New data reveals EVs are clocking up more miles than petrol cars

You may have read one of our recent posts debunking some of the persistent myths that surround electric cars. One of the topics that wasn’t covered in that post was the notion that EVs aren’t as convenient for longer journeys for reasons of range. It wasn’t covered because it’s clearly no longer true, but for those of you still harbouring doubts about the long-term viability of leasing an EV, there’s some new research that reveals electric cars are now covering more miles than their petrol-powered counterparts.

A new study from vehicle lifecycle management business Solera cap hpi, reveals that EV drivers in the UK now have a higher average annual mileage than drivers of petrol cars.

Just for a little context, Solera’s experience in vehicle lifecycle management software, data, and digital services comes from its four lines of business – vehicle claims, vehicle repairs, vehicle solutions, and fleet solutions.

With over 280,000 global customers and partners in 120+ countries, Solera helps its customers streamline operations through data-driven analytics.

In other words, Solera has the expertise, as well as the access to vast amounts of data, that enable them to closely analyse vehicle usage. And that data has revealed an interesting fact.

In January 2015, the average EV travelled 6,355 miles per year, 2,288 miles less than an average petrol car. A decade later, in January 2025, the data shows the average EV now covers an average of 8,740 miles per year, 444 miles more than the petrol average.

The research also shows that since April 2023 the average monthly mileage has been higher for EVs compared to petrol...every single month...for pretty much two years straight.

That really should be the final nail in the coffin of range-anxiety.

Solera attributes the reasons for the increase in EV mileage over petrol vehicles to a few different factors.

Why are EVs travelling further?

On the EV side of the equation, the rapidly improving technology in EVs – specifically in battery development - has led to far less range anxiety amongst drivers. That has been further boosted by the rapid growth in the UK’s network of public and domestic charge points in recent years. There is also some impact from the vastly improved choice of electric models, which now covers a much wider range of budgets and car-types to suit the vast majority of UK drivers.

The data also points to several reasons for the falling mileage figures of petrol cars, and it seems that lifestyle changes may run deeper than just deciding to lease an EV.

The pandemic exacerbated the long-term downward trend in mileage, with average annual mileage falling 12% over the last 10 years. Part of this is due to changes in work patterns, including increased remote working after lockdown ended reducing the need for daily commutes. Improvements in some areas of public transport, alongside a growing awareness of environmental concerns, have led to big shifts in the UK’s travel habits. Even the rise of online shopping has had an impact, decreasing the necessity for frequent shopping trips and therefore contributing to the overall reduction in miles driven.

Dylan Setterfield, Solera cap hpi’s Head of Forecast Strategy, clarified the results:

“Our data reveals that people in the UK are driving increasingly fewer miles now than they were 10 years ago. It also shows that EV motorists now travel further in their cars than drivers of petrol cars and have been doing so consistently for almost two years. By generating average mileage data such as this for the whole of the UK, Solera cap hpi is helping motorists to get the full picture of how car use is changing in line with advancing technology, rising fuel costs, growing environmental awareness and how we have generally become less reliant on cars.”

The data also indicates that these changes in driving habits are likely to be long-lasting, reflecting the fact that people's day-to-day lives now involve less driving than they used to.

Which means, if you’re covering fewer miles than you used to, and electric cars are now covering more miles than petrol cars, there’s really nothing stopping you leasing yourself an EV too.