The average miles driven per year is 13,489 in 2021, up 765 miles from the figure for 2020, but it's still less than pre-pandemic car mileage per year. The average driver in the U.S. drives 37 miles per day, according to Department of Transportation statistics.

In 2026, the average American driver covers approximately 37.5 miles per day, based on an annual average of about 13,700 miles driven per person. This distance has seen a steady recovery after the sharp drops during the 2020-2021 period, as more workers have returned to offices and travel habits have normalized. In Europe, the numbers are generally lower due to higher population density and superior public transit infrastructure; for example, the average daily distance in Germany is closer to 11.8 miles (19 km), while in countries like Greece, it is as low as 3.5 miles (5.6 km). Most daily car trips are "short-distance" urban journeys—typically under 10 miles—related to commuting, grocery shopping, or school runs. As electric vehicles (EVs) become more prevalent in 2026, these average daily distances are a key metric for determining home-charging needs, as most current EV models can easily handle multiple days of "average" driving on a single charge.