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Perseverance is the farthest-driving Mars rover. NASA/JPL reported that it reached 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) by Oct. 11, 2026, edging past Opportunity’s final total of 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers). Curiosity had driven more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers) by that same date; Spirit and Sojourner completed much shorter drives.
If you’re asking which Mars rover has driven the farthest, the answer depends on attaching a date to the two active rovers’ odometer readings. Perseverance had just taken the record on Oct. 11, 2026. Opportunity remains the former record holder, with a completed-mission total that NASA reported when it declared the mission complete in 2019.
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How far has each Mars rover driven?
The totals below are cumulative rover odometer distances, not straight-line measurements across Mars. NASA/JPL’s figures for the two active rovers, Perseverance and Curiosity, are a snapshot through Oct. 11, 2026. The other three figures are completed-mission totals and will not change.
| Rover | Reported distance | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|
| Sojourner | About 330 feet (100 meters) | Distance over its completed 83-sol mission in 1997, according to NASA/JPL’s 2026 comparison. |
| Spirit | 4.8 miles (7.7 kilometers) | Final distance for the completed mission, as listed by NASA and NASA/JPL. |
| Opportunity | 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) | Final rover odometry when NASA declared the mission complete on Feb. 13, 2019. |
| Curiosity | More than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers) | NASA/JPL’s reported lower-bound total through Oct. 11, 2026; the mission is active. |
| Perseverance | 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) | Odometer reading reached Oct. 11, 2026, when it became the record holder; the mission is active. |
The active-rover figures are time-sensitive. Perseverance and Curiosity can add distance, so their totals should be read with the reporting date rather than treated as final mission numbers. NASA/JPL reported Perseverance’s record on Oct. 12, 2026, using its reading from the previous day. Opportunity’s and Spirit’s totals, by contrast, are end-of-mission figures.
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The scale of the comparison is striking: Sojourner’s roughly 100 meters is less than a tenth of a mile, Spirit’s total is under five miles, and the three later rovers have totals above 23 miles. These are not like-for-like measures of mission achievement; they are simply the published odometer totals. In particular, a smaller total for an earlier rover does not mean it failed to meet its mission’s goals.
Which rover holds the driving record?
Perseverance holds the Mars-rover driving-distance record in NASA/JPL’s figures through Oct. 11, 2026. On its 2,006th Martian day, or sol, it made a 91.31-meter (299.6-foot) drive and reached 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers). That is just above Opportunity’s final 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers), the previous record.
The totals are rounded in NASA’s published comparison, so the displayed difference—0.04 mile (about 0.06 kilometer)—is a comparison of rounded figures, not a more precise measurement of the record margin. The key distinction is that Perseverance’s number is a dated reading from an ongoing mission, while Opportunity’s is its final odometry.
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That distinction matters when describing the record. Perseverance’s 28.10 miles is the odometer reading at a particular milestone, not a final lifetime total: NASA/JPL described the rover as still driving. Opportunity’s 28.06 miles, on the other hand, is the final figure for its completed mission. The comparison is therefore between Perseverance’s total as of Oct. 11, 2026, and Opportunity’s final total—not between two final mission totals.
Perseverance passed Opportunity by a small margin in the rounded figures, but the record is clear. NASA/JPL says the rover reached the new total after a 91.31-meter drive on its 2,006th sol. That single drive was only one part of a much larger accumulated total. It should not be mistaken for the distance of the entire mission or the size of the lead over Opportunity.
What does “distance driven” measure?
Cumulative rover travel, not a straight-line crossing
A rover’s driving total is the distance accumulated as it travels during its mission. It is not the distance from its landing site to its current location, a measure of how far it has crossed Mars in a straight line, or the length of one continuous drive. A route can include many separate drives; the odometer total adds those traveled distances together.
For example, Perseverance’s 28.10-mile reading reflects accumulated driving by Oct. 11, 2026. It does not say that the rover is 28.10 miles from where it landed, nor that it crossed the planet in one uninterrupted trip. Likewise, Opportunity’s 28.06 miles is the sum recorded over its mission, not a straight line between two points. The distance figures answer how much driving the rover has accumulated, rather than where it ended up relative to its starting point.
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Final totals and active-mission snapshots are different kinds of figures
Opportunity’s 28.06 miles and Spirit’s 4.8 miles are final mission totals. Perseverance’s 28.10 miles and Curiosity’s more than 23.65 miles are dated totals for missions still active as of the stated reporting date. The qualifier “more than” matters for Curiosity: NASA/JPL gives a lower bound, not an exact current odometer reading.
