It’s Odometer Day so let’s celebrate distances travelled near or far
May 12th is devoted to one of the most beloved parts of your car’s dashboard, the odometer.You might not think about the little counting mechanism in your car too much or too often, but it is incredibly helpful in not only counting your trip, letting you know how much further you’ve got left in the tank but also valuing your car.
Log in to your carsales account, check your car into the virtual garage and add in its current odo reading, you may be surprised with what you find. If you want to get the lowdown on everything you auto know about the humble odometer, you can read about it here.
It’s been a strange few years for our odometers too with lockdowns, interstate travel bans and even new car shortages meaning we haven't gone too far and they haven't had much to count. So now that travel is back, restrictions lifted, and your new car has finally made its way from the factory to your driveway it is the perfect time to get the numbers rolling once more.
We recently asked 539 carsales members a few questions about their odometer knowledge, surprisingly 91% knew their current odometer reading within a few thousand kilometres. 52% knew it almost to the exact kilometre!
Nearly half of responders said that they drive an average of between 11,000 – 25,000km a year, followed by 41% who drive up to 10,000km a year.
There were a few notable long drives done in a single day too especially down the highway between Melbourne and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Perth to Adelaide and Townsville to Mt Isa.
On the other end of the scale, some members completed some of the shortest road trips in history! Okay, most said they were jumping in their car for a short trip to the shops for groceries, coffee or takeaway which was less than 500m from their front door. One responder in an EV said they didn’t feel bad about the short distance since the car was electric and easy enough to recharge.
The odometer remains a handy guide to a vehicle's history and its market value. If you're a carsales member and add your car's current odometer reading to your virtual garage, we can provide you with some insights to help you establish what the car is worth if you're in the market to sell. Happy travelling!
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