Abstract: A trip distance recorder for a motor vehicle includes a character display and several front panel keys. The recorder stores an operator-definable "trip type" code associated with each key. At the start of a trip, an operator presses one of the keys to select one of the stored codes. The recorder then displays the selected trip type code and elapsed distance for the trip. At the end of the trip, the recorder stores the trip code, distance and date as an entry in a data base maintained in non-volatile memory. The recorder generates printed trip reports based on the information contained in the data base.