High-Mileage EVs 25% More Reliable Than Petrol: Study — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- New AutoMotive analyzed 47.4 million MOT tests on behalf of the BVRLA and found EVs were about 25% less likely to fail than petrol cars in the 90,000–120,000 mile bracket (16.5% vs 22.1% failure rate).
- Electric vehicles beyond 120,000 miles posted a 16% failure rate against 23.5% for petrol cars, while the two fuel types showed relatively little difference at lower mileages.
- EVs recorded nearly twice as many tyre defects as petrol models, and older low-mileage EVs showed elevated friction-brake defects that researchers linked to corrosion from infrequent brake use.
- BVRLA chief executive Toby Poston said mileage alone should not deter used EV buyers, arguing that a well-maintained high-mileage electric car can be an 'extremely durable' secondhand vehicle.
- New AutoMotive chief executive Ben Nelmes said the mechanical simplicity of an EV drivetrain becomes increasingly valuable as cars accumulate miles, helping explain the late-life reliability edge.
- MOT tests do not measure battery health, degradation, or charging performance, so the researchers cautioned that buyers must assess battery condition separately from mechanical roadworthiness.
- A growing share of used EVs reaching the secondhand market come from company and leasing fleets with high odometer readings, making the high-mileage reliability finding directly relevant to mainstream buyers.
Why it matters: Many ex-fleet and ex-leasing EVs with six-figure mileages are now flooding the UK used market, and this 47.4-million-test dataset gives buyers concrete numbers — a 25% lower MOT failure rate at 90,000–120,000 miles — to challenge the reflex that high mileage means worn out, potentially reshaping residual values and the affordability of used EV ownership.
Ask SkimNews
