Cost example updated October 24, 2026
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A car with low miles for its age is usually worth more than the same car with high miles for its age. As a rough rule, guides put the drop at about 20% of value for every 20,000 miles. The yardstick for judging miles against age is 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year. The rest of this page shows those bands, one worked value curve, and why two round numbers on the dashboard, 60,000 and 100,000 miles, move prices more than the miles around them.
First, the mileage bands for a car's age
Miles alone do not tell the story. A car's odometer, the number on the dashboard that counts every mile the car has driven, has to be read next to the car's age. Divide the odometer reading by the car's age in years and you get its miles per year. Then compare that number with the benchmark: about 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year, the pace dealers and insurers use to judge whether mileage fits a car's age.
That is the whole band picture: low, average, and high are about pace, not just the big number on the dashboard. A 10-year-old car at 120,000 miles is on an average pace (12,000 miles a year). A 3-year-old car at 60,000 miles is on a fast pace (20,000 miles a year). Same ballpark of miles, very different story.
One worked example: the same car at four mileages
Here is one car, held still in every way except miles, so the miles do the talking. The starting point is a car that cost $30,000 new. The curve applies the published rough rule, each 20,000-mile band keeps 80% of the value it had at the start of that band, which is the same as losing about 20% per band, and compounds it (each band takes its 20% from a smaller number than the band before). Age, condition, and model are held out of this example on purpose: this is what the miles alone do under that rule, not a price quote for any real car on a lot.
- 20,000 miles: $24,000 (1 band: $30,000 x 0.80, keeps 80.0% of new, $6,000 lost)
- 60,000 miles: $15,360 (3 bands: $30,000 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.80, keeps 51.2% of new, $14,640 lost)
- 100,000 miles: $9,830 (5 bands: $30,000 x 0.80 to the power of 5, keeps 32.8% of new, $20,170 lost)
- 150,000 miles: $5,627 (7.5 bands: $30,000 x 0.80 to the power of 7.5, keeps 18.8% of new, $24,373 lost)
Two things to notice. First, the dollar drops between the rows shrink as the car gets older in miles: $8,640 from 20,000 to 60,000 miles, $5,530 from 60,000 to 100,000 miles, and $4,203 from 100,000 to 150,000 miles, because 20% of a smaller number is a smaller number. Second, this curve is an illustration of the rule, not a market price. Real cars also lose value with age (depreciation, the value a car loses over time, is driven by both age and miles), and guides note the pace of loss tends to slow after 100,000 miles, so the 150,000-mile figure here may read lower than a real car of the same miles would. Treat the shape as the lesson and the dollars as an example: the value falls fastest in the early bands and flattens out later.
Formula
The curve applies the published rough rule: each 20,000-mile band keeps 80 percent of the value it had at the start of that band, which is the same as losing about 20 percent per band, and compounds it, so each band takes its 20 percent from a smaller number than the band before. The starting point is a car that cost $30,000 new. Age, condition, and model are held out of this example on purpose: this is what the miles alone do under that rule, not a price quote for any real car on a lot.
At 20,000 miles, 1 band: $30,000 times 0.80 is $24,000, which keeps 80.0 percent of new, $6,000 lost. At 60,000 miles, 3 bands: $30,000 times 0.80 times 0.80 times 0.80 is $15,360, which keeps 51.2 percent of new, $14,640 lost. At 100,000 miles, 5 bands: $30,000 times 0.80 to the power of 5 is $9,830, which keeps 32.8 percent of new, $20,170 lost. At 150,000 miles, 7.5 bands: $30,000 times 0.80 to the power of 7.5 is $5,627, which keeps 18.8 percent of new, $24,373 lost.
The dollar drops between the rows shrink as the car gets older in miles: $8,640 from 20,000 to 60,000 miles, $5,530 from 60,000 to 100,000 miles, and $4,203 from 100,000 to 150,000 miles, because 20 percent of a smaller number is a smaller number. The bands for a car age are miles per year: divide the odometer reading by the car age in years. Under 12,000 miles a year is low miles for its age, about 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year is average, and well over 14,000 miles a year is high.
How this page differs from its neighbors: the page on why cars lose value covers the whole picture of value loss over time. This page is narrower, it is how miles change one car's value, mile band by mile band. A separate question, which models hold their value best against each other, and a separate question again, whether a high-mileage car is a sensible choice, are not answered here.
Why 60,000 and 100,000 miles move prices more than the miles around them
At 60,000 miles, two things land at once. Some factory coverage, the maker's promise to pay for certain repairs for a set time or mileage, runs out around this point, and bigger service work (the kind of upkeep that costs real money, like timing parts, suspension pieces, and fluid services) starts coming due. Shoppers know those bills may be next, so they price them in before they are paid.
At 100,000 miles, the change is mostly in shoppers' heads, and that still moves money. Six figures on the dashboard reads as a different kind of car, even when nothing changed overnight in how it drives. Fewer shoppers look at six-figure cars at all, and financing (a loan to pay for the car over time) can be harder to get past this line, which shrinks the pool of shoppers further. That is why two otherwise similar cars can be priced noticeably differently on either side of 100,000 miles, and why the curve flattens after it: once the line is crossed, the next 50,000 miles do not carry the same shock.
What miles do not tell you
Miles are a stand-in for wear, not a full report on a car. A car with higher miles and a full service history, a record of its upkeep, oil changes, and repairs, can be worth more than a lower-mile car with gaps in that record. Gentle highway miles wear a car differently from short stop-and-start trips, and a well-kept older car can be in better shape than a neglected younger one. That is why valuation tools ask for condition and history alongside the odometer reading, and why this page's curve is labeled an illustration: it holds everything but miles still, and real life never does.
