A study analyzing MOT testing outcomes finds that high-mileage electric vehicles (EVs) are less likely to fail than comparable petrol cars. The analysis covers 47.4 million MOT tests and focuses on vehicles after they have been driven roughly 90,000 to 120,000 miles.
Across the sources, the reported difference is that EVs are about 25% less likely to fail their MOT than petrol models of the same age once that mileage threshold is reached. One set of figures cited shows failure rates of 16.5% for EVs versus 22.1% for petrol cars. Both outlets frame the finding as relevant to drivers considering used vehicles with high mileage, suggesting EVs may retain reliability advantages as cars accumulate kilometres.
While the outlets both rely on the same underlying dataset, they emphasize slightly different angles: one presents it as electric cars “beating” petrol models as miles increase, while the other highlights motorists’ prospects when buying a used car with many miles on the clock.