Use the date whenever you quote an active rover’s mileage. A statement that Perseverance had driven 28.10 miles through Oct. 11, 2026, remains accurate as a dated snapshot even if the rover later adds distance. It would be misleading to present that number as its eventual final total. The same rule applies to Curiosity: “more than 23.65 miles through Oct. 11, 2026” is the supported wording, not an exact number without a date.
Earlier Curiosity figures should also be read in their original time context. NASA’s Aug. 5, 2022, account said the rover had driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) during its first ten years. That is a historical milestone, not a replacement for NASA/JPL’s later “more than 23.65 miles” figure through Oct. 11, 2026. The two numbers describe different reporting periods and are not contradictory.
For completed missions, the issue is different: the final odometer total no longer changes. NASA declared Opportunity’s mission complete on Feb. 13, 2019, and reported the final odometry as 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers). NASA’s current mission page lists Spirit at 4.8 miles (7.7 kilometers). These figures can be used as final totals without a moving snapshot date, although including their mission context makes the comparison clearer.
How quickly did Perseverance reach the record?
NASA/JPL says Perseverance accumulated its record distance in about five and a half years. Opportunity took almost 15 years to reach its final total. Those time spans help explain the pace at which the totals were achieved, but they do not make the missions directly equivalent: one figure is an active rover’s milestone, the other a completed mission’s final odometry.
The comparison is about elapsed time to accumulate the quoted distance, not an average daily rate supplied by NASA/JPL. The available figures do not establish a consistent day-by-day pace for either rover, and mission totals alone cannot explain what caused their different timelines. It is best not to turn the two time spans into a claim that one rover drove a particular number of miles every day.
Perseverance’s record-setting drive was 91.31 meters (299.6 feet), but that single drive should not be confused with its entire odometer total. NASA/JPL also reports that the rover can cover as much as 1,351 feet (412 meters) in one sol. That is a stated maximum capability, not an average daily distance or a promise that the rover travels that far every sol.
The record-setting 299.6-foot drive is itself shorter than the reported one-sol maximum capability. There is no contradiction: one figure describes the drive that brought Perseverance to the record reading, while the other describes how far it can cover under favorable operating circumstances. Neither figure should be substituted for the cumulative odometer total.
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How has autonomous navigation changed rover driving?
NASA/JPL says Perseverance used autonomous navigation, or AutoNav, for more than 90% of its total distance. By comparison, the first Martian AutoNav system, used on Opportunity and Spirit, accounted for about 5% of their distance. NASA/JPL’s comparison therefore provides context for how much more of Perseverance’s driving can be done with autonomous navigation.
AutoNav is relevant to the record because it allows the rover to make route decisions while driving rather than relying on a person to direct every movement. NASA/JPL deputy team chief for robotic operations Mark Maimone described the record drive this way: “The rover that broke this record did so by making its own decisions about the path. Given the autonomy to just go, Perseverance is a better driver than the one that landed, and we’re not done,”
The contrast is substantial in the figures NASA/JPL reported: more than nine-tenths of Perseverance’s distance used AutoNav, compared with about one-twentieth for the first Martian AutoNav system on Opportunity and Spirit. Those percentages are approximate descriptions of distance driven with the systems. They help explain a difference in navigation context, but they do not provide a complete account of how each rover was operated.
The percentages describe the share of distance driven using the systems, not the share of the mission completed without human involvement. NASA/JPL’s figures do not mean that Perseverance’s entire mission is autonomous; they specify how much of its driving distance used AutoNav. Avoid reading “more than 90%” as a claim that people had no role in planning, operating, or overseeing the mission.
NASA/JPL Curiosity and Perseverance project manager Steven Lee put the technological change in context: “It is an honor to be working on Perseverance at a moment when the technology has evolved to the point that drives like these are routine,” The statement links the record to the evolution of driving technology, while the odometer comparison itself remains a measurement of accumulated distance.
What the record comparison does—and does not—tell you
Useful for comparing accumulated driving
The totals show a clear order among the five rovers in the published figures: Perseverance, Opportunity, Curiosity, Spirit, and Sojourner. That ranking is about cumulative travel. It helps answer which rover has driven farthest and how the missions’ odometer totals compare.
There are two close comparisons worth keeping straight. Perseverance’s 28.10 miles is just above Opportunity’s final 28.06 miles. Curiosity’s reported total, more than 23.65 miles, is also substantial but remains below both of those figures in NASA/JPL’s Oct. 11, 2026, comparison. Because Curiosity’s number is a lower bound rather than an exact odometer total, quote it as published instead of assigning a more precise rank margin.
