Families who spend their weeks shuttling between school, work, the grocery store, and weekend road trips usually know exactly what they need from a car. They want low drama, predictable costs, and the kind of space that keeps the peace when everyone is tired. And when we looked at the folks who put the most miles on their cars, one under-the-radar American model towers above the rest.

The Chrysler Pacifica racks up more miles each year than any other car in a recent study 

And the numbers paint a clear picture of why this minivan, which few of us ever even think about, tops the chart.

iSeeCars reviewed more than one million three-year-old used cars sold from late 2024 through early 2025. The average car traveled 12,307 miles a year and carried a new price of $44,223.

The Pacifica’s owners doubled that mileage

They averaged 20,882 miles per year.

But…why?

The study noted that the typical new car costs $3,593 for every 1,000 miles driven

And while it can costs more than other vans up front, the Pacifica comes in far lower at $2,280.

That gap matters when buyers both want “luxury” and try to manage long term expenses.

Other high mileage models include the Chrysler Voyager, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Chevrolet Suburban, and the Nissan Armada

Each of them clears 17,800 miles per year. Sports cars sit at the opposite end. Low-use models include the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which averages only 5,073 miles a year and costs $6,540 per 1,000 miles.

In the 50 largest metro areas, Chrysler minivans dominate as the most driven cars

These models show up to take their prize in 38 of 50 states.

In the meantime, models like the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class show up most often as the least driven.

The Chrysler Pacifica re-release

The modern Pacifica arrived for the 2017 model year. Chrysler replaced the aging Town and Country with a cleaner shape, a quieter cabin, and the sort of family friendly features that justify a minivan’s footprint.

The company followed up with available all-wheel drive, a hybrid variant, and the Uconnect rear seat theater system. A typical 2022 model carried an MSRP of roughly $47,000, depending on trim.

Owners use it heavily because it solves problems without forcing anything extra onto their routines

The Pacifica seats adults comfortably in all three rows. It has wide sliding doors that make parking lot chaos easier to manage. The ride stays smooth on rough pavement. Stow and Go seating turns it into a rolling storage unit for weekend projects.

It also returns reasonable fuel economy for a large family hauler, which keeps operating costs predictable even when mileage climbs.

Americans still rely on cars that handle life without fuss

And they reward the ones that make their days easier by driving them more, sometimes far more, than anyone expects.