How many miles can a Dodge Dart last? When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Dart, that’s, of course, a very reasonable question to ask. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at the most popular models but first, let’s start with a quick answer:
On average, a Dodge Dart lasts between 140,000 – 160,000 miles. A Dodge Dart needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.28 times per year with a 13% chance of a severe problem. Furthermore, Dodge Dart owners spend an average of $573,75 per year on repair costs.
Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Dodge Dart can last. After that, we’ll compare the Dart to its main competitors in terms of potential mileage and compare the Dart to other Dodges. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that a Dart can have for the models produced between 2013 and 2016, how much maintenance will cost per year, and how to maintain a Dart. Read on!
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Want to know how many miles this Dodge can still last with an almost empty fuel tank? Read this blog we wrote earlier.
How Many Miles Can A Dodge Dart Last?
First of all, it’s important to look at how many miles a Dodge Dart can actually last. To do this, we used data that was retrieved using autotrader.com. On this website, we selected all the Dodge Darts that were for sale in the United States (1355 in total).
Then, we selected all cars with less than 150,000 miles, less than 100,000 miles, etc. This allowed us to calculate what percentage of cars had reached a certain milestone. What we were able to create is the table below.
Here we can see that 3.25% of Dodge Dart have reached the 150,000-mile mark. 25,31% has mileage between 100,000 and 149,999, and the vast majority falls in the 45,000 – 99,999 miles category.
| Amount Of Miles | Percentage Of Cars |
| Cars With 150.000+ | 3.25% |
| Cars With 100.000 – 149.000 | 25.31% |
| Cars With 45.000 – 99.999 | 63.69% |
| Cars With 0 – 44.999 | 7.75% |
In general, we can say that 3.25% of cars having reached the 150,000 miles mark is not all that good but not terrible. We would say that around 5% is average, with around 10% being great. The Dodge Dart doesn’t seem to be a very long-lasting car in the first instance.
Furthermore, we also looked at the Dart that was for sale and had the highest mileage. This is another indicator of how long a certain car can potentially last. We found that the Dodge Darts for sale on autotrader.com had the highest recorded mileage of 180,000 miles. Given that most cars normally fall within the 210,000 – 240,000 miles category, this doesn’t seem promising for the Dart.
How Reliable Is A Dodge Dart Compared To It’s Competitors?
Besides comparing the Dodge Dart to its own standards, it’s also important to compare it with its main competition. We’ve used the same method and compared the Dodge Dart to the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and the Chevrolet Cruze.
We found that the Dodge Dart seems to perform decently compared to the other cars in terms of how many of them cross the 150,000 miles mark. The Hyundai Elantra and the Civic actually do worse than the Dart. The Cruz slightly outperforms the Dart, and the Ford Focus is substantially better.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Dodge Dart | 1355 | 44 | 3.25% | 180,000 |
| Ford Focus | 8141 | 522 | 6.41% | 240,000 |
| Honda Civic | 44311 | 1168 | 2.64% | 350,000 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 22923 | 360 | 1.57% | 260,000 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 9995 | 341 | 3.41% | 240,000 |
However, what does seem to be worrying is again the highest recorded mileage. All cars have multiple examples of them reaching at least 240,000 miles easily. This means that the Dart seems to underperform in this category with a staggering 60,000 miles. This creates serious worries on our side, and we wonder if the Dart has some bigger issues (we’ll touch upon this later).
How Reliable Is A Dodge Dart Compared To Other Dodges?
Besides knowing how reliable the car is compared to its competitors, it’s also good to know how it stacks up against other Dodge cars and what kind of standard Dodge holds itself.
We can see in the table below that the Dodge Dart seems to be one of the most unreliable cars that Dodge has produced in the last decade. We already know that the 3,25% of the Darts reliable hit the 150,000-mile mark, but that’s certainly on the lower end of the spectrum, with many cars outperforming the Dart by a wide margin.
Furthermore, it’s exciting to see that the highest recorded mileage of the Dodge Dart is sub-standard. The highest recorded mileage is 180,000 miles, and it, therefore, underperforms the other worse cars (such as the Challenger and the Caliber) by more than 50,000 miles. Why this is exactly will become clear in the rest of the article but let’s say it’s not a coincidence.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Dodge Grand Caravan | 5635 | 541 | 9.60% | 290,000 |
| Dodge Charger | 13,465 | 252 | 1.87% | 250,000 |
| Dodge Dart | 1355 | 44 | 3.25% | 180,000 |
| Dodge Challenger | 12698 | 86 | 0.68% | 230,000 |
| Dodge Journey | 8087 | 280 | 3.46% | 240,000 |
| Dodge Durango | 10485 | 438 | 4.18% | 280,000 |
| Dodge Caliber | 330 | 77 | 23.33% | 230,000 |
| Dodge Nitro | 271 | 77 | 28.41% | 260,000 |
| Dodge Dakota | 548 | 182 | 33.21% | 300,000 |
| Dodge Avenger | 829 | 162 | 19.54% | 250,000 |
How Much Does Maintenance Cost For A Dodge Dart Per Year?
