A study of 47.4 million MOT tests — the UK's statutory roadworthiness checks — finds that electric vehicles become substantially more reliable than petrol cars once they accumulate serious mileage. Between 90,000 and 120,000 miles, EVs failed at 16.5% versus 22.1% for petrol models of the same age — roughly a 25% reliability advantage. Beyond 120,000 miles, the gap widened: 16% for EVs against 23.5% for petrol. At lower mileages, the two are nearly indistinguishable. The mechanism is straightforward and mechanical. An electric drivetrain has dramatically fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine — no pistons, no valvetrain, no multi-speed gearbox, no exhaust system. As miles accumulate, the components that don't exist can't fail. Ben Nelmes, chief executive of consultancy New AutoMotive which conducted the research, put it plainly: high mileage 'isn't a proxy for poor condition in the way buyers have traditionally assumed.' The study was commissioned by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), which has a direct commercial stake in EV residual values. Fleet and leasing companies are now offloading first-generation high-mileage EVs into the secondhand market in growing numbers. These vehicles need buyer confidence to hold their value. The study is useful data, but it's also marketing for the organizations that funded it. The research identified two areas where EVs performed worse. Tyre defects were nearly double those of petrol cars — unsurprising given the heavier weight and instant torque of electric drivetrains. Older, low-mileage EVs also showed elevated brake corrosion, a known issue caused by regenerative braking reducing friction-brake use. Both problems are manageable but add cost that headline reliability numbers don't capture. Critically, MOT tests do not measure battery health, degradation, or charging performance. This is the elephant in the room for secondhand EV buyers. A car can pass its MOT with flying colours while its battery has degraded to 70% of original capacity. The researchers acknowledged this gap, but the study's headline framing — 'EVs more reliable' — doesn't carry that caveat in the lede. The real story here is structural: the secondhand EV market is entering its first major test. Millions of leased vehicles are cycling into private hands. If buyer confidence in high-mileage EVs holds, the electric transition accelerates beyond the early-adopter class. If battery anxiety dominates, residual values collapse and the economics of fleet electrification unravel. This study is one data point — a significant one — in that larger contest. Toby Poston of the BVRLA framed the stakes correctly: 'The used market is where the transition to electric becomes accessible to millions more motorists.' He's right. The new-car mandate gets headlines; the secondhand market determines whether the transition is a class privilege or a genuine shift.
