HUNDREDS OF CARS ON UK ROADS ARE STILL GOING STRONG DESPITE HAVING OVER 750,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK .. THE EQUIVALENT OF MORE THAN THREE TRIPS TO THE MOON!

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  • Vauxhalls, Fords and Rover 75s fill the top spots in the 750k miles club
  • Almost 6,000 vehicles driving on UK roads have clocked up more than 400,000 miles 

London, 20th October 2021 — There are thousands of super high mileage vehicles on UK roads, according to data analysed by car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco.

Odometer data provided by the DVSA*, shows there are currently 2,676 vehicles on UK roads with more than 500,000 miles on the odometer, and 5,897 motors with over 400,000 miles.

Even more remarkable; hundreds of cars are still going strong despite having clocked up over three-quarters of a million miles.

These astronomical mileage cars include; 35 Vauxhall Astras, 33 Rover 75s, 25 Ford Fiestas and 16 Land Rover Defenders – a true utility workhorse that is enjoying something of a renaissance.

To put into perspective just how many miles these Trojans of the road have clocked up – the moon is 238,855 miles away from Earth**. These motors have covered more than three trips to the moon!

The following table shows the Top 10 road legal vehicles (makes and models) with more than 750,000 miles on the clock.

Make Model

Number of vehicles with over 750k miles on the Odometer

LDV Maxus

104

Vauxhall Astra

35

Rover 75

33

Ford Fiesta

25

Ford Focus

25

Vauxhall Zafira

20

VW Golf

19

Audi TT

16

Land Rover Defender

16

Vauxhall Corsa

14

LeaseLoco also requested data from the DVSA on the top makes and models (numbers of) driving on UK roads today that have clocked up more than 250,000 miles.

While this is a more modest number of miles on the odometer, membership of this club could well grow as we approach 2030, and the ban on new petrol and diesel cars comes into force.

The following table shows the Top 10 road legal vehicles (makes and models) with more than 250,000 miles on the clock.

Make Model

Number of vehicles with over 250k miles on the Odometer

VW Transporter

4,471

Toyota Prius

3,817

Mercedes-Benz Vito

2,949

VW Passat

2,456

Ford Transit

2,251

Skoda Octavia

2,109

Mercedes-Benz E

1,805

Peugeot Expert

1,688

Ford Mondeo

1,402

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

1,393

John Wilmot, CEO of car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco comments: 

“The combination of used car prices rocketing, and microchips shortages affecting new car supply, has seen a large number of car owners choosing to hold onto their vehicles for longer, rather than upgrading.

“However, even taking into account the current issues with supply and soaring prices, there are also those car owners who believe: ‘if it ain’t broke, why upgrade!’

“The Government doesn’t want to see the roads clogged up with high mileage, high polluting cars, at a time when it’s trying to encourage people to early switch to greener motoring.

“But many drivers are reluctant to switch over to electric until they feel more confident in the charging infrastructure. And as we approach 2030, car owners may be less willing to buy new petrol or diesel cars, knowing their value could plummet.

“We could see a situation where more people stick with what they have, and the number of extremely high mileage cars on our roads escalates. 

“One option could be leasing a new car rather than buying one. Leasing is increasing in popularity, not least because it avoids the burden of depreciation on the user.”


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