The overwhelming majority of UK motorists say they would avoid buying a used car that has covered more than 100,000 miles.
Analysis by online marketplace eBay discovered almost three quarters (72 percent) of respondents would not buy a car with six figures on its odometer. And 81 percent of drivers are reluctant to look at high-mileage motors at all.
Interestingly, more than half of those surveyed (52 percent) said they would not even consider purchasing a car that has covered 50,000 miles or more.
Despite this, the majority of drivers (85 percent) said they are open to the idea of keeping their current car for longer than their previous vehicle.
Not everyone avoids high-miles motoring
Drivers aged over 65 keep their cars for the longest, at nearly seven years on average. At the other end of the scale, motorists aged 18–24 typically plan to hold onto their cars for 4.5 years.
According to the findings of a Freedom of Information request (FOI) submitted by eBay, more than six million vehicles with over 100,000 miles were MOT-tested in the UK last year.
Analysis of MOT data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) also uncovered that nearly 407,000 cars had passed the 200,000-mile mark, and were still being driven.
Astonishingly, some 43,000 vehicles had covered more than 300,000 miles at the time of being tested, with nearly 2,700 having passed half-a-million miles.
Modern cars are ‘built to last’
With British motorists defining a high-mileage car as being one that has covered more than 96,000 miles, eBay has gone much further – purchasing a 64-plate Toyota Prius with 293,000 miles on the odometer.
The company plans to maintain the Prius using new and Certified Recycled eBay parts, with work being undertaken by Laura Kennedy, founder of Spanners with Manners – a female-led garage in Finchley, north London.
Following eBay’s purchase of the high-mileage Toyota, Kennedy commented: “People often overlook high mileage cars, but the truth is, a well-maintained vehicle with more than 100,000 miles on the clock can be a bargain. Modern cars, like eBay’s Toyota Prius, are built to last far beyond what many drivers assume.
“If a car has been serviced on schedule, looked after, and drives well, there’s no reason why it can’t keep going for years. And it’s easy to find all the parts you’re ever likely to need on eBay.”
More than 93,000 electrified models, like the Toyota Prius hybrid, underwent an MOT test with more than 100,000 miles being recorded.
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Most UK drivers wrongly avoid high-mileage used cars despite their potential value and reliability.
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This buyer hesitancy creates opportunities for savvy purchasers to find well-maintained bargains.
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Over 43,000 UK vehicles have exceeded 300,000 miles and still pass MOT tests annually.
