We've established what mileage looks like by age — new cars do 16,800 a year, ten-year-old ones 12,000. Doing the same by model produces a far wider spread.
| Model | Miles per year | Average age / odometer |
|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette | 2,738 | 20.4 yrs / 55,777 |
| Porsche 911 | 3,595 | 18.0 yrs / 64,571 |
| Mazda MX-5 | 4,239 | 21.8 yrs / 92,607 |
| GMC Yukon XL | 12,807 | 12.8 yrs / 164,359 |
| RAM 2500 | 13,981 | |
| Ford Transit | 15,135 | 1,689 listings |
A twenty-year-old Corvette has fewer miles than a four-year-old van
55,777 against roughly 60,000. The Corvette has been on the road five times longer and covered less ground.
That single comparison undoes most mileage intuition. "Twenty years old" and "worn out" are not the same statement, and neither are "nearly new" and "lightly used".
What each end of the table actually is
The bottom is weekend cars — Corvette, 911, SL-Class, MX-5. Second or third vehicles, driven in good weather, garaged, sold because the owner's circumstances changed rather than because the car wore out.
The top is work. Transit vans, RAM 2500 and 3500, big SUVs used as family haulers. These accumulate distance because that's their function, and they're replaced on a schedule rather than run into the ground.
The Crosstrek at 12,973 miles a year is the interesting middle case — a small, cheap car doing genuine commuter duty.
How to use it when buying
Judge mileage against the model, not the year. A 100,000-mile Transit is a normal seven-year-old van. A 100,000-mile Corvette is an outlier that has done four times its model's average and deserves an explanation.
Low mileage on a low-mileage model isn't a bargain — it's the baseline. Paying a premium for 50,000 miles on a 911 makes little sense when the model averages 64,571 at eighteen years old.
The wear won't match the number on work vehicles. A van that covered 15,000 miles a year did most of them at motorway speed with a load, which is easier duty per mile than city stop-start — but the interior, seats and controls will look older than the odometer suggests.
A suspiciously low reading on a high-mileage model is the one to verify. A Transit showing 40,000 miles at six years old is claiming a third of its model's normal use. We found 209 cars whose reading went backwards between listings — a VIN check shows the recorded history in sequence.
We measured what mileage costs in value terms in every 1,000 miles costs half a percent of the car.
Frequently asked questions
Which cars have the lowest annual mileage?
The Chevrolet Corvette at 2,738 miles a year, Porsche 911 at 3,595 and Mazda MX-5 at 4,239. These are weekend and second cars, driven in good weather and typically garaged.
Which vehicles cover the most miles per year?
The Ford Transit at 15,135, RAM 2500 at 13,981 and GMC Yukon XL at 12,807. Work vehicles and large family haulers accumulate distance because that's their function.
Is high mileage bad on a work van?
Less than it looks. Most of those miles were covered at motorway speed rather than in stop-start traffic, which is easier duty per mile — though the interior and controls will show more wear than the odometer suggests.
How should I judge whether mileage is high?
Against the model, not the calendar. A 100,000-mile Transit is a normal seven-year-old van; a 100,000-mile Corvette has covered four times its model's average and needs an explanation.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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