Research: In which countries do people drive the most kilometers per year?

Car mileage across different markets can vary significantly. Mileage is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a car, and knowing how far people in your country drive per year can help you keep an eye out for potential odometer rollbacks.

So where do people drive the most (and the least)?

Our team has dug into car data to determine the number of kilometers cars travel per year in different European countries and the US.

Cars from the Netherlands drive the most kilometers per year

Among the vehicles checked on carVertical, those from the Netherlands had the highest average annual mileage – 29,851 km, followed by cars from Spain (29,017 km), Denmark (27,346 km), Belgium (24,308 km), and France (23,775 km).

After only 3-4 years, cars from these countries may have around 100,000 kilometers on the odometer, prompting their owners to sell them and choose a new vehicle.

Higher mileage usually means the car will be worth less, so drivers often try to sell such vehicles before they depreciate significantly or before the end of their warranty, which is usually valid for 100,000 km.

Importing cars from other European countries is relatively cheap and simple, so the fact of import doesn’t significantly increase the final price of a used car. Therefore, vehicles from Western European countries are often sold to Eastern Europe.

Cars from America have the lowest mileage – but only due to damages

Surprisingly, the lowest mileage was recorded in cars imported from the US – 16,941 km. This doesn’t mean that Americans drive less than people in other countries, but because most vehicles imported from the US arrive in Europe heavily damaged. Otherwise, car dealers wouldn’t find it profitable to resell them.

The annual mileage of vehicles driving on Latvian roads is the lowest in Europe – 17,420 km. Cars travel a bit more in neighboring Estonia (17,501 km) and Lithuania (17,980 km). Poland also belongs to this exclusive club of low-mileage countries – 17,925 km, followed by Switzerland – 19,151 km.

Even though cars in Latvia travel shorter distances annually than in Western Europe, after 10 years, such a car's mileage is still likely to exceed 170,000 km.

A car with low mileage at a low price – sounds too good to be true?

When choosing a used car, you should be extremely cautious about vehicles with low mileage at an attractive price. Dishonest sellers often adjust the odometer readings to earn more money.

The likelihood of buying a car with clocked mileage significantly increases when purchasing a vehicle imported from abroad. Since countries don’t exchange car data, dishonest individuals are much more likely to get away with fraud. As a result, many cars with a falsified mileage – often more than once – enter local markets from foreign countries.

Before meeting with the seller, you should check the car's history and determine if its mileage is genuine. This will not only save you a lot of time but also prevent disappointment later on. When buying a used car, it’s also necessary to take a test drive and have the vehicle checked at an authorized service center.

Methodology

Our research analyzed car history reports obtained by the company’s users. To determine the annual mileage, we examined the mileage records of all vehicles checked in that specific country and calculated the average. All data is derived from our vehicle history reports.