Cars Americans Drive the Most

October 31, 2019 by Mike Sauter

Buying a car — new or used — is one of the biggest investments many Americans make, and for many, getting the most out of that investment is an important goal. No one wants to buy a lemon that breaks down for good after less than 50,000 miles.    

A recent analysis of more than 13.8 million used cars found that only 0.8% of preowned cars sold in 2018 had over 200,000 miles. There are, however, some models that are several times more likely to reach that mileage. For one model, a stunning 7.4% of cars exceed the 200,000 miles mark.

The most likely cars to reach very high mileage are pickup trucks and SUVs — 13 of the 15 vehicles where over 2.5% of used cars had at least 200,000 miles are trucks or SUVs. There are also plenty of passenger cars, and even a couple of minivans that are more likely than most cars to last the longest. According to used car listing web site iseecars.com, there are 32 SUVs, trucks, minivans, and sedans where at least 1.2% of each model’s used cars sold in 2018 had accumulated over 200,000 miles. 

While mechanical reliability may be a factor in how long the vehicles on this list last, iseecars.com notes that the list composition likely has a lot to do with how people use these vehicles. Pickup trucks overall are the most likely to exceed 200,000 miles, which the site explains is because they are frequently used as work vehicles. The presence of so many large SUVs at the top of the list is probably, to a large extent, due to the fact that people tend to take these vehicles on long road trips. More space means more room for family trips. These are some of the largest cars on the road today.

Some car brands are substantially more likely to have vehicles reach 200,000 miles than others. At the top of this list is Toyota, which also has the No. 1-ranked model on this list. Toyotas are more than twice as likely to have a car reach 200,000 miles as the average across all vehicles. Brands that last longer on the road are more likely to maintain the loyalty of their customers. These are the car brands with the most — and least — loyal customers.

Click here to see cars Americans drive the most

32. Honda Civic
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.2% (tied)
> Vehicle type: compact sedan
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co.

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31. Toyota Camry Hybrid
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.2% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size sedan
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

30. Cadillac Escalade ESV
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.3%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

29. Toyota Camry
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.4% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size sedan
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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28. Toyota Highlander
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.4% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

27. Acura MDX
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.4% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Honda Motor Company

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26. Cadillac Escalade
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.5% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

25. Dodge Durango
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.5% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

24. Ford Taurus
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.6%
> Vehicle type: full-size sedan
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.

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23. Chevrolet Impala
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.7% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size sedan
> Parent company: General Motors

22. Toyota Prius
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.7% (tied)
> Vehicle type: compact hatchback
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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21. GMC Sierra 1500
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.7% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size pickup
> Parent company: General Motors

20. Nissan Titan
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.7% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size pickup
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

19. Toyota Sienna
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.8% (tied)
> Vehicle type: minivan
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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18. Ford F-150
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.8% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size pickup
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.

17. Honda Accord
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.9% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size sedan
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co.

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16. Honda Pilot
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.9% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co.

15. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 1.9% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size pickup
> Parent company: General Motors

14. Lincoln Navigator
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.2%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.

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13. Honda Odyssey
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.5% (tied)
> Vehicle type: minivan
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co.

12. Toyota Avalon
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.5% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size sedan
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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11. Toyota Tundra
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.6% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size pickup
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

10. Toyota Tacoma
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.6% (tied)
> Vehicle type: mid-size pickup
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

9. GMC Yukon
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 2.8%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

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8. Honda Ridgeline
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 3.0%
> Vehicle type: mid-size pickup
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co.

7. Toyota Highlander Hybrid
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 3.1%
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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6. Chevrolet Tahoe
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 3.8%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

5. Toyota 4Runner
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 3.9%
> Vehicle type: mid-size SUV
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

4. GMC Yukon XL
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 4.0%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

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3. Ford Expedition
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 5.0% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.

2. Chevrolet Suburban
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 5.0% (tied)
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: General Motors

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1. Toyota Sequoia
> Share of cars with 200k+ miles: 7.4%
> Vehicle type: full-size SUV
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.

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