Electric vehicles often face skepticism regarding their longevity, but data from the United Kingdom suggests high-mileage EVs perform better than comparable gasoline cars during mandatory inspections. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association commissioned a study of more than 47.4 million roadworthiness tests, finding that battery-electric models aged three to eight years and driven between 145,000 and 193,000 kilometers were 25% less likely to fail than their internal combustion counterparts.
Failure rates rise with mileage
As mileage extended beyond 193,000 kilometers, the gap widened further. EV failure rates held steady near 16%, while gasoline vehicle failures climbed to 23.5%. The study controlled for vehicle age to ensure a fair comparison, isolating the impact of mileage. At lower mileages, the difference nearly disappeared, with failure rates around 12% for EVs and 11.7% for gasoline vehicles.
Transport consultancy New AutoMotive analyzed the data for the association, which represents over 1,000 rental and leasing companies. The researchers noted that EV drivetrains contain fewer moving parts than gasoline engines, which may contribute to this sustained performance. However, the analysis did not include battery health, charging capability, or other potential powertrain issues.
Specific areas of weakness
EVs did not outperform gasoline models in every category. They recorded about 1.8 times as many tire defects, a figure that researchers attributed partly to older EVs converted from gasoline platforms. Suspension performance was comparable; between 97,000 and 145,000 kilometers, EVs averaged 4.7 defects per 100 tests versus 6.1 for gasoline cars.
Brake systems showed a different pattern. Older, low-mileage EVs displayed more friction-brake defects, likely because regenerative braking reduces regular use of the physical brakes, leading to corrosion. High-mileage EVs, conversely, recorded fewer brake problems.
This trend continued as vehicles aged past a decade, with older EVs proving more likely to remain registered for road use. At 15 years, of the relatively few EVs that have reached this age, a surprising 94.6% returned for another inspection within 30 months, compared with 88.1% of gasoline cars. The study suggests that vehicles absent from the data may have been scrapped, exported, or taken off the road due to other factors.
