High-mileage EVs challenge 60,000-mile used-car rule
One of the oldest rules of buying a used car could be becoming obsolete in the electric age, after analysis of 47.4 million MOT tests found high-mileage EVs are significantly less likely to fail than petrol equivalents.
The study, commissioned by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and carried out by independent transport research organisation New AutoMotive, analysed official DVSA MOT records to examine how electric cars perform as they age and accumulate mileage.
The findings suggest that the traditional assumption that a car becomes increasingly unreliable as its mileage rises does not necessarily apply to battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
At lower mileages, there is relatively little difference between electric and petrol cars once both vehicle age and mileage are taken into account. Between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, 12.0% of battery electric vehicles failed their MOT compared with 11.7% of petrol cars.
However, from around 60,000 miles the pattern changes markedly. Rather than continuing to deteriorate as mileage increases, the MOT failure rate for electric cars levels off at approximately 16%, while petrol and diesel failure rates continue to rise.
Among cars aged three to eight years with between 90,000 and 120,000 miles on the clock, 16.5% of EVs failed their MOT compared with 22.1% of petrol cars. That means the electric cars were around 25% less likely to fail. Above 120,000 miles, the gap increased further, with 16.0% of EVs failing compared with 23.5% of petrol cars.
The results challenge the long-standing used-car assumption that high mileage automatically indicates rapidly increasing mechanical risk.
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.”
Older EVs are still being driven
The research also examined whether older electric cars were disappearing from Britain’s roads earlier than petrol vehicles.
Tracking whether vehicles returned for a subsequent MOT within 30 months found that at age 15, 94.6% of electric cars returned compared with 88.1% of petrol cars.
This equates to an implied road-exit rate of 5.4% for electric cars compared with 11.9% for petrol. However, road exit can include vehicles being scrapped, exported or declared SORN, so the research does not claim that every vehicle disappearing from the MOT dataset has been scrapped.
The apparent longevity of EVs also does not appear to be explained by older electric cars simply becoming low-mileage second vehicles.
Electric vehicles recorded higher median annual mileage than petrol cars at every age examined between four and 16 years. At age 12, for example, electric cars covered a median of approximately 4,920 miles a year compared with 4,410 miles for petrol cars.
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.
“That is powerful evidence for anyone considering a used EV. High mileage isn’t a proxy for poor condition in the way buyers have traditionally assumed. The data suggests the mechanical simplicity of an electric drivetrain starts to become increasingly valuable as cars accumulate miles.”
EVs are not better at everything
The research does not suggest that electric cars are superior in every aspect of roadworthiness.
Tyres were a particular weakness, with EVs recording approximately 1.8 times as many tyre defects as petrol cars across the dataset. The issue was particularly pronounced among some earlier electric models adapted from combustion-engine platforms.
However, the research found no equivalent ‘EV weight penalty’ for suspension components. Between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, electric cars recorded 4.7 suspension defects per 100 tests compared with 6.1 for petrol cars.
Regenerative braking also produces a more complicated picture. High-mileage EVs experienced substantially fewer brake defects, while older, low-mileage electric cars showed increased friction-brake defects. The researchers attribute this to corrosion resulting from physical brakes being used less frequently.
Hybrid cars also performed strongly in the analysis and, in several categories, recorded lower MOT failure rates than either petrol cars or BEVs.
The researchers therefore stress that the study is not intended to establish one powertrain as universally more reliable than another. Instead, it examines whether concerns about battery-electric vehicles becoming less roadworthy as they age and accumulate mileage are supported by MOT data.
Battery health remains the missing piece
The most important limitation is that MOT records do not measure the health or remaining capacity of an electric car’s battery.
An MOT assesses statutory roadworthiness, including components such as brakes, tyres, suspension, steering and lights. It does not measure battery state of health, electrochemical degradation, charging performance or other battery-related factors outside the scope of the test.
That means a strong MOT record should not be treated as a substitute for checking an individual EV’s battery condition when buying a used vehicle.
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.”
For fleets and leasing companies, the findings could also have implications for how electric vehicles are assessed as they move into the used market. Many EVs entering second ownership have accumulated substantial mileage during their first life in company and leasing fleets, making reliable evidence about durability increasingly important to residual values and buyer confidence.
The research does not eliminate the need for conventional used-car checks, but it does suggest that mileage should be considered alongside age, maintenance history, condition and battery health rather than treated as a standalone measure of an EV’s remaining useful life.
With increasing numbers of electric cars moving from fleet and leasing channels into the second-hand market, that distinction could become increasingly important.
