July 6, 2026, 10:06 am | Read time: 3 minutes
The Federal Motor Transport Authority will send letters to randomly selected vehicle owners until 2027. The requested odometer readings are intended to help plan Germany’s traffic more accurately in the future.
What’s Behind the 2026 Mileage Survey
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has launched the 2026 mileage survey. As part of the project, randomly selected vehicle owners will be contacted in several survey waves until September 2027 and asked to report their vehicles’ odometer readings at two specified times. Participation is voluntary and can be done online or by mail.
The survey is conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV). The overall project is coordinated by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). The aim is to collect reliable data on the actual use of vehicles registered in Germany, in collaboration with the KBA and other expert partners. After several years without a comparable survey, this effort aims to provide an up-to-date picture of vehicle mileage.
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Why the State Wants to Know the Odometer Reading
The requested odometer readings are part of a larger concept to analyze mobility in Germany. Together with road traffic counts, they are intended to show how many kilometers cars, motorcycles, vans, and other vehicles actually travel. This information is considered an important basis for planning and financing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.
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In addition, the data is intended to help answer current transport policy questions more thoroughly. Environmental aspects also play a role: According to KBA President Richard Damm, the survey allows for a better assessment of the ecological footprint of the vehicle fleet. The results are expected to contribute in the long term to more targeted investments and to adapt the transport system to future requirements.
Data Protection: What Happens to the Information
Recipients of a letter from the KBA are not obligated to participate. The authority explicitly emphasizes that the survey is voluntary. At the same time, it points out that each response improves the significance of the results and thus increases the survey’s usefulness.
According to the KBA, the collected data will be used exclusively for the mileage survey and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The authority stores personal data for a specific purpose and deletes it no later than three months after the survey is completed. Further information about the initiative is provided by the KBA and the Federal Highway Research Institute on their websites.