Mileage can have a big effect on the value of a used car. A lower mileage than the average you’d expect from a car of a given age makes it more expensive; higher makes it less expensive.
For example, the retail price of a three-year-old petrol-engine Volkswagen Golf with 10,000 miles is usually priced between £19k and 21k, using our commercial partner Motors.co.uk. The same car with 30,000 miles drops to between £17k and £19k and at 60,000 miles falls to £14k to 16k.
Used car valuation provider Cap-HPI sets prices from daily data from trade sales, auctions, rental and leasing companies, and specialist remarketing companies. It then provides pricing guidance for all cars to the motor trade and is also used by many consumer websites offering online valuations. The values it provides for an individual model of car are adjusted for age, mileage, and condition.
But, says Derren Martin, Cap-HPI director of valuations, more people are wising up to the fact that cars with higher mileages are not necessarily bad news.
“Over time people have probably become more accepting, and that’s mainly down to reliability. Some cars can run and run. Mileage is a factor, I would say it’s one of the main factors, but it’s not as important as it maybe was a few years ago.”
The pandemic-related supply problems with new cars and the consequent rise in interest and values of used cars changed both dealer and public perception of high mileages. Franchised dealers lost the steady supply of three-year old cars returned from a leasing or PCP deal, and had to buy in older stock of a different make to the ones they sell. Those older cars inevitably tend to have higher mileages.
Franchise dealers used to look away from ten-year-old cars, but again because of shortages have changed their views. “You see plenty of 2013 and 2014 cars on the road, and they’ll have more than 100,000 miles. Is that ok on a ten-year-old car? Absolutely,” says Derren.
What do I need to know before viewing a high mileage car?
Perceived wear and tear
Mileage is often used as a shortcut for assessing how much a car has been used.
A 5-year-old car with 25,000 miles feels “lightly used.”
The same car with 75,000 miles feels “well used.”
Even if both cars have been serviced properly, high mileage models are associated with:
- More engine wear
- Greater suspension fatigue
- Brake and clutch wear
- Interior deterioration
Remaining mechanical life
Cars are built with expected lifespans for each of its mechanical parts. Higher mileage brings a car closer to expensive replacement points. Common mileage-related maintenance cost predictions include:
| Mileage | Likely upcoming costs |
|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | Brake discs & pads, tyres |
| 60–80k miles | Clutch (manuals), suspension components |
| 70–100k miles | Timing belt (if fitted), water pump |
| 100k+ miles | Turbo wear, injectors, DPF issues (diesel) |
Depreciation and mileage
Depreciation is the loss of a vehicle’s value over time, with the steepest decline – typically a 15% to 35% fall in valuation – occurring in the first year and up to 60% within three years. It isn’t exactly linear — it accelerates at certain mileage points.
Typical patterns:
- Under 30,000 miles → strong resale appeal
- 30,000–60,000 miles → mainstream market sweet spot
- 60,000–100,000 miles → value starts softening
- Over 100,000 miles → smaller buyer pool, trade-focused
Once a car crosses six figures, it often shifts from “retail forecourt” territory into “budget/private sale” territory. To find out more about depreciation, our partner Motorway has the ultimate guide.
Buyer finance & warranty restrictions
Mileage can also affect eligibility for extended warranties and finance deal approval terms. Many used car warranties have upper mileage limits (often 100,000 miles). Some lenders are cautious about financing high-mileage cars over longer terms. That reduces demand — and reduced demand lowers value.
Insurance & risk perception
Insurers often view higher mileage cars as:
- Closer to mechanical failure
- Higher risk for breakdown claims
- Less reliable long term
Even if that perception isn’t always accurate, market pricing reflects it. A motorway-driven fleet car with 90,000 miles and full service history may be mechanically stronger than a neglected 35,000-mile urban runabout. But the market still prices based on mileage first, and condition second.
Electric cars – low or high miles?
You might think that electric cars will have been racking up lower mileages because historically they have had shorter ranges, but not so, says Derren (excepting that the overall volume for Cap-HPI stats is lower than combustion-engined cars and that these are electric cars going through auctions).
“When you get to between two and three years-old, the EVs actually have higher mileage than petrol. Still lower than diesel, but higher than petrol.” This is working out to an annual average EV mileage of 10,600 miles, compared to 9,500 miles for petrol (which in itself has gone down from 11,000 in 2019).
Of course, a lot of EVs are bought by company car drivers because of the tax benefits and high mileage used EVs aren’t hard to find. Teslas with more than 100,000 miles are common, and across the world some have been reported at 300,000 miles.
A quick search of a well-known used car supermarket site showed up a Jaguar I-Pace which had covered 61,000 miles in four years, and a Kia e-Niro with almost 54,000 miles in two years.
While it’s accepted that there’s less to go wrong mechanically on electric cars (software glitches are more common) and that batteries are known to last over very high mileages, the great unknown is battery condition, as over time the ability to hold the original full charge/range will lessen.
More important is to know how an electric car has been charged up, for example how often it has been fast-charged which generates heat – or whether it has been ‘topped up’ or ‘run down’ consistently (the best advice is to charge them only to 80% on a regular basis).
“That’s a really hot topic at the moment,” says Derren. “And something that there isn’t really enough data or a uniform way of measuring the state of health of the battery. It’s not just the number of times it’s charged, it’s how you charge it.”
While there are companies who will test the efficiency of a used car battery, the prospect of most dealers providing a battery health report with a used car is some way off. The only way a consumer can check is to charge the car fully and compare the range displayed to the one originally quoted, but this could vary dependent on weather conditions and usage.
At the other end of the fuel popularity stakes, a used diesel car with a high mileage can still be just right for some people. Used diesels usually have higher mileages than petrol or electric cars, as they have long been traditional workhorses used for long journeys.
Most buyers will accept a higher mileage on a diesel car and buy at a lower price. They are built to take it and usually will have gathered those miles on motorways. For people who live in rural areas, a diesel still makes a lot of sense, but if you live in a city – especially one with a clean air zone, such as London’s ULEZ – a used diesel is probably not for you.
Be wary of old hybrid cars, which are quite likely to have been used as taxis, or private hire cars. The Toyota Prius is the prime example and is famed for being able to withstand stellar mileages, so be careful if you’re being offered an oddly low-mileage example.
Mileage checking
Because it impacts value you need to be sure that the mileage displayed is the true mileage. If buying from a franchised dealer you can assume it is what it says, but further down the food chain ‘clocking’ or the practice of dialling down the mileage on a digital odometer still goes on. Look up ‘mileage correction’ on the internet. Some of it will be legit, but mostly it’s not.
If you have doubts, a vehicle history check will cost you about £10 and will report mileage, previous owners and whether it’s had an accident or is stolen.
You can also get the lowdown on how a car’s mileage has been built up over the years for free by using the gov.uk MOT history check facility by putting in the registration number. This will tell you the date of each MOT test and the mileage it was taken at. “If it goes up a lot over a year period compared with others that could be a bit of a bit of a pointer to what that car’s been used for in that year,” says Derren. “If that looks a little bit strange it’s probably just something to be wary of.”
Checking the service history of any used car is vital and also provides a track of a car’s mileage. Traditional proof of each service used to be a date stamp and note of the mileage in the service book which comes in the bundle with the handbook, but this is dying out.
If the service record is digital, you should still get a printout to check both the mileage and the service history. If it’s not offered, ask for a printout. Data privacy rules (GDPR) don’t prevent you asking the garage that previously serviced the car you’re looking at to print out a simple list of what was carried out when.
Read more:
This article was originally published in April 2023, and was updated in February 2026. Additional reporting by Sean Rees.
