileage often falls short as the sole criterion. It is also important how and where was driven: Were the kilometers on the long haul or short distance in the city? A service booklet provides information on the maintenance of the vehicle and an inspection of the interior, bodywork and engine allows conclusions to be drawn about the driving style and care of the car. Garage cars are also better protected from scratches and rust than cars outside.

Mileage as basis in kilometer contract

A mileage contract is a contract that specifies the mileage of a vehicle. The contract stipulates a certain number of kilometers per year that the vehicle may travel. In rarer cases, the contract stipulates a certain number of kilometers per month. To do this, the formulation mileage p.a, which means term per annum, i.e. term per year.

When the mileage p.a. If the mileage falls below the minimum, the lessee often gets money back. If, on the other hand, the mileage is exceeded, the lessee must pay an additional fee for wear and tear on the vehicle for the excess kilometers driven.

The diesel engine's higher efficiency, lower engine speeds and larger displacement mean more power and longer service life. Thus, truck engines can reach over 1 million kilometers, passenger car diesel engines can reach a mileage of over 500.000 kilometers. Realistic mileages of diesel engines range from 250.000 km to 350.000 km

Diesel engines have slightly more displacement than gasoline engines with the same power output. In addition, high torque is already available at low engine speeds in diesel engines. This implies lower engine speeds and thus low-wear operation. Due to the strong charging nowadays this effect is partly compensated again. Nevertheless, diesel engines run at lower speeds and thus protect the engine.

Another effect that has a positive impact on the mileage of the diesel engine is that diesel vehicles are mostly long-distance cars. Finally, diesel cars only pay for themselves from around 15.000 km per year, and are therefore popular with commuters on longer freeway journeys. During long hauls, the engine runs at optimal operating temperature, in contrast to short hauls, which is why it is better lubricated.

Gasoline engine mileage: How long does the gasoline engine car run in comparison?

Diesel and gasoline engines have converged overall in terms of mileage. Because modern gasoline engines also run 200.000 km. While this averages slightly less time than a diesel engine runs, mileage is also heavily influenced by care maintenance and car brand.

Since the mileage of diesel and gasoline engines have become more and more similar, when buying a used car, one should also look at factors such as the condition of the vehicle, costs of purchase and maintenance, insurance, fuel prices, consumption and taxes in order to make a decision on the type of drive system to use.

Electric car mileage: How long does the electric car run??

With electric cars, it's not the engine that's the limiting element, it's the battery. This is based on a service life of eight to ten years and approximately 1.000 charging cycles for electric cars. With an average range of 100 kilometers per charge, this then results in a mileage of approximately 100.000 kilometers. However, a modern lithium-ion battery can last up to 3.000 charging cycles endurance. With this battery technology, the new Tesla S can thus manage up to 200.000 km.

At the end of the battery life in the electric car, the remaining capacity has decreased to about 70%. Although you don't have to worry about being stranded, the range and efficiency of the battery are noticeably reduced.

The ADAC has summarized the ranges of electric cars in the following table:

ManufacturerModelWarranty durationMinimum capacityPossible warranty exclusions

Which cars last longest?

High-volume diesel engines are still the most durable. Because with good care, diesel engine mileages of over 300.000 km not rare. But electric cars are catching up. Because Toyota provides a warranty of 1 million km on the battery of the first all-electric Lexus 300e.

However, the warranty is limited to 10 years, so you would have to pay 100.000 km per year to reach the mileage within the warranty period. Specifically, Toyota guarantees that during the warranty period, the battery capacity will not drop below 70 percent. Prerequisite is that the customer complies with the maintenance intervals. There has never been so much warranty on the battery of an electric car. This leads to the conclusion that as battery technology advances, electric cars will soon replace diesel as the indestructible car.

How many km does a car run?

How many kilometers are a lot for a car depends on the car and its previous owner. Because sedans with diesel engines are typical vehicles for the long haul with little wear and tear. A mileage of 150.000 km is therefore not a problem for these cars. For small cars with gasoline engines are 150.000 km, on the other hand, should already be regarded as critical. Small cars are usually driven only short distances with a cold engine, which damages it much faster. In addition, there is the poorer workmanship of the cheaper small cars. If you value a durable small car, you should look at the best small cars at 1.000 Euro net or 1500 Euro net per month in the linked articles.

Is 100.000 km for a car much?

No, 100.000 kilometers are actually not a special mileage for a car. Both vehicles with gasoline and diesel engines achieve this mileage without any problems. Only some electric cars are not guaranteed to reach 100.000 km mileage already sunk to 70% of your remaining capacity. This includes the e-cars from: Kia, Citroen/DS, the Fiat 500e, the Jaguar i-Pace, the Peugeot iOn, and the Smart. Even the expensive Porsche Taycan has at 100.00 km less than 80% guaranteed remaining capacity in the battery.

