The dashboard of a car, especially near the steering, is an interesting thing to watch. Here odometer and speedometer are installed. Both these tools are important for a driver while driving. It is situated just below the steering so the driver can have an easy look. Although both the odometer and speedometer present details of the car, these represent two different sets of information. In this article, we will focus on speedometer vs odometer.
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What is a speedometer?
A speedometer, as the name suggests, indicates the speed at which a car is moving. It is the current speed of the vehicle, and so it keeps fluctuating as you change the speed of the car. Nowadays, different types of speedometers have come, like digital speedometers and speedometers with GPS.
Digital speedometer presents clear details (say 55.6 mp/h), unlike the traditional speedometers that have clock-like hands pointing at speed. GPS speedometer has GPS facility added so, along with indicating the speed, the speedometer can also help in navigation.
What is an odometer?
The odometer reads the distance travelled by car so far in its lifetime. It means, that from the day you took out your vehicle from the showroom to the current day, the total distance your car has travelled is indicated by the odometer. Hence, changing, altering, or tampering with odometer readings is illegal in the country. The odometer keeps adding the distances travelled, which is a helpful detail when it comes to reselling the vehicle.
Differences between speedometer and odometer
After knowing about the speedometer and odometer, now let's understand the differences between the speedometer for cars and the odometer. The table below represents the details of the speedometer vs odometer:
Speedometer | Odometer |
The speedometer reads the current speed of the vehicle | The odometer reads the total distance traveled by the vehicle so far in its lifetime |
Presents details in MPH (Miles Per Hour) | Presents details in Miles or Kilometers |
You cannot reset or change the details | Changing the details is illegal |
Usually located on the dashboard and near the steering | The odometer is usually located on the dashboard near the steering wheel |
Speedometer presents instant and current details | The odometer presents cumulative details of the total distance travelled so far |
Helpful for the driver to maintain the speed of the vehicle | Important detail for reselling or servicing the vehicle |
Conclusion
The speedometer and odometer are both important parts of any vehicle, be it a car or a two-wheeler. The readings of the odometer are used to fix the next servicing date for your vehicle and for reselling purposes. On the other hand, a speedometer helps you maintain a healthy speed on the road and follow the road rules. In case your speedometer glass gets damaged or your vehicle is old , you may look for a speedometer online or take your vehicle to the garage to have it changed.
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