Taking cars from 2013–2018 with clean titles and slicing them into 5,000-mile bands around the six-figure mark.
| Mileage band | Average price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 85,000–90,000 | $15,682 | |
| 90,000–95,000 | $15,470 | −$212 |
| 95,000–100,000 | $14,266 | −$1,204 |
| 100,000–105,000 | $13,384 | −$882 |
| 105,000–110,000 | $13,227 | −$157 |
| 110,000–115,000 | $13,318 | +$91 |
The step, then the flat
Crossing into six figures costs $882. The 10,000 miles after that cost $66 in total — and the last band actually rises.
Nothing mechanical happens at 100,000 miles. A car at 99,800 and one at 100,200 are the same object. What changes is how the number reads.
It isn't sellers gaming the threshold
The obvious theory is that people sell just before crossing it. The listing counts say no: 9,447 cars in the 95–100k band against 9,729 in 100–105k. Supply is even, so the price step is demand-side — buyers discount the six-figure number, sellers don't rush to beat it.
Where the money actually goes
Front-loaded, and far more steeply than the six-figure step suggests. On 2020 model year cars:
0–20,000 miles averages $46,933. By 40–60,000 it's $28,289. At 100–120,000 it's $20,110, and at 140–160,000 it's $18,761.
The first 40,000 miles cost $18,644. The next 100,000 cost $8,179.
That's the real shape of it — the six-figure cliff is a visible bump on a curve that was already flattening. It matches the general rule we measured at 0.56% of value per 1,000 miles, with the front of the curve steeper and the back much shallower.
How to use it
Buy just past the threshold, not just before. A car at 102,000 miles is $882 cheaper than one at 98,000 and mechanically identical. That's the cheapest $882 available in a used car purchase.
Past 105,000, mileage nearly stops costing. Between 105,000 and 115,000 the market charges essentially nothing, so paying up for a lower reading in that range is paying for a number.
Never buy the low-mileage premium below 40,000. That's where the money actually disappears — $18,644 across the first 40,000 miles.
Verify the reading. A number sitting suspiciously just under 100,000 is exactly the profile a rollback would create, and we found 209 cars whose reading went backwards between listings. A VIN check shows the recorded history in sequence.
Frequently asked questions
Does crossing 100,000 miles reduce a car's value?
By about $882. Cars in the 95,000–100,000 band average $14,266 and those in 100,000–105,000 average $13,384 — then prices flatten, with the 110,000–115,000 band actually ticking up slightly.
Do sellers list cars just before 100,000 miles?
No — supply is even across the threshold, with 9,447 listings in the 95–100k band against 9,729 in 100–105k. The price step comes from buyers discounting the six-figure number, not from sellers rushing to beat it.
Where does mileage cost the most?
At the start. On 2020 model year cars the first 40,000 miles cost $18,644 in value while the next 100,000 cost $8,179 — the curve is heavily front-loaded.
Should I buy a car just over 100,000 miles?
It's the cheapest saving available — $882 for a car that's mechanically identical to one at 98,000. And between 105,000 and 115,000 the market charges almost nothing for additional miles.
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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