Comparing odometer readings at matched vehicle age, electric against petrol, across the used market.
| Age | Electric | Petrol | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years | 85,160 | 119,155 | −33,995 |
| 7 years | 77,516 | 99,862 | −22,346 |
| 5 years | 69,660 | 79,867 | −10,207 |
The gap widens with age
At five years the difference is 10,000 miles. At ten it's 34,000. So EVs aren't just starting slower — they keep falling further behind as they age.
This runs against the economics. Electricity is cheaper per mile than petrol, so the marginal cost of driving an EV is lower. Rationally, cheaper miles should mean more miles.
What's actually going on
Most EVs are second cars. A household with an EV and a petrol car uses the EV for predictable local trips and the petrol car for long journeys. That pattern alone produces the split.
Range anxiety compounds. The road trip gets taken in the other car, and road trips are where big mileage comes from. We measured that EVs lose range on the highway while petrol cars gain it, which is exactly the wrong direction for long-distance use.
Older EVs have degraded batteries. A ten-year-old EV has meaningfully less usable range than when new, which shrinks its practical radius further. The vehicle progressively becomes a shorter-trip car.
Early adopters had garages. The people who bought EVs a decade ago skewed towards home charging and suburban commutes — a usage profile that generates modest annual mileage.
What it means when buying used
Low mileage on a used EV is normal, not exceptional. Don't pay a premium for a figure that's simply typical for the powertrain — 85,000 miles on a ten-year-old EV is the average, not a find.
Mileage tells you less about an EV's condition anyway. Battery health depends far more on charging habits and climate than on distance. A car rapid-charged daily in a hot state has aged worse than a higher-mileage one trickle-charged at home.
The odometer barely moves the price. We found a 2020 Model 3 loses $7.40 per 1,000 miles against 0.943% of value for a Dodge. On an EV, buying the higher-mileage example costs you almost nothing.
Check the history rather than the reading. EVs carry a higher branded-title rate than petrol cars — 7.75% against 6.22% — despite being younger. A VIN check shows title status in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Do electric cars have lower mileage than petrol cars?
Consistently. At ten years old used EVs average 85,160 miles against 119,155 for petrol, at seven years 77,516 against 99,862, and at five years 69,660 against 79,867. The gap widens with age.
Why do EV owners drive less when electricity is cheaper?
Most EVs are second cars used for predictable local trips while the petrol car takes long journeys. Range anxiety pushes road trips — the source of big mileage — to the other vehicle, and battery degradation shrinks the practical radius over time.
Is low mileage on a used EV a good sign?
It's simply normal for the powertrain, so it isn't worth a premium. Battery health depends more on charging habits and climate than on distance — a rapid-charged car in a hot state has aged worse than a higher-mileage one charged at home.
Does mileage affect used EV prices?
Far less than on petrol cars. A 2020 Tesla Model 3 loses about $7.40 per 1,000 miles, so buying the higher-mileage example costs almost nothing in value terms.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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