World’s Highest Mileage Police Interceptor Retires with almost 385K Miles!

This Ford Explorer Police Interceptor patrolled the border between California and Nevada for a decade, racking up crazy amounts of miles.

A Ford Explorer Police Interceptor that patrolled the border between California and Nevada is finally being retired after an incredible 384,857 miles on the clock. The Explorer did most of driving in and out of the small town of Needles, California. As first reported by The Drive, this milestone was posted on the Facebook group, CHP Cars Past & Present, which was established “for the appreciation of California Highway Patrol vehicles.”

Members of the Facebook group offered mixed reactions. “That’s kind of sad. We used to retire (patrol cars) at 75,000 miles,” one commenter, an officer, wrote. “I realize today’s vehicles will run much longer, but the kind of punishment we put these vehicles through says we shouldn’t have to depend on something this age, especially when it could be a life or death situation.”

What this commenter is referring to is the fact that this vehicle has gone three times over the usual replacement limit. In the United States, most departments are quick to replace a cruiser before or at 100,000 miles, as police interceptors sustain an insane amount of abuse on the job.

A new CHP Ford Explorer Police Interceptor being prepped for fleet service.

With the pandemic inflicting a gut punch to the industry and therefore the production of new cars, many departments were faced with driving cruisers well past their usual limit. Many commenters were disappointed in the mileage this Explorer Police Interceptor endured, with another officer saying: “Just 284,857 miles too late.”

One user asked if the car was driven by one officer, and someone from the Needles Police Department chimed in to say that the high mileage was a group effort by multiple officers. While it is sad to see that the department was unable to replace an extremely valuable and important component of the job, it definitely speaks to the quality and durability of the police interceptor.

Despite all the heavy braking, heavy acceleration, suspension abuse and likely abuse to the transmission, the cruiser endured all of it and then some.

Images: California Highway Patrol

Kristen Finley

Before she was old enough to go to school, Kristen Finley spent a majority of her childhood rebuilding rusted Chevy Novas with her dad. Once high school and college came around, she was still actively rebuilding cars, though she found out she had a second greatest love: writing and photography.

Now, in her last year of college, she's pursuing a bachelor's in Journalism and Media Studies from California State University, Monterey Bay after receiving her A.A. in Communications. She has been writing for three years, and as her school newspaper's automotive expert, she started and solely maintained the weekly automotive section detailing posts on car care, safety tips, features, and news. She covers stories for Mustang Forums, Dodge Forum, JK-Forum and more.

Finley can be contacted at krisfin95@gmail.com

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