A new UK study may surprise supporters of either side of the EV-versus-ICE debate: high-mileage electric cars were found to be more reliable than combustion-powered vehicles. The result challenges the assumption that buying a used EV with substantial mileage necessarily means accepting greater wear and tear.
There is, however, a significant qualification. The analysis used UK MOT records. Although its 47.4-million-test sample is substantial, the conclusions must be viewed in light of what an MOT examines—and what falls outside its scope.
In the UK, cars more than three years old must pass an annual MOT to demonstrate that they meet minimum safety and emissions requirements. The test does not measure an EV’s remaining battery capacity or charging performance. For combustion cars, it likewise does not evaluate engine output or transmission condition.
What the data shows
The results do not provide a complete assessment of vehicle condition, but they suggest that shoppers should not automatically dismiss high-mileage EVs in the used-car market. New AutoMotive, a transport consultancy, conducted the research for the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), examining vehicles between three and eight years old.
Among EVs with 90,000 to 120,000 miles (145,000 to 193,000 km), 16.5 percent failed their MOT. The failure rate for combustion cars was 22.1 percent, making the EV rate 25 percent lower on a relative basis. At more than 120,000 miles, the EV failure rate remained broadly steady at 16 percent, while the rate for ICE vehicles rose to 23.5 percent.
At lower mileages, the difference was minimal. For vehicles covering 20,000 to 40,000 miles (32,180 to 64,370 km), 12 percent of EVs failed compared with 11.7 percent of ICE cars.
The bigger picture
Judged solely by MOT failures, high-mileage EVs appear less prone to problems than their gasoline-powered counterparts. However, battery condition—one of the most significant components in a used EV—is not part of the MOT. The inspection does cover safety and wear-related areas such as tires, steering, suspension, brakes, lights, and the vehicle’s structural condition.
Those wear items remain an important consideration. The study recorded almost twice as many tire defects among EVs as among ICE vehicles. Brakes were also highlighted on lower-mileage EVs, likely because regenerative braking reduces use of the friction brakes, leaving those components more vulnerable to corrosion-related wear.
New AutoMotive is an independent transport consultancy, but the identity of the study’s commissioner is also relevant. The BVRLA represents more than 1,000 companies involved in vehicle rental, leasing, and fleet management in the UK. Many of those businesses may have high-mileage EVs approaching the used-car market.
“The important thing about this study is that we can separate age from mileage,” New AutoMotive chief executive Ben Nelmes told Fleet News. “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 (96,560 km) the failure rate for EVs flattens while the petrol failure rate continues to rise. 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.”
UK MOT data indicates that older, high-mileage EVs fail inspections less often than comparable combustion cars, with the difference becoming clearer beyond 90,000 miles. However, MOT tests do not assess battery capacity, engine performance, or transmission health. EVs also recorded more tire defects, while infrequently used friction brakes can develop corrosion-related wear.
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