The car barely leaves the neighborhood, yet the maintenance reminder keeps creeping closer. It seems unfair. Someone who drives 20 miles to work every day might go longer between oil changes than someone who drives three miles to the grocery store. The difference comes down to what happens inside the engine, not just the number on the odometer.
Short trips can put your engine oil under more stress than longer drives. Frequent cold starts, moisture buildup, and stop-and-go traffic can all affect oil condition, even when your annual mileage looks impressively low. That creates an annoying little contradiction: driving less can sometimes mean changing your oil more often.
