Tesla owners drive more miles on average than any others

Tesla owners cover higher annual mileages than drivers of any other make of car, new figures have revealed.

The average Tesla driver covers an average of 12,459 miles per year for the first three years of ownership, compared with Mercedes and Volvo drivers who cover 12,100 and 11,578 miles respectively.

It comes from analysis of MOT data for 516,936 vehicles carried out by the RAC Foundation prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. It found that the average British driver travels 10,377 miles in the first three years of new car ownership.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “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.

“The next big question is what will happen when the Covid-19 lockdown ends? Some say our travel behaviour might change quite dramatically as we’ve mastered on-line meetings in place of the office routine, but any ongoing desire for social-distancing might yet draw us back to our own cars for the trips we make once the travel restrictions are lifted.”

While mainstream manufacturers took up the top spaces, it was sports car makers which found themselves at the bottom. Caterham owners cover just 1,544 miles per year on average, while Morgan drivers typically see themselves travelling 2,441 miles per year.

When it comes to fuel types, diesel-powered cars undertake 12,496 miles of journeys per year on average, compared with the 7,490 average miles covered by petrol cars in a year. Fully electric cars cover the middle ground, with an average of 9,435 miles in the first three years from new.