Mileage matters when buying a used car. It affects price, resale value and sometimes finance options. But it doesn’t tell you everything about a car’s condition. In many cases, how a car has been used and maintained is just as important as the number on the dashboard.
Here’s what you actually need to know before making a decision.
Why mileage affects price
Mileage is a quick way of estimating how much a car has been used. Mileage tends to be associated with wear and tear, so the lower the mileage for a car of a given age, the more it costs. The higher the mileage, the less.
To give a real example, a three-year-old petrol Volkswagen Golf typically shows clear price differences depending on mileage. Using retail listings from our marketplace partner, Motors:
- Around 10,000 miles: roughly £19,000-£21,000
- Around 30,000 miles: roughly £17,000-£19,000
- Around 60,000 miles: roughly £14,000-£16,000
That’s several thousand pounds of difference for the same car, simply based on mileage.
Used car pricing data is largely set by Cap-HPI, a specialist valuation company that tracks daily prices from trade sales, auctions, rental and leasing firms, and specialist remarketing companies. It adjusts values for age, mileage and condition, and its data underpins most of the online valuation tools you’re likely to use.
High mileage doesn’t automatically mean a bad car
Attitudes to mileage have shifted noticeably in recent years, driven largely by improvements in how reliably modern cars hold up over time. Mileage is still one of the most significant factors in a used car’s price and condition, but it’s no longer the barrier it once was.
Modern cars are generally much more reliable and better built than older ones, especially if they are regularly serviced. A well-maintained car with 90,000 motorway miles can be a safer bet than a poorly serviced car with 40,000 short urban miles.
Mileage matters. But it is not the whole story.
What high mileage really means
When you see a higher-mileage car, you’re really thinking about three things:
- Wear and tear
- Upcoming maintenance costs
- Future resale value
Wear and tear
A five-year-old car with 25,000 miles will usually feel lightly used. The same car with 75,000 miles may show more interior wear, tired suspension and a clutch closer to replacement.
Even with a full service history, higher mileage increases the likelihood of brake and tyre replacement, suspension wear, clutch wear on manual cars, and general deterioration both inside and out.
That doesn’t mean it’s a bad car. It just means some parts may be closer to needing replacement.
Predictable maintenance points
Certain jobs commonly arise at specific mileage bands. For example:
- 40,000-60,000 miles: brakes and tyres
- 60,000-80,000 miles: clutch on manual cars, suspension parts
- 70,000-100,000 miles: timing belt and water pump, if fitted
- 100,000+ miles: higher risk of turbo, injector or diesel particulate filter issues on diesel cars
These are not guarantees. But they are realistic planning points. If a car is approaching one of these thresholds, factor the cost into your budget.
A cheap high-mileage car can become expensive quickly if several of these items need doing at once.
Depreciation and resale
Depreciation – the loss of a car’s value over time – is steepest in the first year, when a new car can lose 15%–35% of its value, and up to 60% within three years. Mileage accelerates that process at certain thresholds. Broadly speaking:
- Under 30,000 miles – strongest resale appeal
- 30,000-60,000 miles – mainstream sweet spot
- 60,000-100,000 miles – values start to soften
- Over 100,000 miles – smaller buyer pool
Once a car passes 100,000 miles, many buyers simply stop looking. That limits demand, which lowers value. If you plan to keep the car for many years, this may not matter. If you expect to sell in two or three years, it probably will.
Finance and warranty limits
Some lenders are also cautious about financing higher-mileage cars, and many used car warranties have upper mileage limits, often around 100,000 miles. Reduced demand and restricted financing both push prices down.
This can work in your favour if you’re a cash buyer – but it also means a car over 100,000 miles may be harder to sell when the time comes.
Electric cars and mileage
You might expect electric cars to have lower mileages than petrol ones – shorter ranges have historically made them less appealing for long journeys. But the data tells a different story.
According to Cap-HPI, two-to-three-year-old electric cars actually have higher average mileages than petrol cars: around 10,600 miles a year, compared to roughly 9,500 miles for petrol (down from 11,000 in 2019). The reason is partly that many electric cars have been bought by company car drivers, who benefit from significant tax advantages and tend to cover higher annual mileages. High-mileage used electric cars – including Teslas with over 100,000 miles – are not hard to find.
The mechanical simplicity of electric cars means there’s less to go wrong, but the battery is the key unknown. Over time, a battery’s ability to hold its original charge will reduce, and the rate at which that happens depends partly on how the car has been charged. Frequent use of rapid public charging generates more heat and can accelerate battery degradation. Regularly charging to 80% rather than 100%, and avoiding running the battery very low, is generally considered better for long-term battery health.
Battery condition is a growing concern in the used electric car market, and there’s currently no standard way for buyers to assess it. Some companies will test a used electric car’s battery health for a fee, but few dealers offer this as standard. As a basic check, you can charge the car to full and compare the range displayed against the manufacturer’s original figure – though temperature and driving style will affect the result.
Diesel and hybrid considerations
Used diesel cars have traditionally covered higher mileages than petrol or electric cars, and buyers generally accept that. Diesels are built for long-distance driving and tend to be robust when used that way. If you drive mainly on motorways and live outside a clean air zone, a higher-mileage diesel can still represent good value.
However, if you live in a city – particularly one with a clean air zone such as London’s ULEZ – a used diesel is likely to cost you more to run than it saves you in purchase price.
Hybrid cars warrant a specific note of caution. Older hybrids, particularly the Toyota Prius, have long been popular with taxi and private hire operators because of their reliability and fuel economy. That means some low-mileage examples on the used market may have had a harder working life than the clock suggests. If a used Prius or similar hybrid appears unusually low-mileage for its age, it’s worth looking more carefully at the service history.
How to check mileage is genuine
Because mileage affects value, some sellers attempt to alter it. Odometer tampering still happens.
Before buying:
- Check the MOT history at gov.uk using the registration number. This shows mileage recorded at each test. Sudden drops or inconsistencies are red flags.
- Get a vehicle history check – we recommend The Car Expert’s own free history check, which covers a number of key factors. Or, for just £6.95, you can get a more comprehensive check that flags mileage discrepancies, accident damage or outstanding finance.
- Check service records carefully. Digital service histories should be available as a printout. If it’s not offered, ask for it.
Do not rely solely on the number displayed on the dashboard.
So how important is mileage?
Mileage is important because it directly affects price, signals likely wear and upcoming costs, and influences your resale value and finance options. But it is not a verdict on a car’s quality.
A high-mileage car with full service history, mainly motorway use and evidence of careful ownership can be excellent value. A low-mileage car with patchy maintenance can be a financial risk.
The practical takeaway
When viewing a used car:
- Use mileage to judge price fairness
- Check service history in detail
- Anticipate upcoming maintenance costs
- Verify mileage through official records
- Think about your resale plans
Don’t dismiss a car purely because the mileage looks high. But don’t ignore what that mileage implies for future costs either.
Mileage is a tool. Use it wisely, alongside evidence.
Read more:
- The best sites for checking a used car before you buy
- Buying a used electric car – what can go wrong?
- I’m not ready for an EV, so should I buy a hybrid?
This article was originally published in April 2023, and was updated in February 2026. Additional reporting by Sean Rees.
