Analysis based on MOT data
The newest cars in Great Britain do an average of 10,377 miles in each of the first three years after they are registered.
That’s the equivalent of 28 miles per day.
However, there are big differences between cars of varying make, model and fuel type.
The study – which predates the steep falls in road traffic seen as a consequence of Covid-19 – was carried out by Dr Ivo Wengraf, the RAC Foundation’s research and data manager, and is based on the MOT data for 516,936 vehicles.
Private cars are required to start having annual MOTs once they are three years old. At that point the mileage is recorded by the test venue and it is that information this research uses.
The results show that new diesel cars cover an average of 12,496 miles in each of their first three years.
This is 67% more than new petrol cars which only do an average of 7,490 miles per year.
Pure battery electric cars are driven an average of 9,435 miles per year. Looking at a selection of individual electric models:
| Make and model | Average annual mileage in each of the first three years | Number of cars in sample |
| Tesla Model S | 12,392 | 846 |
| Nissan Leaf | 8,241 | 1,026 |
| Renault Zoe | 5,736 | 394 |
