High-mileage heroes: Five cars that can go to the moon (and back)

At 240,000 miles from earth, driving the equivalent of the distance to the moon is no small feat for any car. But, with proper care and servicing, these five ultra-reliable autos will easily do the round trip…

You could argue that any modern car is capable of racking up a mega mileage — especially if you’re willing to spend a fortune patching it up and replacing worn out parts. While there might be a degree of truth to that, these hardy contenders will spin some intergalactic odometer readings with very little fuss or financial outlay.  

From Lexus to Land Cruiser, join us as we count down our top five cars that run to infinity and beyond.

5. Honda Accord

It might not have been the fastest, best looking, or even most practical saloon in its segment, but when it came to reliability, this Honda was (and still is) tough to beat.

Offered over several generations and decades, the trusty Accord was available with a range of petrol and diesel engines. And, while all examples are dependable, those looking for the ultimate in lifespan and longevity should opt for one of the petrol units. Tried and tested to the nth degree, Honda’s 2.0 and 2.4-litre VTEC powerplants are some of the most reliable engines ever produced, and the rest of the car seldom lets them down.

You’ll have noticed our use of the past tense, though, and that’s because Honda sadly discontinued the Accord for the UK in 2015. While many contemporary customers were lured towards other marques for their more involving driving experiences, this Honda’s durability is responsible for strong residual values.

4. Skoda Octavia

There’s a good reason why Skoda’s enduring Octavia has been used by almost every police force and taxi firm from here to Kazakhstan: it’s built like a brick outhouse.

Based upon VW’s MQB platform, the Octavia shares its basic underpinnings with the Golf, A3, and Leon – so it was set up for solidity from the get-go. As such, it’s been the beneficiary of numerous reliability accolades (including JD Power’s most dependable compact car) since it first launched back in 1996.

Much like the Accord, you’ll struggle to find a troublesome variant, but any models equipped with the firm’s faithful 1.9 PD TDI engine have a particularly voracious appetite for miles.

Famed for its ability to keep on chugging long after rivals had been consigned to the scrapheap, the PD’s incredible durability was evidenced when a complete engine tear down on one 430,000 mile example revealed all major components were still in remarkably fine fettle.

3. Mercedes-Benz W123

Like the Great Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge, the Mercedes W123 was built to outlast the species that created it.

Serving as a poignant reminder of what happens when supreme engineering meets a simple, uncomplicated design, this 1970s Mercedes is partly responsible for earning the brand’s reputation for bank-vault-like build quality.  

What’s more, in the unlikely event something does break, the W123 can be easily patched up with basic tools and a little ingenuity. That’s why, despite being nearly 50 years old, W123s are still a common sight in many developing countries.

Fun fact: of all its major rivals the W123 was the only car to feature an odometer that ran to 999,999 miles – and even that sometimes wasn’t sufficient! Need we say more?

2. Toyota Land Cruiser

No list of high-mileage heroes would be complete without Toyota’s indestructible Land Cruiser. Though, if we’re honest, it could have just as easily been a Corolla, Camry, Prius… you name it, Toyota’s reputation for reliability is usually well deserved.

Of all the marque’s sturdy offerings, we think the Land Cruiser is particularly noteworthy for its ability to accrue such hefty mileages both on and off the beaten track. Whether you’re hacking through the Peruvian rainforest or traversing the barren Atacama Desert, a Land Cruiser is the default choice when dependability is non-negotiable. We just hope this latest version is as tough as its ancestors.

1. Lexus LS

We’ve already established that Toyota’s build quality is second to none, so just imagine what happens when that attention to detail is taken to extremes.

As the first model to showcase Toyota’s new luxury arm (Lexus), the LS quickly became the yardstick for surgically precise manufacture and assembly. A crack team of F1 engineers were employed to significantly reduce engine tolerances and, after over 900 revisions, the finished product was so smooth and refined it could rev to the redline whilst balancing a pyramid of champagne glasses on the bonnet – and this was in 1989!

Limitless longevity was a welcome byproduct of such over engineering. Never mind 240,000, or even 500,000, the LS has been proven to achieve over one million miles. Back in 2019 one such example managed to max out the odometer on its original engine. Astoundingly, the Lexus in question wasn’t a mollycoddled garage queen: by the owner’s admission “it reached a million miles not because of a fastidious human, but despite the lack of one…”

So there you have it, our top five cars that can go to the moon (and back). But what’s the highest mileage car you’ve ever owned?

Need tyres that go the distance? Michelin’s entire range has been designed to remain safe down to the 1.6mm legal limit. With over one billion test miles each year (around 40 trips around the world), you can rely on Michelin to keep your high-mileage hero rolling.

Hero image credit:  Lexus