Mazda Miata Owners Barely Drive Their Cars: Study

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of the least-driven cars in America per year, according to a study conducted by iSeeCars.

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Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1

Brian Silvestro

By: Brian Silvestro

May 13, 2025 at 11:00am ET

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The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the everyman's sports car. It's reliable and practical, and designed to be used every day without huge compromise. Yet, according to the latest study by iSeeCars.com, Miata owners barely drive their cars.

The study analyzed odometer readings from over 1 million three-year-old used cars sold between November 2024 and April 2025, finding that, on average, owners drove 12,307 miles per year. The MX-5 Miata emerged as the least-driven car of the vehicles analyzed, averaging just 5,073 miles per year—less than half the average.

The GMC Hummer EV came in second place, averaging 5,205 miles per year. And in third place was the MX-5 Miata RF—the retractable fastback body style—at 5,375 miles per year. Here's the full list of the top 10 least-driven cars, according to iSeeCars.com:

Model Avg. Miles Driven Per Year Compared to Avg. Mazda MX-5 Miata 5,073 0.41x GMC Hummer EV 5,205 0.42x Mazda MX-5 Miata RF 5,375 0.44x Mini Hardtop (2 Door EV) 6,726 0.55x Mazda MX-30 EV 6,755 0.55x Mini Convertible 6,929 0.56x Jeep Grand Cherokee (PHEV) 7,039 0.57x Ford Mustang 7,142 0.58x Mini Hardtop (2 Door) 7,781 0.63x Ford F-150 Lightning 7,877 0.64x

Though the Miata can make for a perfectly acceptable daily driver, we're not surprised to see it at the top. Most people use it as a second or third car, meant only for nice weekend jaunts. That means less seat time throughout the year, when it's cold or rainy. Had iSeeCars analyzed rare or exotic car mileage, we bet this list would be nothing but Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Koenigseggs.

There are also a healthy number of electric cars among the least-driven vehicles in America. That's due to their limited range, according to iSeeCars.

"It’s telling that vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV, Mazda MX-30 EV, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Volkswagen ID.4 are among the least driven models," said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. "These are all utility vehicles that should be seeing a lot of use, but their electric drivetrains appear to limit their annual miles."

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The list of the most-driven cars in America is exactly what you'd expect: Mostly utilitarian workhorses designed to haul people or cargo.

Model Avg. Miles Driven Per Year Compared to Avg. Chrysler Pacifica 20,882 1.70x Chrysler Voyager 19,948 1.62x Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 19,575 1.59x Chevrolet Malibu 18,762 1.52x Chevrolet Suburban 18,317 1.49x Nissan Armada 17,885 1.45x Ford Mustang Convertible 17,660 1.43x Ford Expedition Max 17,051 1.39x GMC Yukon XL 16,926 1.38x Kia Carnival 16,884 1.37x

Though most of these vehicles are vans and SUVs, cars like the Chevy Malibu and the Mustang convertible can be explained by huge rental usage. "All of these sedans see a certain amount of rental fleet use, which is likely pulling up their annual mileage numbers," says Brauer.

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