Buying a car
Buying a used electric car: what the MOT records show
Electric cars are new to the used market, so there is less to go on than with a petrol car. Their MOT records already show a pattern. We counted 42,376 first MOTs on electric cars registered in 2022 and set them against petrol, diesel and hybrid cars of the same age.
By Tania Elsafin. Updated
Are used electric cars reliable?
On MOT results they did a little worse than petrol cars. Of electric cars registered in 2022, 86.9% passed their first MOT first time, against 90.2% of petrol cars and 90.4% of hybrids. Tyres were the main reason: 8.3% of electric cars failed on a tyre, about twice the petrol rate.
Electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel at the first MOT
Every car here was first registered in 2022 and had its first MOT in February or March 2025.
| Fuel | Passed first time | Failed on a tyre | Tyre advisory | Failed on brakes | Middle mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | 86.9% | 8.3% | 25.1% | 0.5% | 27,400 |
| Hybrid | 90.4% | 4.5% | 18.0% | 0.6% | 23,800 |
| Petrol | 90.2% | 4.3% | 18.7% | 1.4% | 20,700 |
| Diesel | 82.8% | 5.2% | 18.1% | 3.4% | 32,900 |
Electric cars had done more miles by their first MOT than petrol cars: a middle reading of 27,400 against 20,700. More miles means more tyre wear.
Brakes went the other way. Electric cars failed on brakes about a third as often as petrol cars. They had brake advisories less than half as often: 4.3% against 9.1%.
Electric models by MOT pass rate
Electric cars first registered from 2019 to 2022, by model, for every model with at least 1,000 MOTs. Across all of them, 86.4% passed first time. Some models are older on average than others, so a small gap between two models means little.
| Model | Passed first time | MOTs counted | Middle mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguar I-Pace | 92.2% | 3,338 | 35,000 |
| Volkswagen ID.3 | 90.2% | 3,216 | 28,100 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 89.3% | 1,840 | 36,700 |
| BMW i3 | 88.6% | 2,391 | 24,700 |
| Nissan Leaf | 88.3% | 4,559 | 29,400 |
| MINI Electric | 88.3% | 2,395 | 18,500 |
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 87.8% | 1,493 | 33,100 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 86.9% | 2,528 | 31,900 |
| Kia Niro EV | 85.6% | 5,777 | 43,700 |
| Volkswagen e-Golf | 85.3% | 1,054 | 37,500 |
| Tesla Model Y | 85.2% | 5,580 | 32,000 |
| MG ZS EV | 85.0% | 2,713 | 30,500 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 84.9% | 16,604 | 43,200 |
| MG5 EV | 84.2% | 2,265 | 37,100 |
| Renault Zoe | 84.1% | 2,334 | 24,000 |
| Peugeot e-208 | 82.4% | 1,867 | 22,700 |
What to check on a used electric car
- Read the MOT history. Electric cars fail most often on tyres, so start with the tyre advisories.
- Look at every tyre at the viewing, inner edges included. One electric car in four had a tyre advisory at its first MOT.
- Ask about the battery. An MOT does not measure how much charge the battery holds, so ask for any battery health report and the range the car shows when fully charged.
- Ask which charging cables come with the car and check the charging port.
- Check the tax. GOV.UK says electric cars have paid vehicle tax since 1 April 2025, existing cars as well as new ones.
- Check the mileage. Electric cars in our count typically covered 7,900 miles a year, more than petrol cars.
GOV.UK: Vehicle tax for electric and low emissions vehiclesCheck a car’s tax status freeRun the free MOT check
What an MOT can’t tell you about an electric car
GOV.UK says the engine, clutch and gearbox aren’t part of the test. The test looks at the tyres, brakes, lights, steering and structure. It does not measure how far the car will go on a charge.
So the MOT history tells you how the car has been looked after. For the battery, ask the seller what they know and what the car itself reports.
How we counted
The figures come from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data, published in June 2026. The fuel table covers every car first registered in 2022 that had its first MOT in February or March 2025: 42,376 electric, 71,114 hybrid, 133,716 petrol and 44,145 diesel. Light vans are left out.
The model table covers electric cars first registered from 2019 to 2022, 90,083 tests in all. DVSA records each version of a model on its own, so we grouped them by model.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Do electric cars fail their MOT more than petrol cars?
A little more at three years old in our count: 13.1% failed first time against 9.8% of petrol cars. Tyres were the main reason.
When does an electric car need its first MOT?
Like any car in Great Britain, by the third anniversary of its registration. After that it needs one every year.
Which used electric car passes its MOT most often?
Among models with 1,000 tests or more, the Jaguar I-Pace passed first time most often in our count, at 92.2%. The Volkswagen ID.3 came next at 90.2%. The Peugeot e-208 was lowest, at 82.4%.
Does the MOT check an electric car’s battery?
Not how much charge it holds. The MOT looks at the safety items on the car. Ask the seller for a battery health report.
Do electric cars wear out their brakes less?
In our count they failed on brakes about a third as often as petrol cars at their first MOT: 0.5% against 1.4%.
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