Is this mileage high for its age?
Type the reading and when the car was first registered. You get the mileage per year and how it compares with an average car of the same age in your country.
Example: a 7-year-old car with 95,000 km
– km a year
Enter a reading
Ask the seller
Older vehicle or shorter chassis number? Check the manufacturer’s records or read our VIN guide.
Average mileage per year by country
Official figures for an average passenger car. Countries without one use the EU average.
| Country | km a year | miles a year | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU average | 10,800 | 6,711 | 2023 |
| United Kingdom | 11,426 | 7,100 | 2025 |
| Germany | 10,616 | 6,596 | 2025 |
| France | 11,600 | 7,208 | 2024 |
| Netherlands | 12,300 | 7,643 | 2024 |
| Ireland | 17,000 | 10,563 | 2023 |
By the car’s age (Germany, 2025)
- 13,722 km0–3 years old
- 12,856 km4–5 years old
- 12,093 km6–7 years old
- 11,723 km8–9 years old
- 9,415 km10–19 years old
- 5,559 km20+ years old
By fuel (Germany, 2025)
- 8,406 kmPetrol
- 14,561 kmDiesel
- 11,421 kmHybrid
- 11,312 kmElectric
The calculator adds up these yearly figures for the car’s age, scaled to the country and fuel you pick (the UK uses its own fuel figures, other countries Germany’s). Within about 30% of that total counts as typical.
Signs the mileage may have been changed
A wound-back odometer shows a low, believable number. These are the things that give it away.
Service records with gaps
A service book or invoices that stop for years, or stamps from garages that cannot be found.
Wear that does not match
Shiny steering wheel, worn pedal rubbers, a sagging driver’s seat or a worn gear knob on a “low-mileage” car.
Readings that go down
An inspection or service record showing more kilometres than the dashboard does today.
A new dashboard or instrument cluster
Replacements are legal, but the seller should have paperwork with the reading at the time of the swap.
An oil-change sticker or key data
The sticker under the bonnet and the data stored in the key often show the mileage at the last service.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average mileage per year for a car?
Across the EU an average car covers about 10,800 km a year (ODYSSEE-MURE, 2023). It varies by country: about 10,600 km in Germany, 11,600 km in France, 12,300 km in the Netherlands, around 7,100 miles (11,400 km) in England and around 17,000 km in Ireland.
Is low mileage always good?
No. Very low mileage on an older car can mean long periods standing still, which is hard on tyres, brakes, seals and the battery. It is also what a wound-back odometer looks like, so ask for records that prove it.
Is high mileage a problem?
Not by itself. A car that covered long motorway trips and was serviced on time can be in better shape than a low-mileage city car. Ask what was replaced and check that the price reflects the distance.
Does a diesel cover more kilometres than a petrol car?
Yes, by a lot. In Germany a diesel car covers about 14,600 km a year and a petrol car about 8,400 km (KBA, 2025); in England about 8,000 and 6,200 miles (DfT, 2025). People who drive a lot choose diesel, so a high reading on a diesel is more normal than on a petrol car.
Why does the car’s age change the expected mileage?
New cars run more: in Germany a car up to 3 years old covers about 13,700 km a year, one aged 10 to 19 about 9,400 km and one over 20 about 5,600 km (KBA, 2025). The calculator adds up these yearly figures for the car’s age.
How can I check if the mileage is real?
Compare the reading with dated records: service invoices, inspection or MOT results and earlier sale adverts. A vehicle history report collects recorded readings by VIN, so a reading that went down shows up as a gap or a drop.
Also try the car ownership cost calculator or the free VIN decoder.
Sources and further reading
- EU average: ODYSSEE-MURE, distance travelled by car (EU27), 2023 (external website)
- United Kingdom: DfT National Travel Survey, table NTS0901 (England), 2025 (external website)
- Germany: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, Verkehr in Kilometern (VK 1.1, VK 1.7 by fuel), 2025 (external website)
- France: SDES, cars in circulation on 1 January 2025, 2024 (external website)
- Netherlands: CBS, how far do passenger cars drive (provisional), 2024 (external website)
- Ireland: ODYSSEE-MURE, distance travelled by car (about 17,000 km), 2023 (external website)
- Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt: Verkehr in Kilometern, VK 1.6 and VK 1.7 (mileage by car age and by fuel, 2025) (external website)
- UK: check MOT history of a vehicle (free, by number plate) (external website)
Editorial source review: 8 November 2026. Availability, access rules and terms may change. No vehicle report or paid purchase is implied by this date.