More than 4.3 million cars have over 100,000 miles on the clock

Consumer Editor

4 minute read|8th May 2026

British drivers are keeping their cars for longer, with new research showing that over 4.3 million cars have more than 100,000 miles on the clock.

The data from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from eBay found 4,363,123 cars have covered 100,000 – 149,000 miles.

A further 1.2 million have 150,000-199,000 on the clock, while 286,630 have covered 200,000-249,000 miles.

The FOI was submitted to the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The data is based on mileage recorded at MOT tests conducted between 1^st January and 31^st December 2025.

Over 111,000 cars have covered 250,000-399,000 miles, while 5,646 have clocked up 400,000-499,000 miles.

The DVSA data shows 2,699 vehicles with more than 500,000 miles on the odometer.

There are 42.5m vehicles on the road in the UK, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. A record 45.7% of all cars are now more than a decade old, up from 43.4% on the year before.

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A regular service is one of the smartest ways to keep your car running smoothly. Costs vary by vehicle and service level, but the real value comes from the checks — oil and filter changes, brake assessments, fluid top-ups and more. Spotting issues early can save you from far bigger repair bills later.

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Lead RAC Mobile Mechanic

The FOI data found electric and hybrid vehicles have joined the high mileage ranks alongside their petrol and diesel counterparts.

MOT centres tested more than 93,000 hybrid electric vehicles with over 100,000 miles – with nearly 32,000 exceeding 200,000 miles – demonstrating modern powertrain technologies are lasting longer than drivers may expect.

A survey of 2,000 drivers, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of eBay, found British drivers define ‘high mileage’ as a car with over 96,000 on the clock.

The majority of drivers surveyed (85%) are open to keeping and driving their current car for longer than their previous one, but attitudes differ across the generations.

Younger motorists aged 18–24 plan to keep their vehicles for the shortest period – on average just 4.5 years – which is shorter than the average ownership length of 6.1 years across all age groups.

In contrast, drivers aged 65 and over are more likely to hold onto vehicles for longer – increasing to nearly seven years.