EV Longevity Surpasses Petrol
High-mileage electric vehicles prove more durable than petrol cars in U.K. MOT tests.
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Key Points
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The analysis controlled for both vehicle age and mileage, addressing a potential bias in the raw data: Britain’s EV fleet is substantially younger than its petrol and diesel fleet, while age-only comparisons can overlook that EVs typically have higher mileages.
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BVRLA chief executive Toby Poston attributed the high-mileage advantage partly to EVs having “far fewer moving parts,” with no combustion engine, exhaust system or conventional gearbox—components traditionally vulnerable to wear as cars accumulate miles.
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Poston cautioned that the results do not mean EVs are “maintenance-free”; instead, they challenge the assumption that a car with 80,000 or 100,000 miles is necessarily nearing the end of its useful life.
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The findings are particularly relevant to fleet operators, leasing companies and dealers because many high-mileage EVs entering the used-car market previously served in company and leasing fleets, where they accumulated substantial mileage during their first ownership period.
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New AutoMotive described the work as one of the first large-scale studies of MOT data on EV longevity, reflecting the limited evidence available so far because electric cars have only been present in significant numbers for a relatively short period.
Electric vehicles become significantly more durable than petrol cars as mileage increases, according to a major analysis of 47.4 million U.K. MOT tests. BVRLA found that while EVs and petrol cars fail at similar rates in the 20,000 to 40,000 mile range, EV failures plateau around 16% after 60,000 miles—while petrol failures keep climbing. Among high-mileage cars with 90,000 to 120,000 miles, just 16.5% of EVs failed their MOT versus 22% of petrol cars, a 25% advantage for electric vehicles.
The finding challenges a common assumption: that a car with 80,000 or 100,000 miles is nearing the end of usefulness. EVs' simpler drivetrains—no combustion engine, no exhaust system, no traditional gearbox—appear to hold up better over the long haul. New Automotive called this one of the first large-scale durability studies on electric cars, filling a gap in evidence as EVs have only been on British roads in significant numbers for a short time.
Why EVs Win at High Mileage
Electric motors have far fewer moving parts than combustion engines. There's no oil to change, no spark plugs to wear out, no transmission fluid to degrade. BVRLA chief executive Toby Poston explained: "EVs have far fewer moving parts," which means less to break as cars age. The study controlled for both vehicle age and mileage—a crucial detail because Britain's EV fleet skews younger than its petrol fleet, which could mask durability differences in raw numbers alone.
At 20,000 to 40,000 miles, failure rates were nearly identical: 12% for EVs, 11.7% for petrol cars. But the gap widens sharply. Above 120,000 miles, EVs hit 16% failures while petrol cars reach 23.5%—a 7.5 percentage point gap that grows wider with every thousand miles.
One Major Weakness: Tire Durability
The study revealed a chink in the EV armor. Electric vehicles recorded about 1.8 times as many tire defects as petrol cars during MOT testing. Heavier battery weight and instant torque from electric motors put extra stress on tires, wearing them faster. This remains the strongest reliability advantage for traditional fuel vehicles in the MOT test results.
What MOT Tests Don't Measure
Important caveat: MOT tests check roadworthiness—brakes, emissions, lights, steering. They do not assess battery health, driving range, charging speed, or software glitches. Poston cautioned that calling EVs "maintenance-free" would be wrong. The durability edge shown here applies specifically to mechanical systems monitored by the MOT, not the full ownership experience.
This distinction matters most for used-car buyers. Many high-mileage EVs entering the second-hand market spent their first life in commercial fleets and leasing companies, where they accumulated miles quickly. Fleet operators and dealers now have hard data backing the claim that a 90,000-mile EV is mechanically sound—making used EV purchases less risky.
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