The vast majority of UK drivers travel fewer than 15,000 miles per year by car, according to new analysis of MOT test data.
Field dynamics found that just 4.5% of vehicles cover more than 15,000 miles per year, or 41 miles per day.
Ben Allan, managing director of Field Dynamics, believes these figures are particularly important to consider when planning electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure:
He said: “This annual mileage per vehicle data provides a really valuable insight. Over half the vehicles in Great Britain travel less than 100 miles per week. As most electric vehicles have a range of over 200 miles then this suggest that planning for a once a fortnightly charge could be a good option for most people.”
While the average national mileage is low, the difference between vehicle types is significant and shows the need to differentiate between usage types. The report shows that while a local car such as Ford Fiesta only averages 4,694 miles per year, an Audi A6’s average mileage is 63% higher and a Ford Transit is 101% higher. This suggests the need for focussed charging services.
Field Dynamics also found that geographically, vehicles in the North drive 385 miles more per year than vehicles in the South. Greater London has an interesting distribution of vehicle mileage too with the most high milers (5.2% drive over 15,000 miles) and low milers (59% drive under 5,000 miles) compared with all other regions.
A recent study of MOT data by leading net zero data consultancy Field Dynamics has found that only 4.5% of vehicles were driven over 15,000 miles in 2021.
Overall mileage has been consistently dropping year-on-year. In 2021, vehicles in Great Britain have averaged just 5,506 miles annually. This means that 57% of vehicles are consistently traveling less than 100 miles each week.
Field Dynamics created their GB MOT Mileage Report by analysing millions of Class 4 MOT records from the past four years to create a hyper accurate view of average vehicle mileage across England, Scotland, and Wales.
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
JohnB - 27/02/2023 10:56
Total and average mileage does not determine whether an Electric Vehicle is practical/achievable. At best it is only a help towards making a decision. In particular, those who now only occasionally drive to the office, the only change is the total and average mileage but the occasional longer journeys may still be there. For example a family might only have short journeys including commuting most weeks, but for a few times per year they have need to drive long distances for vacation or visiting family. Then the ability to do these journeys becomes the relevant factor. With people who infrequently do journeys that would be difficult to do in an EV, a better option might be a smaller and cheaper EV and then use some of the saving towards an ICE car as a rental when required. But for now EV's don't have the whole life cost advantages though this will improve in the near future and short term rental rates are far too high.