High-mileage electric cars are less likely to fail their MOT than an equivalent petrol model, according to new analysis released by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).
According to research carried out on BVLRA’s behalf by New AutoMotive, EVs with 90,000 to 120,000 miles on their odometer are 25% less likely to fail an MOT than petrol cars of an equivalent age and mileage.
The study took 47.4 million MOT tests into account, along with an additional 863 million historical tests. It discovered that EVs and petrol cars have a comparable failure rate between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, with EVs recording a failure rate of 12%, and petrol cars recording an 11.7% fail rate.
Yet at the 60,000-mile mark, the pendulum swings in favour of the electric powertrain. EV MOT failure rates level out at around 16%, while numbers continue to climb for petrol and diesel cars.
EVs aged three to eight years with 90,000 to 120,000 miles on the clock have a 16.1% MOT fail rate, while petrol cars recorded 22.1%. When it comes to cars with over 120,000 miles, EV failure rates dropped back to 16%, while petrol cars increased once again to 23.5%.
What’s more, the study found older EVs such as the first-generation Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, and early versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y aren’t disappearing from UK roads as quickly as petrol models – within 30 months of their previous MOT, 94.6% of EVs over a decade old are returning for a test, compared with 88.1% of petrol cars.
EVs cover a higher average annual number of miles up to their first MOT, which takes place three years after registration. During this 36-month period, an EV’s mileage figure is 27,072 miles compared to 20,499 miles for petrol cars. This is largely in part to more EVs being leased, as a company cars, and for private-hire services.
Yet even before EVs hit the mainstream in the early 2020s, the BVRLA’s data found that electric cars aged 12 cover on average 4,920 miles per year, compared with 4,110 for their petrol counterparts.
On the back of the latest findings, Ben Nelmes, the chief executive at New AutoMotive said: “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.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.”
The reasons why EVs are largely more reliable than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars are fewer moving mechanical parts, no fluids to replace, and less mechanical stress on components.
Over the last 18 months, the EV Powered team has written a dedicated monthly buying guide for the most popular used EVs on sale in the UK, featuring everything from the Renault Zoe to the Škoda Enyaq.