Are 200.000 km for a car much?

Most gasoline and diesel cars still crack 200.000 kilometer mark. However, small cars and heavily supercharged engines already show clear signs of wear here. Most e-cars also have a confidence rating of 200.000 km the 70 % capacity limit has already been undercut. Only the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the Lexus UX300e achieve more than 200.000 km with more than 70 % guaranteed residual capacity in the battery.

Can you buy a car with 300.000 km buy?

At car portals you can always find cars with more than 300.000 km. Reliable cars like the Mercedes E-Class or the Volvo V70 can already last that long. Buying a car with 300.000 km and more, however, is associated with a considerable risk, as one does not know the car's previous history. In addition, it can be found at 300.000 km and more, suddenly come to unexpected defects.

For cars with 300.000 km or more, the following points are important to minimize the risk somewhat

• It should be a vehicle that had scored well in the Dekra used car report (z.B. Mercedes-Benz E-Class or Volvo V70)
• Diesels are usually more durable
• The number of previous owners should be low
• When were wear parts such as brakes or clutch last replaced
• How do critical rust spots like door edges look like?
• If the car is accident-free and this can be confirmed by a paint test?
• What does the engine oil look like? – Are traces of water visible here, or just oil?

Which cars manage 400.000 km?

The comparison search engine AutoUncle has analyzed several vehicles and found the following cars with more than 400.000 km on average found in the databases of car exchanges: Ford Fiesta, VW Bulli T3, VW Golf II and the Mercedes models B180, 230, 300 and W123. But also the Toyota LandCruiser managed more than 400.000 kilometers on average. Considering the tough operating profile of off-road vehicles, this is a very special feat of Japanese engineering.

Which car is indestructible?

Indestructible cars with more than 22 years of typical life are considered indestructible or everlasting. According to a study of disposal.This means that Volkswagen, Honda and Mitsubishi cars are indestructible. These cars last between 22 and 26. But the Toyota LandCruiser and the Golf II also last forever. Many cars of these models, according to AutoUncle, are still sold with over 300.000 km resold. But even modern cars from VW last 26 years, almost twice as long as cars from Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Kia, which only last 14 years.

Toyota, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, Opel, Nissan, Skoda and Reanault cars typically have a life span of 18 to 19 years. This means you can't keep up with the top group, but at least you achieve an average life span of 18 years. A slightly below-average life span reach the brands Seat, Citroen, Suzuki, Ford, Mazda, Daihatsu, Fiat and Hyundai, which hold out for 16 to 17 years.

Motorcycle mileage compared to car

Used motorcycles with more than 100.000 kilometers mileage are often still sold today, because your maximum mileage is often not yet reached. If the motorcycle has a low-wear cardan drive, mileages of more than 200.000 km possible. This means that high-quality touring motorcycles have comparable mileage to a car. Compared to the chain, the expensive cardan drive requires little maintenance except for occasional oil changes. The massive cardan drive, however, is somewhat heavier than a chain, which is at the expense of driving performance. What (less known) possibilities of motorcycle financing there are, you will learn in the linked article.

What is the normal mileage of a used car?

A five year old used car with a gasoline engine should have an average mileage of 60.000 KM have. A five-year-old diesel should last about 100.000 km traveled. You can find more average mileage of used cars in the table below. The annual mileage in kilometers comes from a study prepared by Statista, which is linked below the diagram.

Annual mileage in KM1 year old used car3 year old used car5 year old used car7 year old used car

A mileage between 10.000 km to 20.000 km per year is normal for a car

An annual mileage of 10.000 to 20.000 km per year can be considered normal. However, there are differences, in men and women and in the drive between a gasoline (petrol) and diesel engine. Men drove 2020 1.460 kilometers more than women. But it becomes even clearer with the drive. While cars with diesel engines cover almost 20.000 km per year, cars with gasoline engines will only cover about 12.000 km driven. In 2019, a diesel car was thus 7.650 km more than a gasoline engine moves. In 2020, the difference was less, as many commuters were relegated to the home office. Moreover, residents in major cities drive about 3.300 km a year less than residents in small towns.

Diesel, male, small town are factors that increase average car mileage

In other words, a 5-year-old used car has an average mileage of more than 60.000 km if:

• the previous owner was male
• the car has a diesel engine
• The previous owner lives in a small town

Low mileage on the car: beware of speedometer manipulation

Now that you know what mileage is common on a car, you still shouldn't make a snap judgment.After all, mileage is only one of many criteria when buying a car on installments. So don't be fooled by a low mileage and take a good look at the car to make sure you are not cheating on the tachometer.

The condition of the interior, engine, body and service book are also important. This will give you a better overall picture of the condition of the car. How to tell if it's been well looked after and maintenance has been carried out according to the manufacturer's recommendations.