How many kilometers does a car last?

How many kilometres does a petrol car engine last, on average? Actually, there is not really a conclusive answer to this question. On the one hand, because it depends on so many circumstances how long a petrol engine lasts. And on the other hand, because not every petrol engine in every car lasts at the same time.

But by examining how a petrol engine has been treated during the kilometres already driven and under what circumstances the kilometres have been driven, you can make a reasonable estimate of how long an engine is likely to last.

Which partly determines the life of the engine

For the most part, the life of an engine is determined by how it is handled when driving the car that houses the engine.

Something that starts as soon as the engine is started.

• Idling a car for a long time is not as good as driving the car straight away.
• Gentle warm driving before the performance of the engine is requested, ensures that a car engine lasts much longer than if you do not do it consistently.

It also makes a difference whether the car is driven quite a lot in succession or just a short distance. Because:

• An engine that gets the chance to get warm well will wear less than an engine that never really gets hot.
• Something to do with the amount of moisture left in the oil when the engine doesn’t get a chance to heat up. Moisture has a negative effect on the lubricating properties of the oil.

The influence of the number of kilometres driven on the motorway with the number of kilometres on inland roads also influences the life of the engine. Where there is a lot of acceleration and braking.

In addition, it influences under what conditions the car and thus the engine is used. Is the car usually driven by one person and without load? Or is the car used every day to tow a heavy trailer with building materials?

In summary, we can say that: a car that has driven 200,000 kilometres, driven by one person and without significant load and of which the vast majority is highway kilometres, will usually have suffered much less than the engine of a car, which mainly covers those same kilometres. drove the city while a heavy trailer was being dragged.

And so the car that has driven a lot of highway kilometres will most likely also last a lot longer than the city car that has often had to tow heavy trailers.

The maintenance, type and size of the engine

How many kilometres a car engine lasts, however, does not only depend on the circumstances in which the engine has to do its job. But also depends on the type of engine. Because a Diesel engine can generally last more kilometres than a petrol engine.

And when a car runs on LPG gas, the lifespan also depends on how suitable the engine is for driving on gas. Because every engine that runs on gas is originally an engine that runs on petrol. And therefore runs on a different type of fuel than what the engine should run on. One engine digests that better than the other engine.

But the size of the engine also influences. If we take the unabatedly popular Volkwagen Golf as an example, this car is built with engines ranging from 1.3 litres to 2.0 litres or more of displacement. It can be stated that the smaller engine will have to work much harder than the larger engine when performance is required.

Simply because the power a small motor can deliver is much less than the power a large motor can deliver. Just as one horse should put much more effort into pulling the Volkswagen Golf than two horses. So that one horse will be tired much sooner than if he had a buddy who went with him.

Which, in concrete terms, means that a 1.3-litre engine of a Volkswagen Golf that has driven 200,000 kilometres may not last very long. While if the same Golf had a 2.0-litre engine, this Golf could easily have travelled 100,000 kilometres.

Another important thing that determines how many miles a car engine will last is maintenance. How good or how bad is the engine maintained during the kilometres driven? Has the car, and therefore the engine, been maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Or has the cap been thrown at it?

A car engine that has always been maintained according to the factory regulations will generally last a lot longer than an engine that has rarely been serviced. Simply because a well-maintained engine can do its job under much more favourable conditions. Naturally, good maintenance also increases service life.

But also undoubtedly influences how many kilometres an engine lasts, the construction of the engine. Among other things, Volvo is known for building engines that can easily handle hundreds of thousands of kilometres without significant problems.

Certain Peugeot and Renault engines also have a good reputation when it comes to many trouble-free kilometres.

But the Japanese also have a good reputation for reliable engines that last a long time.