For decades, 60,000 miles has been a psychological milestone for used-car buyers. Once the numbers on the odometer climb beyond it, concerns about worn engines, ageing transmissions and expensive repairs often grow.
But the rise of electric vehicles could be changing that calculation.
An analysis of 47.4 million MOT tests has found that high-mileage electric cars can actually become less likely to fail their MOT than petrol cars of the same age and mileage.
The research, commissioned by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and carried out by New AutoMotive using official DVSA data, found little difference between petrol and battery-electric cars at lower mileages. Between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, 12.0% of EVs failed their MOT, compared with 11.7% of petrol cars.
Beyond roughly 60,000 miles, however, everything changes.
EV failure rates level off at around 16%, while failure rates for petrol cars continue to rise as mileage increases. Among cars aged three to eight years with between 90,000 and 120,000 miles, 16.5% of EVs failed compared with 22.1% of petrol cars.
Above 120,000 miles, the gap widened further: 16.0% of electric cars failed their MOT, compared with 23.5% of petrol vehicles.
The findings challenge the long-standing assumption that a high-mileage car is automatically a high-risk purchase.
Toby Poston, Chief Executive of the BVRLA, said: ‘Mileage has always been one of the first things people look at when buying a used car, and passing 60,000 or 70,000 miles can have a big impact on how a vehicle is perceived. This research suggests we need to think differently when it comes to electric vehicles.
‘Many of the EVs now entering the used market have had their first life in company and leasing fleets and have already covered substantial mileage. What this data shows is that mileage alone should not put consumers off. A well-maintained, higher-mileage electric car can be an extremely durable used vehicle.
‘That matters because the used market is where the transition to electric becomes accessible to millions more motorists. Giving buyers confidence in these cars will be critical to creating a healthy and affordable second-hand EV market.’
Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive of New AutoMotive, which carried out the research, said: ‘The important thing about this study is that we can separate age from mileage. Looking simply at the headline MOT numbers gives a misleading picture because Britain’s electric cars are much younger than its petrol and diesel fleet, while comparing cars by age alone misses the fact that EVs have typically covered considerably more miles.
‘Once we compare cars of the same age and mileage, something striking happens. At lower mileages there is very little between petrol and electric cars, but beyond around 60,000 miles the failure rate for EVs flattens while the petrol failure rate continues to rise.’
Logically, the fact that EVs do not have conventional engines, exhaust systems or many of the moving components found in petrol cars, reduces the number of mechanical parts that deteriorate with use.
The research also found no evidence that the additional weight of EVs translates into greater suspension problems. Between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, electric cars recorded 4.7 suspension defects per 100 tests, compared with 6.1 for petrol cars.
That said, electric cars record around 1.8 times as many tyre defects which potentially could be linked to weight.
Another caveat is that MOT data cannot tell buyers how healthy an EV’s battery is, as battery degradation, remaining capacity and charging performance are not assessed during an MOT.
For used-car buyers, that means mileage may deserve less attention than it once did when considering an EV. A car with 80,000 or even 100,000 miles on the clock should not automatically be dismissed as worn out.
Poston added: ‘This isn’t an argument for buying a used EV without doing your homework. Buyers should look at its history, condition, tyres and battery health just as they would scrutinise the engine, gearbox and service history of a petrol or diesel car.
‘What we can now challenge is the idea that an electric car with 80,000 or 100,000 miles on the clock should automatically be regarded as worn out. The evidence simply doesn’t support that assumption.’
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