Besides knowing how reliable the car is, it’s also good to know how much you can expect to spend on maintenance per year. Below we’ve therefore outlined data using Repairpal.com. In the table below, you see each production year of the Dodge Dart and how much these cars cost on average in terms of maintenance.
We can see that the 2013 model seems to be a bit pricier than the rest. This is hard to say, but it could be that this model is more prone to the two big problems that the Dodge Dart has and that we will discuss below.
On average, you can expect to spend around $573,75 per year on maintenance for a Dodge Dart.
| Year Of Manufacturing | Dodge Dart Maintenance Cost |
| 2016 | $ 563 |
| 2015 | $ 567 |
| 2014 | $ 511 |
| 2013 | $ 654 |
Also read: The Complete Cost Of Maintaining A Dodge
Dodge Dart Common Problems
If you’re in the market for a Dodge Dart, you also have to know about its common problems. Below, we’ve given you a quick summary but be sure to check out the extended article, which you can find by clicking on the link we just mentioned.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
Excessive Oil Consumption
One of the big problems with the Dodge Dart is the 2.4L Tigershark engine which can consume a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. This is an excessive amount of oil use and is not good for the engine since it messes with the fuel mix and can cause all kinds of problems.
The problem is caused by a defective control ring which allows oil to slip into the combustion chambers, where it is then burned (this means you don’t see any leaks even though the car has a huge one). Furthermore, this causes the car to stall at 3.5 quarts of oil (when the tank’s total capacity is 5.5 quarts) without an oil indicator turning on.
Dodge refuses to fix this problem and says the oil usage is ‘normal’ and advises owners to refill every 4,000 miles. The company has been sued for this problem, but there’s a verdict with conclusive results. Until then, be aware that fixing this problem yourself can cost between $700 – $1300 because the engine needs to be partially disassembled.
Also read: The Oil Type, Weight, And Viscosity Of A Dodge Dart
Numerous Transmission Problems
If there’s one area where the Dodge Dart has many problems, then it’s the automatic transmission on all models. In 2019 Dodge recalled a total of 300,000 Darts to fix the transmission. Symptoms of a bad transmission are as follows: the car is stuck in park, slips out of gear, or there’s a grinding noise when shifting.
The problem is caused by the bad and cheap design of the bushings, which can break and cause the shifter cable to come loose. If the Dodge Dart you want to buy has this problem, it’s best to step away. Furthermore, if you own a car that has this problem and has not been fixed, please know that Dodge is still responsible for solving this problem-free of charge.
Is A Dodge Dart A Smart Buy?
Whether or not a Dodge Dart is a smart buy depends on several factors, such as how long the car can actually stay on the road, how many problems it will have while being on the road, and how much value you get for your money.
In terms of reliability, we would say that the Dodge Dart is probably one of the least favorable cars you can get. Not only does the car seem incapable of reliable hitting a high mileage, but it also doesn’t stand up to its competition or other Dodge cars.
Furthermore, the Dodge Dart doesn’t have any problems, but its problems seem to be major. Yes, the transmission problems seem to have been fixed in most models, but the excessive oil consumption remains and is not properly taken care of by Dodge.
Finally, there’s the question of how much bang you can get for your buck. Using data from autopadre.com, we can see that the Dodge Dart depreciates approximately 50% after 5 years. This is in line with what we normally see on a car, where only 50% of the value is left after the first 5 years.
Yes, this is normally a good deal, but given the numerous problems the Dart has, we would advise you to be careful with buying one second-hand.
Are you in the market for this Dodge? Don’t forget to check out our extensive list of the largest Dodge dealers per state!
Dodge Dart Maintenance Schedule
For a Dodge Dart to reach a high mileage, you’ll need to take care of it according to the maintenance schedule of Dodge. Below we’ve outlined all the maintenance that will need to be done regularly and at what mileage you can expect to do this.
- Change the oil every 4,000 miles
- Rotate the tires every 10,000 miles
- Change the cabin air filter every 20,000 miles
- Change the air filter every 30,000 miles
- Change the spark plugs every 100,000 miles
- Change the automatic transmission filter every 120,000 miles
- Flush and change the coolant every 150,000 miles.
Sources
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!