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Not a score for the missions
Distance alone cannot establish which rover was more scientifically successful or capable overall. The figures here do not measure discoveries, the difficulty of terrain, the number or purpose of stops, or how much data a rover collected. They also do not show that the rover with the smaller odometer was less effective. For a sound comparison, keep the question narrow: these are driving-distance records.
The different reported totals also belong to different mission durations and eras of rover technology. NASA/JPL reports that Perseverance accumulated its milestone in about five and a half years, while Opportunity took almost 15 years to reach its final figure. The reported AutoNav shares provide one piece of operational context, but neither elapsed time nor autonomy percentage turns the distance table into a broad measure of scientific merit.
Keep the reporting dates attached
For Perseverance, use 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) as the record reading through Oct. 11, 2026. For Curiosity, use “more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers)” through that date. Since both missions are active, later readings may be higher. Opportunity’s 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) remains its final total, reported when NASA declared its mission complete on Feb. 13, 2019.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor Sojourner, NASA/JPL’s 2026 comparison gives about 330 feet (100 meters) over its 83-sol mission in 1997. For Spirit, NASA’s current mission page lists 4.8 miles (7.7 kilometers) as its completed-mission distance. These older totals are useful for a full comparison across NASA’s Mars rovers, but the 2026 record change concerns the top of the list: Perseverance overtook Opportunity.
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NASA/JPL’s Oct. 12, 2026, report, “NASA’s Perseverance Sets Off-World Record for Total Distance Driven,” gives Perseverance’s and Curiosity’s figures through Oct. 11, 2026, and includes the totals for Sojourner and Spirit. NASA Science’s current Perseverance and Mars Exploration Rovers pages provide mission comparisons and completed-mission context. NASA’s Opportunity mission page records its final odometry and mission-completion date. NASA’s Aug. 5, 2022, Curiosity article is relevant only as a dated earlier milestone.
Curiosity’s exact current odometer total is not stated in the Oct. 11, 2026, comparison; NASA/JPL reports it as more than 23.65 miles. The published Perseverance and Opportunity values are rounded, so small differences calculated from them should be treated as approximate.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mars rover has driven the farthest?
Perseverance. NASA/JPL reported an odometer reading of 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) on Oct. 11, 2026, making it the record holder in that comparison.
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Opportunity’s final rover odometry was 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers). NASA declared the mission complete on Feb. 13, 2019.
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How far has Curiosity driven?
NASA/JPL reported Curiosity at more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers) through Oct. 11, 2026. That is a lower-bound figure, not an exact current odometer total, and the rover’s mission was active at the time.
Are the active rovers’ numbers final?
No. The Perseverance and Curiosity figures are dated readings from active missions. They may increase as the rovers continue to drive. Opportunity and Spirit’s figures are completed-mission totals.
Is Perseverance’s 1,351-foot distance an average per day?
No. NASA/JPL describes 1,351 feet (412 meters) as how much Perseverance can cover in one sol at most. It is a maximum capability, not a typical or average daily distance. Its record-setting drive on Oct. 11, 2026, was 91.31 meters (299.6 feet).
Does the farthest-driving rover have the most successful mission?
Not necessarily. An odometer measures accumulated travel, not discoveries, data collected, or scientific value. The record answers which rover has driven the farthest, not which mission was best overall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Mars rover has driven the farthest?
Perseverance, with a reported 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) through Oct. 11, 2026.
How far did Opportunity drive?
Opportunity’s final rover odometry was 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers). NASA declared the mission complete on Feb. 13, 2019.
How far has Curiosity driven?
NASA/JPL reported more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers) through Oct. 11, 2026. This is a lower-bound figure, not an exact current total.
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Is Perseverance’s 1,351-foot figure its average daily distance?
No. NASA/JPL reports 1,351 feet (412 meters) as the rover’s maximum distance in one sol, not its average.
Does the rover with the most miles have the most successful mission?
No conclusion about scientific success follows from distance alone. Odometer totals measure accumulated travel, not discoveries or mission value.
The Bottom Line
Through Oct. 11, 2026, Perseverance led the Mars-rover driving records at 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers), just ahead of Opportunity’s final 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers). Curiosity had driven more than 23.65 miles, while Spirit and Sojourner logged 4.8 miles and about 330 feet. Treat active-rover totals as dated snapshots, and remember that distance measures driving—not scientific success.
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