Commissioned by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and conducted by independent transport research organization New AutoMotive, the study analyzed 47.4 million MOT inspection records from Britain's official vehicle testing database. Researchers found that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) generally outperform comparable petrol vehicles in mandatory roadworthiness inspections as mileage increases.
However, the findings also identify distinct maintenance requirements for EVs and highlight a critical limitation: passing a roadworthiness inspection provides little information about battery health or the potential cost of future repairs.
Mileage has traditionally served as a central measure of mechanical wear, informing fleet replacement policies, vehicle depreciation and used-car pricing. The latest research indicates that this relationship may need to be reconsidered for electric vehicles, particularly those approaching or exceeding 100,000 miles.
Among vehicles aged three to eight years with between 90,000 and 120,000 miles, electric cars recorded an MOT failure rate of 16.5%, compared with 22.1% for petrol vehicles of similar age and mileage. The difference widened beyond 120,000 miles, where 16% of EVs failed inspections compared with 23.5% of petrol cars.
Researchers also identified a notable change in failure-rate trends at approximately 60,000 miles. While petrol vehicle failure rates continued increasing with mileage, EV inspection failure rates largely stabilized.
For fleet operators, these findings raise the possibility of extending electric vehicle replacement intervals beyond conventional mileage thresholds. Longer service periods could reduce vehicle turnover and spread acquisition costs across additional years of operation. However, the financial case would depend on depreciation, repair costs, battery performance and operational downtime rather than inspection results alone.
The research also offers evidence relevant to the commercial vehicle market. Comparisons between electric and diesel versions of the Nissan NV200 and Renault Kangoo found lower MOT failure rates among the electric variants. Although these results suggest potential maintenance benefits for commercial fleets, their financial significance will depend on vehicle utilization, operating environments and total cost of ownership.
The implications extend to the secondary vehicle market, where traditional mileage-based valuation methods may not adequately capture differences between electric and combustion-engine vehicles. Leasing companies and remarketing businesses could benefit from incorporating vehicle-specific inspection histories and battery assessments into residual-value forecasting rather than relying primarily on age and accumulated mileage.
Mechanical roadworthiness represents only part of the equation when assessing the long-term value of an electric vehicle. While the study documented lower overall inspection failure rates among high-mileage EVs, it also identified maintenance issues that require different approaches from those used for petrol-powered fleets.
Tyre performance emerged as a particular concern. Electric vehicles recorded approximately 1.8 times as many tyre defects as petrol cars, with some earlier electric models adapted from combustion-engine platforms showing especially pronounced differences.
By contrast, the research found no evidence that the additional weight associated with electric vehicles necessarily translates into higher suspension defect rates. Between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, EVs recorded 4.7 suspension defects per 100 inspections, compared with 6.1 among petrol vehicles.
Braking systems presented another important distinction. Regenerative braking was associated with fewer brake defects among high-mileage electric vehicles. However, older EVs driven relatively infrequently experienced greater friction-brake problems, including corrosion. Fleet maintenance programs may therefore need to emphasize regular tyre inspections and periodic friction-brake maintenance, even when regenerative braking reduces conventional brake wear.
Beyond individual mechanical components, the research provides an additional perspective on vehicle longevity. Among 15-year-old vehicles, 94.6% of EVs returned for another MOT within 30 months, compared with 88.1% of petrol cars.
The findings also indicate that older electric vehicles remain in active use. At 12 years old, electric cars recorded approximately 4,920 miles of median annual travel, compared with 4,410 miles for petrol vehicles. However, MOT return rates cannot establish definitive vehicle survival rates because vehicles absent from subsequent inspections may have been exported, registered as off-road or scrapped.
Perhaps the most consequential limitation for fleet owners and used-vehicle buyers is that MOT testing does not assess battery degradation. A vehicle may satisfy statutory roadworthiness requirements while experiencing reduced battery capacity, diminished driving range or charging problems that substantially affect its resale value.
The study also excludes unscheduled mechanical repairs, electrical system failures and roadside breakdowns. Consequently, lower MOT failure rates should not be interpreted as proof that high-mileage EVs deliver lower lifetime maintenance costs or greater overall reliability.
For fleet managers evaluating longer replacement cycles, the findings support a more detailed approach to electric vehicle lifecycle management. Combining inspection histories with standardized battery-health assessments, maintenance records and operating-cost data could provide a more accurate picture of remaining vehicle value.
As more electric vehicles enter the high-mileage used market, these additional measures may become increasingly important for leasing companies, fleet operators and automotive remarketing businesses seeking to establish defensible residual values and replacement strategies.
