Tesla electric cars cover higher annual mileages than cars from any other brand

Tesla drivers cover a higher average annual mileage than owners of cars from any other brand, new figures reveal.

In the first three years of owning a new car, Tesla drivers cover an average of 12,459 miles a year. Mercedes owners are second, covering 12,100 miles each year, while Volvo owners average 11,578 miles each year.

According to analysis of MoT data for 516,936 vehicles carried out by the RAC Foundation before the coronavirus crisis, the average British driver covers 10,377 miles a year in the first three years of owning a brand new car.

Diesel cars cover 12,496 miles per year on average, while petrol cars only do 7,490 miles a year. Interestingly, fully electric cars land roughly in the middle, covering an average of 9,435 miles per year in the first three years from new.

While Tesla, Mercedes and Volvo took the top three positions for individual manufacturers – all brands that make premium executive cars – it was specialist sports car manufacturers that were unsurprisingly right at the other end of the scale. Caterham owners cover only 1,544 miles per year on average, followed by Ferrari owners with 1,883 miles and Morgan owners with 2,441 miles.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, commented: “Unsurprisingly people with diesels have been doing most mileage, probably seeking better long-distance fuel economy, but this study is also evidence that battery-electric powered cars are not just trophy vehicles signalling their owners' green credentials but prior to the lockdown were racking up the miles as everyday transport.

"Tens of millions of people still drive petrol and diesel-powered cars, but this data suggests that owners of electric cars have found them to be a practical proposition, running up the sort of big annual mileages that many of us need to do, challenging preconceptions about their range and the ease of recharging.”

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