Oct. 26, 2017—A recent Lang report found that for 2017, the average miles travelled by light vehicles will decline, but the annual light vehicle total mileage on U.S. roads grew by 1.9 percent.
This marks the sixth consecutive year of light vehicle annual mileage growth.
The average car and light truck in the U.S. travelled approximately 10,730 miles during 2007.
However, the annual miles travelled by the typical car and light truck in the U.S. diminished nearly 340 miles between 2007 and 2014.
While total light vehicle mileage will climb approximately 1.9 percent during 2017, Lang Marketing expects the average car and light truck will travel approximately 10,432 miles for the year, down 1 percent from 2016.
As a result of a strong increase in the 2017 vehicle population, the average miles per light vehicle in the U.S. will decline during 2017, reversing a two-year string of increasing miles per vehicle.
How does this factor into auto repair?
The projected 2017 decline in miles per vehicle does not present a downward pressure on aftermarket product use, the Lang report finds, since the average age of vehicles is climbing at a faster pace than the rate at which the average annual mileage per vehicle is declining.
Older vehicles use more aftermarket products per mile than younger cars and light trucks.
