An immense reliability study that evaluated data from almost 50 million vehicles has shown that EVs with 145,000km to 193,000km on the clock are far more durable than internal-combustion vehicles that have travelled the same distance – and the gap widens as the mileage increases.

The research by British consultancy firm New AutoMotive on behalf of the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association examined the results of 47.4 million annual registration tests carried out by the Ministry of Transport, making them the UK’s version of our pink slip checks.

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Analysis of the figures showed that EVs which had been driven 90,000 to 120,000 miles were 25 per cent less likely to fail the test than internal-combustion cars. The failure rate for electric vehicles was 16.5 per cent compared to 22.1 per cent for their ICE counterparts.

Once the vehicles passed the 120,000-mile mark (193,000km), the results became even more stark, with EVs failing the MOT test 16 per cent of the time, and petrol/diesel models recording a failure rate of 23.5 per cent.

The study also looked at models that come in both electric and ICE versions, and the reliability results were either a tie or a victory for the EVs with the exception of one car, the Volkswagen Golf.

The results are good news for anyone who is keen on buying a used EV but harbours doubts about how reliable they are. As electric vehicles continue to skyrocket in popularity, more and more of them will hit the used-car market, opening up electrified car ownership to far more drivers.

EVs have far fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel cars, drastically reducing the amount of features and mechanicals that can fail. In addition, their use of regenerative braking places far less wear and tear on their brakes. On the downside, their weight often leads to increased tyre wear.

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“Mileage is one of the first things people look at when buying a used car, and passing 60,000 or 70,000 miles can have a big impact on how a vehicle is perceived,” BVRLA chief executive Toby Poston said.

“What this data shows is that mileage alone should not put consumers off. A well-maintained, higher-mileage electric car can be an extremely durable vehicle.

“That matters because the used market is where the transition to electric becomes accessible to millions more motorists. Giving buyers confidence in these cars will be critical to creating a healthy and affordable secondhand EV market.”