Our report shows that only 4.5% of vehicles were driven over 15,000 miles in 2021.
When we break that down further, 57% of vehicles travel less than 100 miles per week. 87% of vehicles travel less than 200 miles per week.
Key Findings
- Average annual mileage per vehicle has fallen year-on-year since 2019, to 5,506 miles per year for 2021.
- 5% of vehicles are travelling more than 15,000 miles
- 57% of vehicles travel less than 100 miles per week.
- 87% of vehicles travel less than 200 miles per week.
- 7% fewer miles have been driven in 2021 compared with 2019.
- There is a significant difference between vehicle types and models. The Ford Fiesta has an average annual mileage of 4,694 miles. Audi A6s have an average annual mileage of 7,642 miles. The Ford Transit Van has an average annual mileage of 9,452 miles.
Why Does Annual Mileage Matter for EVs?
From an electric vehicle perspective, this annual mileage per vehicle data provides valuable insights. 57% of vehicles travel less than 100 miles per week. As most EVs have a range of over 200 miles then this suggest that planning for a once a fortnight charge could be a viable option for most people.
Vans are completing close to 200 miles per week and their range is usually less than cars. An electric van driver would need multiple charges per week even with the current crop of vans.
Cars like an Audi A6 have a higher range and higher mileages. We’ll probably see high mileage vehicles charging enroute, at destinations, or even at a client’s offices, so how much local provision is required is unclear. What is clear from our research, is less than 5% of vehicles are travelling over 15,000 miles.
Clearly there’s a challenge comparing weekly mileages to the mile range of early EV models. While this range will continue to improve, we do need to recognise that the EVs being produced today are still likely to be with us for the coming 10-15 years.
Our Methodology
Each year 35 million MOT test results are given a unique identifier, anonymised, and then published to data.gov.uk.
With this anonymised vehicle ID we’ve been able to identify consecutive MOT tests for each vehicle and calculate the mileage difference between them. We then annualised the mileage difference to give us an average number of miles per year.
Download our report “GB MOT Mileage Report”
Complete the form for a copy of the report to be sent to your email address.