Calculation transparency
Scope. One car, held still in every way except miles, so the miles do the talking: a $30,000 car at 20,000, 60,000, 100,000, and 150,000 miles, under the published 20 percent per 20,000-mile rough rule. The curve is an illustration of the rule, not a market price.
Rules and time period. Each 20,000-mile band keeps 80 percent of the value at the start of that band, compounded. The benchmark for judging miles against age is about 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year, the pace dealers and insurers use. The 60,000- and 100,000-mile effects are described across the same guides.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Real cars also lose value with age, and guides note the pace of loss tends to slow after 100,000 miles, so the 150,000-mile figure here may read lower than a real car of the same miles would. Miles are a stand-in for wear, not a full report: a car with higher miles and a full service history can be worth more than a lower-mile car with gaps in that record. Treat the shape as the lesson and the dollars as an example. Insurance quotes, gas prices, and local rates vary by driver and address. Get a real quote for the same car, coverage, and loan before you decide.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: The 20 percent per 20,000-mile rough rule appears in published mileage guides, Carwow mileage guide, which calls it a very rough estimate, and Engineer Fix mileage guides, which repeat it; the 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year benchmark is the pace dealers and insurers use, consistent with Federal Highway Administration averages near 13,500 miles a year; the 60,000- and 100,000-mile effects are described across the same guides. Gap stated honestly: no single published source gives a universal dollar value at 20,000, 60,000, 100,000, and 150,000 miles for one car, because real values depend on model, age, and condition, so this page shows rule-based illustration figures and labels them as such rather than presenting them as measured market prices.
Primary sources: Carwow mileage guide; Engineer Fix, does mileage matter on a car; Federal Highway Administration, average annual miles per driver. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Odometer. The number on the dashboard that counts every mile the car has driven.
Miles per year. The odometer reading divided by the car age in years. A 5-year-old car at 60,000 miles runs 12,000 miles a year; a 3-year-old car at 60,000 miles runs 20,000 miles a year.
Low miles for its age. Under 12,000 miles a year. A 5-year-old car under 60,000 miles, or a 3-year-old car under 36,000 miles.
Average miles for its age. About 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year. A 5-year-old car at about 60,000 to 70,000 miles, or a 3-year-old car at about 36,000 to 42,000 miles.
High miles for its age. Well over 14,000 miles a year. A 5-year-old car well over 70,000 miles, for example a 5-year-old car at 100,000 miles, 20,000 miles a year.
Mileage band. A 20,000-mile band. Each band keeps 80 percent of the value it had at the start of that band under the rough rule on this page.
Depreciation. The value a car loses over time, driven by both age and miles.
Service history. A record of a car upkeep, oil changes, and repairs. A car with higher miles and a full service history can be worth more than a lower-mile car with gaps in that record.
Factory coverage. The maker promise to pay for certain repairs for a set time or mileage. Some factory coverage runs out around 60,000 miles.
Questions people actually ask
How does mileage affect car value?
More miles usually mean a lower value, because miles stand in for wear. Guides put the rough rule at about 20 percent of value lost for every 20,000 miles, and the 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year benchmark is how you judge whether a car's miles fit its age. The exact number for any one car still depends on its age, condition, and service history.
What is average mileage for a car's age?
About 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year. A 5-year-old car at that pace shows about 60,000 to 70,000 miles, and a 3-year-old car shows about 36,000 to 42,000 miles. Well under that pace counts as low miles for its age, and well over it counts as high miles.
Why does a car's value drop at 60,000 and 100,000 miles?
Around 60,000 miles, big service work often comes due and some factory coverage ends, so shoppers price in those coming costs. At 100,000 miles, the six-figure reading itself makes many shoppers more cautious, and financing can be harder to get, which shrinks the pool of shoppers. The drop is about what shoppers expect next, not a sudden change in the car itself.
Does high mileage always mean a car is worth very little?
No. Miles are one part of the picture. A car with higher miles and a full record of upkeep can be worth more than a lower-mile car with gaps in its history, and the dollar value lost per mile tends to shrink after 100,000 miles. Age, condition, and the model itself still matter.
What is the car worth at each mileage in the example?
On a car that cost $30,000 new: $24,000 at 20,000 miles, $15,360 at 60,000 miles, $9,830 at 100,000 miles, and $5,627 at 150,000 miles. The dollar drops between the rows shrink as the miles pile up, because 20% of a smaller number is a smaller number.
Related: Some cars hold value despite the miles. See which cars hold their value best.
Related: High miles on the clock? See whether a high-mileage car is worth buying.
Related: Mileage also moves your trade-in value. See whether to trade in or sell it yourself.
Run your own numbers
Change the price, the miles, and the car's age to match the car in front of you, the calculator runs the same five-year math for a whole car, and the depreciation calculator shows how value falls over time. Shopping used? The true cost of a used car page runs the full cost picture for a first used car, and new vs. used compares the two paths side by side.
Figures: the 20% per 20,000-mile rough rule appears in published mileage guides (Carwow's mileage guide, which calls it a very rough estimate, and Engineer Fix's mileage guides, which repeat it); the 12,000 to 14,000 miles a year benchmark is the pace dealers and insurers use, consistent with Federal Highway Administration averages near 13,500 miles a year; the 60,000- and 100,000-mile effects are described across the same guides. The $30,000 value curve is an illustration built from that rule, not a market quote, see the gap note in the worked-example section. Gap stated honestly: no single published source gives a universal dollar value at 20,000, 60,000, 100,000, and 150,000 miles for one car, because real values depend on model, age, and condition, so this page shows rule-based illustration figures and labels them as such rather than presenting them as measured market prices.