Should you avoid a high-mileage used car?
Many buyers walk away once the odometer passes 100,000 miles. But a car that did its miles on the motorway and was serviced on time can be a better buy than a low-mileage one that wasn't. Here's when high mileage matters, and how to check the car you're looking at.
By Michał Żelazko
Car enthusiast
Updated
First published
Quick answer
Not on mileage alone. A high-mileage car with a full service history and a clean MOT history can be a better buy than a neglected low-mileage one. Walk away when the servicing has gaps, the same MOT advisories keep coming back, or the mileage readings don't add up. If you buy, budget for parts that wear with miles.
Key takeaways
- How a car was looked after matters more than how far it has gone, so read its service history and MOT history before you judge the odometer.
- Motorway miles wear the brakes, suspension and clutch more slowly than short town trips, which is why Auto Express rates ex-company cars among the best used buys.
- An MOT doesn't check the engine, clutch or gearbox, so a clean MOT history doesn't prove a high-mileage car's drivetrain is healthy.
See what CarCanny finds on the car you're looking at.
Is it worth buying a high-mileage car?
It can be, if the car was serviced on time and its records back up the miles.
How a car was driven matters as much as how far. Auto Express says the brakes, suspension and clutch wear out much more slowly on cars used for long motorway trips, while a car used only for short trips never lets its oil warm up properly, which speeds up engine wear. That's why it rates ex-company cars, which often cover high motorway mileage and are usually serviced properly, among the best used buys.
The catch is that high mileage puts other buyers off too. Auto Express notes that a car past 100,000 miles can be hard to sell, so think about that if you plan to sell it on in a few years.
How much mileage is too much for a used car?
There's no fixed limit: compare the miles with the car's age, its fuel and how it was looked after.
A young car does about 8,500 miles a year. The RAC Foundation estimated these averages for cars under three years old in 2024, from more than 1.2 million MOT tests.
| Fuel | Average miles a year, cars under three, 2024 |
|---|---|
| All cars | 8,460 |
| Petrol | 7,585 |
| Diesel | 10,728 |
| Plug-in hybrid | 9,367 |
| Battery electric | 10,054 |
So a diesel that has done 12,000 miles a year isn't far from the norm, while a petrol car with the same figure has worked harder than most. Miles aren't a lifespan either: Auto Express says most modern cars have a design life of at least 150,000 miles, as long as they're serviced on schedule.
When does high mileage matter?
It matters when parts that wear with miles are due and there's no proof the work was done.
| Part | How the miles wear it | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cambelt, if the engine has one | The RAC says to change it every 60,000 to 100,000 miles or 4 to 6 years, depending on the car. A worn belt can snap and damage the engine. | An invoice for the last change in the service history |
| Clutch | Wears faster in stop-start driving than on long motorway trips | A test drive, and the service history for a replacement |
| Brakes and suspension | Wear faster in stop-start driving than on long motorway trips | Failures and advisories in the MOT history |
| Engine | Short trips keep the oil from warming up, which speeds up wear | Regular oil changes in the service history |
An MOT won't catch all of this. GOV.UK says the test doesn't cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox, so a clean MOT history tells you nothing about them. For those, rely on the service history and an inspection.
What should you check on a high-mileage car?
Check the service history, the MOT history and whether the mileage adds up, then have the car inspected.
Read the service history
Check who did each service and when, and that the gaps fit the maker's schedule. If the engine has a cambelt, look for the invoice for its last change.
Read the MOT history
GOV.UK's free MOT history shows every test since 2005, whether it passed and the mileage recorded. Auto Express says a car that has failed often and built up lots of advisories hasn't been well looked after.
Check that the mileage adds up
Each MOT reading should be higher than the one before, and the odometer higher than the last. A drop can be a typing error, which the MOT centre or DVSA can correct with evidence, or a sign of clocking. Ask the seller to explain it.
Match the paperwork to the miles
The mileage on each service invoice should fall between the MOT readings either side of it.
Get it inspected
Auto Express recommends a professional inspection. It's how you check the engine, clutch and gearbox, which the MOT doesn't cover.
What does CarCanny's full report show about mileage?
Every MOT mileage reading, whether they add up, and the car's average miles a year.
- Mileage check: "Adds up" when every MOT reading is at least the one before it, "Check" when one goes down.
- Mileage chart: every MOT reading as a bar chart from the date the car was first registered, with the miles since the previous reading.
- Miles per year: the car's average since it was first registered, to the nearest 100, which you can set against the figures above.
- MOT history: every test, newest first, with its result, mileage, miles since the last reading, and the tester's failures, minor items and advisories.
The mileage check uses MOT readings only, so it can't see what happened between tests or before the first MOT, and the report doesn't include the service history. It also counts previous keepers and checks finance, write-off and stolen. The free check shows the car's details from its DVLA record, such as its make, model and colour, to compare with its logbook.
Frequently asked questions
Should I avoid buying a car with high mileage?
Not on mileage alone. Avoid a high-mileage car with gaps in its service history, repeated MOT failures or advisories, or MOT mileage readings that go down. One with a full service history and steady miles, much of them on the motorway, can be a better buy than a neglected car with fewer miles.
Is buying a car with high mileage a good idea?
It can be. Auto Express rates ex-company cars, which often cover high motorway mileage and are serviced properly, among the best used buys. Budget for parts that wear with miles, such as the clutch and the cambelt, and remember that a high-mileage car can be harder to sell on.
Is a car with 140,000 miles a good buy?
It can be, if its records back it up. Auto Express says most modern cars have a design life of at least 150,000 miles when serviced on schedule. At 140,000 miles, check the service history for the cambelt and other big jobs, read the MOT history for repeat advisories, and have the car inspected.
What is the highest mileage a car can go to?
There's no set limit. Auto Express says most modern cars are designed to last at least 150,000 miles when serviced on schedule, and it has reported cars that passed 500,000 miles. How long one lasts depends on its servicing, how it was driven, and whether its repairs are worth paying for.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Getting an MOT, how the MOT test works(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Getting an MOT, fix mistakes on your MOT record(opens in a new tab)
- Auto Express: High-mileage cars: should you buy one? (27 November 2021)(opens in a new tab)
- RAC: Cambelt change(opens in a new tab)
- Highways Magazine: Is electric replacing diesel as the fleet's 'workhorse'? RAC Foundation figures (17 July 2025)(opens in a new tab)
The ideas for our guides come from people on our team. We use AI tools to help research, draft and edit them, and the named author reads each one before it's published.
Written by
Michał Żelazko
Car enthusiast at CarCanny
Michał works at vlayer, the company behind CarCanny, and is a motoring fan after hours.
