Electric cars with plenty of miles on the clock are less likely to fail their MOT than equivalent petrol models, according to a study of 47.4 million MOT tests. The research found that EV failure rates level off at around 60,000 miles, while those for petrol and diesel cars keep climbing.
The research was commissioned by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and carried out by transport researchers New Automotive using official MOT data. The main comparisons took account of age and mileage, with only defects serious enough to cause a test failure counted.
Among cars aged three to eight with 90,000 to 120,000 miles on the clock, 16.5 per cent of EVs failed, against 22.1 per cent of petrol cars. That makes the electric cars around 25 per cent less likely to fail. Above 120,000 miles, the gap widened to 16 per cent for EVs and 23.5 per cent for petrol.
At lower mileages, there was little to choose between them. Between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, 12 per cent of electric cars failed, compared with 11.7 per cent of petrol models.
Of course, MOT tests are designed to assess roadworthiness, not every aspect of reliability. Also, MOT tests don’t measure EVs battery health, remaining battery capacity or charging performance, while the study doesn’t cover software problems or unexpected repairs under warranty. Battery health information should therefore be considered alongside roadworthiness when assessing an individual used EV, BVRLA says.
Toby Poston, chief executive of BVRLA, said, “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.”
EVs didn’t have everything their own way, though. They recorded around 1.8 times as many tyre defects as petrol cars, with the problem particularly pronounced in some earlier electric models that were adapted from petrol or diesel designs rather than being designed as pure EVs. Suspension fared better on electric cars, though: between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, EVs recorded 4.7 suspension defects per 100 tests, against 6.1 for petrol cars.
Brakes produced a mixed picture, too. Electric cars with higher mileages had substantially fewer brake defects, but older EVs covering fewer miles had more problems with their conventional brakes. Researchers attributed this to corrosion associated with those brakes being used less often.
Hybrids also performed strongly, recording lower failure rates than both petrol and purely electric cars in several categories.
There were signs that older EVs were staying on the road longer, too. Among 15-year-old cars, 94.6 per cent of electric models returned for another MOT within 30 months, compared with 88.1 per cent of petrol cars. Nor were older EVs simply covering fewer miles. Typical annual mileage was higher for EVs than for petrol cars at every age examined from four to 16 years. At 12 years old, it was around 4,920 miles for electric models and 4,410 miles for petrol.
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.”
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