High-Mileage EVs Fail MOTs Less than Petrol Cars
Data from 47.4 million tests shows electric vehicles maintain reliability beyond 60,000 miles, unlike petrol counterparts.
Key points
- Electric cars show a flat failure rate of ~16% beyond 60,000 miles, while petrol car failures continue to rise.
- High-mileage EVs are 25% less likely to fail MOTs than petrol cars in the 90,000-120,000 mile range.
- Electric vehicles have a lower implied road-exit rate at age 15, indicating longer average service life.
A large-scale analysis of official vehicle inspection records indicates that electric cars become more durable than petrol vehicles as mileage increases. The study, which examined 47.4 million MOT tests, found that while both types of cars have similar failure rates at lower mileages, the trajectory diverges significantly once vehicles pass the 60,000-mile mark.
This shift challenges a long-held assumption in the used car market: that high mileage inevitably signals rapid mechanical decline. For electric vehicles, the data suggests that high mileage is not a reliable proxy for poor condition, potentially altering how buyers value these cars in the secondary market.
Failure rates diverge after 60,000 miles
Between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, electric vehicles and petrol cars showed nearly identical reliability, with failure rates of 12.0 percent and 11.7 percent respectively. However, beyond 60,000 miles, the pattern changes. The failure rate for electric cars levels off at approximately 16 percent, while petrol and diesel vehicles continue to see their failure rates climb.
Among cars aged three to eight years with between 90,000 and 120,000 miles, 16.5 percent of electric vehicles failed their inspections compared to 22.1 percent of petrol cars. This means high-mileage electric cars are roughly 25 percent less likely to fail. The gap widens further above 120,000 miles, where the failure rate for electric cars drops to 16.0 percent against 23.5 percent for petrol vehicles.
Longevity data supports used market confidence
Researchers also tracked whether older electric cars were leaving the roads earlier than petrol models. At age 15, 94.6 percent of electric cars returned for subsequent inspections, compared to 88.1 percent of petrol cars. This implies a road-exit rate of 5.4 percent for electric vehicles versus 11.9 percent for petrol, suggesting they remain in active use longer.
Toby Poston, Chief Executive of the BVRLA, noted that many electric cars entering the used market come from corporate fleets with substantial mileage. He argued that this data should encourage buyers to look past mileage alone, as a well-maintained high-mileage electric car can be a durable option. This insight is critical for making the transition to electric vehicles accessible to a broader audience through affordable second-hand options.
Mechanical simplicity drives durability
Ben Nelmes of New AutoMotive, which conducted the research, emphasized the importance of separating age from mileage in these comparisons. He explained that simply looking at headline numbers is misleading because the electric vehicle fleet in Britain is younger than the petrol fleet. When comparing cars of the same age and mileage, the mechanical simplicity of the electric drivetrain appears to prevent the steady deterioration seen in internal combustion engines.
The findings suggest that the traditional anxiety surrounding high-mileage used cars may not apply to electric vehicles. While petrol cars accumulate wear with every mile, electric cars appear to hit a plateau in reliability, offering a different calculus for buyers evaluating long-term value and maintenance risks.
