New research by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has uncovered that there are a huge number of vehicles with almost 1,000,000 miles on the clock on the roads in the UK, which suggests that many older vehicles will remain on the roads past the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Does this mean more demand for parts?
The data revealed vehicles which appear to be most hardwearing were 29 Vauxhall Astras and 21 Rover 75s, as well as Volkswagen’s Golf and Ford’s Fiesta and Focus, and the Citroen Xsara had the highest mileage, with 999,994 on the clock.
According to bodyshopmag.com, Andrew Jervis, co-founder of online repairs marketplace ClickMechanic, which obtained the data from the DVSA, said:
“We often hear about unreliable cars that spend more time in the garage than on the tarmac. But these figures show that there are some vehicles which have the capability to keep going and going, mile after mile.”
He continued: “These stats show that people are willing, and somehow able, to keep their motors running well past what would be expected. That’s not to say they haven’t had major work carried out on them. But the fact they are still registered for use despite these super high mileages is testament to owners, mechanics and even the designers and engineers who created them in the first place.
With the zero emissions deadline on the horizon in 2030, it could well be that more and more people look to hold on to their cars for longer – very much ‘running them into the ground’. The rising cost and low availability of second-hand cars are further factors bound to influence vehicle ownership trends. But that won’t be music to the ears of manufacturers and environmentalists.”
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