The 60,000-mile rule is dead: high-mileage electric cars prove more durable than petrol

  Posted by: user_amy      22nd September 2026

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 electric cars 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 what happens to electric cars as they age and accumulate mileage.

It found relatively little difference between electric and petrol cars at lower mileages 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.

But 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 climbing.

Among cars aged three to eight 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, making the electric cars around 25% less likely to fail. Above 120,000 miles, the gap grows further, with a 16.0% failure rate for EVs compared with 23.5% for petrol.

The findings challenge the traditional used-car assumption that high mileage is inevitably accompanied by 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 researchers also examined whether older electric cars appeared to be 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.

That equates to an implied road-exit rate of 5.4% for electric cars compared with 11.9% for petrol. Road exit can include vehicles being scrapped, exported or declared SORN, so the study does not claim that all vehicles which disappear from the MOT dataset have been scrapped.

Nor does the longevity appear to be explained by old EVs becoming low-mileage second cars. 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 study also identified areas where electric cars performed worse, particularly tyres.

Across the dataset, EVs recorded approximately 1.8 times as many tyre defects as petrol cars, although the analysis found that the problem was particularly pronounced among some earlier EVs adapted from combustion-engine platforms.

Researchers 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, but older, low-mileage electric cars showed increased friction-brake defects, which the researchers attribute to corrosion associated with the 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 stress that the study is therefore not intended to establish one powertrain as universally more reliable than another, but to test concerns about whether battery-electric vehicles become less roadworthy as they age and accumulate mileage.

Battery health remains the missing piece

The research does not measure the health or remaining capacity of an electric car’s battery.

MOT tests examine statutory roadworthiness, including brakes, tyres, suspension, steering and lights, but do not measure battery state of health, electrochemical degradation or charging performance. The researchers say battery-health information should therefore be considered alongside mechanical roadworthiness when assessing an individual used EV.

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.”