Average car mileage by age
At their 2025 MOT, vehicles first used in 2015, about 10 years old, had a median of 74,200 miles. Half of these tests read between 53,400 and 98,300 miles.
Averaged over their life so far, vehicles aged 3 to 20 covered about 7,200 miles a year (median; half between 5,100 and 9,600).
Average here means the median: half the readings were higher and half lower. A few very high readings would pull an ordinary average up, so the median is closer to a typical car.
Is this mileage high for its age?
Use a reading from around the car's 2025 MOT: a reading from today has had longer to grow. This says how common the mileage is, not whether it's genuine or how the car was looked after.
Mileage at the 2025 MOT, by year first used
| First used | Median miles | Middle half | Miles a yearmedian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022age 3 | 24,100 | 16,100to 34,900 | 8,000 |
| 2021age 4 | 32,200 | 22,000to 45,700 | 8,100 |
| 2020age 5 | 37,500 | 26,000to 52,200 | 7,600 |
| 2019age 6 | 44,200 | 30,900to 60,800 | 7,400 |
| 2018age 7 | 51,900 | 36,800to 70,300 | 7,400 |
| 2017age 8 | 60,200 | 42,800to 80,800 | 7,500 |
| 2016age 9 | 67,300 | 48,200to 89,600 | 7,500 |
| 2015age 10 | 74,200 | 53,400to 98,300 | 7,400 |
| 2014age 11 | 80,700 | 58,400to 106,100 | 7,400 |
| 2013age 12 | 86,400 | 63,000to 112,600 | 7,200 |
| 2012age 13 | 92,000 | 67,400to 119,700 | 7,100 |
| 2011age 14 | 98,100 | 72,300to 126,900 | 7,000 |
| 2010age 15 | 100,000 | 73,600to 129,300 | 6,700 |
| 2009age 16 | 100,100 | 73,000to 129,900 | 6,300 |
| 2008age 17 | 105,700 | 78,100to 136,400 | 6,200 |
| 2007age 18 | 107,300 | 78,800to 139,100 | 6,000 |
| 2006age 19 | 106,500 | 77,600to 139,000 | 5,600 |
| 2005age 20 | 105,700 | 76,100to 139,200 | 5,300 |
Middle half: a quarter of the tests read less and a quarter more. Each year has from 520,187 tests (2005) to 2,682,070 (2016). Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 miles; the CSV has exact readings in steps of 5 percentiles. Vehicles under 3 years old aren't shown: few are tested that young, and most of those are taxis and other working vehicles.
What counts as high mileage?
There's no official line. For vehicles first used in 2015, a quarter of 2025 MOT tests read more than 98,300 miles and a tenth more than 126,500. For vehicles first used in 2008, about 17 years old, a quarter read more than 136,400.
The MOT history shows how a car's mileage built up: the reading at every test, any gaps between tests, and any drop. The free check shows all of it and flags a drop.
MOT mileage check: spot a mileage dropAverage mileage for common models
| Model | Median milestests |
|---|---|
| Ford Fiesta | 63,900123,465 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 65,30086,567 |
| Ford Focus | 77,60074,065 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 79,20066,990 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 78,30055,554 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 64,90051,276 |
| MINI Hatch | 62,50045,931 |
| Vauxhall Astra | 76,40045,820 |
| Vauxhall Mokka | 67,20042,358 |
| Audi A3 | 82,10041,447 |
| All vehicles first used in 2015 | 74,2002,573,120 |
The ten models with the most MOT tests for that year. Model tests include those without a mileage reading.
All car modelsQuestions
What is the average mileage for a 10 year old car?
At their 2025 MOT, vehicles first used in 2015 had a median reading of 74,200 miles. Half of these tests read between 53,400 and 98,300 miles.
What is the average mileage per year?
Across vehicles first used from 2005 to 2022, the median at their 2025 MOT was about 7,200 miles a year since first use, and half were between 5,100 and 9,600. That's the average over each vehicle's life so far, not the distance driven in 2025.
Is 100,000 miles a lot?
It depends on the age. For a vehicle first used in 2015, between 75% and 80% of 2025 MOT tests had a lower reading than 100,000 miles. For one first used in 2008, it was between 40% and 45%. Mileage on its own doesn't tell you how a car was looked after.
About these figures
- Every initial MOT test in Great Britain in 2025 on cars and light vans (MOT class 4) first used from 2005 to 2022, with a mileage reading. Retests aren't counted. Northern Ireland isn't in the data.
- These are tests, not cars: a vehicle tested twice in the year counts twice.
- Miles a year is the reading divided by the vehicle's age at the test, so it's the average since first use, not the distance driven in 2025. Vehicles under a year old are left out of it.
- Readings are as recorded at the test. Readings of 300,000 miles or more were 0.13% of tests; they're left in, and taking them out would move any figure by at most 0.3 percentile points (the most, for vehicles first used in 2010). A reading in kilometres entered as miles can't be spotted.
- Mileage alone doesn't show how a car was used or looked after.