Motorists are now driving further in electric vehicles (EVs) each year than drivers of petrol cars, according to new data from automotive lifecycle specialist Solera cap hpi.
In January 2025, the average EV covered 8,740 miles annually, compared with 8,296 miles for petrol cars—a reversal of the position from ten years earlier, when EVs lagged behind by over 2,000 miles.
Solera cap hpi said the gap began closing steadily throughout the 2010s and flipped in April 2023, when EVs were driven an average of 358 miles more per year than petrol vehicles. The lead has since grown every month.
The shift is attributed in part to improvements in EV technology, better range, and the growth in both domestic and public charging infrastructure. The expanding variety of electric models—once limited to small hatchbacks—has also played a role.
Meanwhile, the average mileage of petrol vehicles has declined by 12% over the past decade, a trend accelerated by the pandemic and sustained by long-term structural changes including home working, better public transport, and increased online shopping.
Dylan Setterfield, head of forecast strategy at Solera cap hpi, said: “Our data reveals that people in the UK are driving increasingly fewer miles now than they were 10 years ago. It also shows that EV motorists now travel further in their cars than drivers of petrol cars and have been doing so consistently for almost two years.
“By generating average mileage data such as this for the whole of the UK, Solera cap hpi is helping motorists to get the full picture of how car use is changing in line with advancing technology, rising fuel costs, growing environmental awareness and how we have generally become less reliant on cars. The data indicates that the changes in driving habits are likely to be long-lasting, reflecting that people’s day-to-day lives now involve less driving than they used to.”
Setterfield added: “Comprehensive and reliable automotive insights stem from our strategic industry collaborations. By fostering partnerships across the automotive sector, we’ve secured access to an expansive and precise information network. This investment in relationships enables us to deliver accurate, trustworthy data, empowering motorists with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their vehicles and driving habits.”
