The short answer
A used car's mileage only means something next to its age, and the MOT record gives you both. At the 2025 MOT, a ten-year-old Ford Focus (first used 2015) typically showed about 77,500 miles. The figure was 65,300 for a Vauxhall Corsa, 79,200 for a Volkswagen Golf and 78,300 for a Nissan Qashqai. Half of each group sat between about 58,400 and 98,700 in the case of the Focus.
So a 2015 Focus at 80,000 miles is ordinary. One at 40,000 is low but not rare; one at 130,000 is high but not rare either. The question is not whether the number is good or bad. It is whether it fits the car's own history, which you can read free on GOV.UK, because the service records the mileage at every test.
Typical mileage at the 2025 MOT, by age and model
Median odometer reading at the 2025 test for each model and first-used year, rounded to the nearest hundred. Half the cars were above the figure and half below.
| Age at 2025 test | Ford Focus | Vauxhall Corsa | Volkswagen Golf | Nissan Qashqai |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years (first used 2022) | 23,000 | 20,200 | 26,000 | 22,900 |
| 5 years (first used 2020) | 38,600 | 33,600 | 37,900 | 35,400 |
| 7 years (first used 2018) | 50,900 | 43,300 | 55,100 | 53,800 |
| 10 years (first used 2015) | 77,500 | 65,300 | 79,200 | 78,300 |
| 13 years (first used 2012) | 97,200 | 79,800 | 103,800 | 101,100 |
| 15 years (first used 2010) | 103,400 | 84,800 | 117,300 | 115,700 |
| 18 years (first used 2007) | 105,100 | 90,200 | 123,600 | 121,600 |
The four models sit close together at every age, so the table is a fair rough guide for similar cars; the Corsa runs lowest. The medians stop climbing steeply after about fifteen years: a 2010 Corsa at 84,800 and a 2007 Corsa at 90,200 are closer than their three-year gap suggests, which is what you would expect once the highest-mileage cars have left the road.
How to tell whether a mileage fits
- Open the car's MOT history on the GOV.UK MOT history service. It is free and shows the mileage recorded at every test. Northern Ireland results cover tests since 2017 only.
- Compare the latest reading with the table. Near the figure is unremarkable. Well above means a hard-working car, which is not a fault in itself; well below is not automatically good news.
- Look for a steady climb. A reading lower than the year before, a flat year then a jump, or a step nobody can explain all need an answer before you pay.
- Cross-check the paper. Odometer, latest MOT certificate, service stamps and old invoices should tell one story.
- Match the plate and chassis number to the V5C and the MOT record. A history that fits one car perfectly is worth nothing if it belongs to a different car.
- If it does not reconcile and the seller cannot explain, walk away. A mileage that does not fit is a question, not proof. If you believe you were sold a car with a false mileage, report it to Action Fraud.
Our pages for the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf and Nissan Qashqai give the same figures for every first-used year, with pass rates and common fails, if the car you are viewing is older or younger than the rows above.
What this does not mean
These are medians across tens of thousands of tests per row; they describe populations, not the car in front of you. A 2015 Corsa at 100,000 miles is not faulty by definition and a 2015 Golf at 30,000 is not sound by definition. Mileage is one signal; the record of fails and advisories is usually the more useful one. The data holds the reading the tester typed in and cannot know whether it was true, so a smooth history is reassuring, not conclusive. Nothing here is a judgement on the four models; they were chosen because they are common.
Frequently asked questions
At the 2025 MOT the typical figure for cars first used in 2015 was about 77,500 miles for a Ford Focus, 65,300 for a Vauxhall Corsa, 79,200 for a Volkswagen Golf and 78,300 for a Nissan Qashqai. Above about 98,700 is high for a Focus of that age; it is not a fault in itself.
Not on its own. Little-used cars sit for long periods and suffer for it, and a low reading that does not fit the car's own history is a warning sign, not a selling point. Read the fails and advisories alongside the mileage.
Use the GOV.UK MOT history service with the registration. It shows the mileage recorded at every MOT since the first test, with passes, fails and minor items for tests in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland results cover tests since 2017.
Ask the seller to explain and treat the car as unverified until they do. A typing error at one test is possible and usually obvious from the readings either side. A sustained drop, or a flat period then a jump, is harder to explain. If you believe a mileage was falsified, report it to Action Fraud.
Sources and method
Figures are the median odometer reading recorded at class 4 first tests in test year 2025, for each model and first-used year, over tests with a reading (between 7,556 and 86,543 tests per cell), rounded to the nearest 100 miles; the Focus 2015 quartiles are 58,400 and 98,700. Models are grouped so that all trims count as one model.
- DVSA anonymised MOT results, class 4 first tests, 2021-2025 (data.gov.uk)
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle
- Action Fraud: report fraud and cyber crime
About these figures. Figures are computed by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (class 4, first tests only, test years 2021-2025), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pass rate = passes divided by first tests, with pass-after-rectification counted as a fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Test class 4 only, first tests only; retests are excluded. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. Alias spellings of a make are counted under one make name and all trims of a model under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables.
This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.
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