What is a normal mileage for a ten-year-old car? Eight popular 2015 models at their 2025 MOT

The short answer

Half of all ten-year-old cars tested between 2021 and 2025 showed between 54,700 and 100,400 miles, and the middle reading was 75,800 (10,784,057 tests with a reading). That works out at about 7,600 miles a year. A ten-year-old car under 54,700 miles is in the lowest quarter nationally; one over 100,400 is in the highest. Between those two lines is simply normal.

Models differ, and the table below shows how much. The three small hatchbacks first used in 2015 came to their 2025 test with typical readings between 63,900 and 65,300; the family hatchbacks and the crossover between 76,400 and 79,200; the one executive saloon in the list at 93,100. Before you decide a reading is high or low, find the model and compare it with its own row, then read the car's own MOT history to see whether the mileage climbed evenly.

What the data shows

Each row is cars of that model first used in 2015 and tested in 2025, at ten years old. Lower quarter means a quarter of readings were below it, upper quarter means a quarter were above it, and typical is the median. The national row pools ten-year-old cars from every test year, 2021 to 2025. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred miles.

The pattern is size and purpose rather than badge. The three small hatchbacks sit together, between 63,900 and 65,300 at the middle, well under the national median. The three family hatchbacks and the crossover sit together too, a touch above it. The 3 Series stands apart: its lower quarter is above the national median, which is what a car bought for long journeys looks like after ten years. None of that says anything about condition; it says what these fleets were used for.

Why the model row matters more than the national one

A 2015 Fiesta showing 83,400 miles is at the edge of its model's top quarter; a 2015 3 Series would have to show 72,200 or fewer to be in its bottom quarter. Judged against the national figure alone, both readings look ordinary, and that is the mistake a one-size rule of thumb makes. The right question is not whether a reading is high for a ten-year-old car but whether it is high for a ten-year-old car of this kind, and the table is the first answer. The second answer is in the car's own history: the MOT record carries a reading at every test since 2005, so a car that covered roughly the same distance every year looks different on paper from one that did most of its miles in its first few years and almost nothing since, even if both show the same total today.

What to do with the number

1. Place it in the row. Find the model in the table. Below the lower quarter is low for the type; above the upper quarter is high for the type. In between, the mileage is not the thing to negotiate on.
2. Open the record. Enter the registration on GOV.UK and read the mileage line at every test. It should rise at every test. A fall, or a jump that does not fit the pattern, needs an explanation before anything else is discussed.
3. Match it to the story. A low reading with a gap in the test history may be a car that spent time off the road. A high reading with an even climb is usually a car that did a long commute. Neither is a problem on its own; a reading that does not match the seller's account is.
4. Ask what the miles were. Motorway miles and town miles wear a car differently. The record cannot tell you which, so ask, and look at the wear on the pedals, seat and steering wheel against the number.

What this does not mean

These are odometer readings as recorded by testers, pooled across tens of thousands of cars per model. They describe how each fleet was used; they do not say that a high reading is bad or a low one good, and they say nothing about the condition of any individual car. A ten-year-old car above its model's upper quarter with a full record and even wear may be a better buy than one below the lower quarter that sat unused for years. The dataset has no service history, no fuel type on these rows and no record of who drove the car or where. Use the table to place a number, and the car itself to judge it.

Sources and method

Model rows are the odometer reading recorded at class 4 first tests in 2025 on cars of that model first used in 2015, as lower quartile, median and upper quartile, rounded to the nearest 100 miles. Readings behind each row: Ford Fiesta 122,949; Ford Focus 73,906; Vauxhall Corsa 86,543; Volkswagen Golf 66,979; Nissan Qashqai 55,535; Vauxhall Astra 45,788; Volkswagen Polo 51,269; BMW 3 Series 31,198. The national row is every class 4 first test on a car aged ten (test year minus first-used year) in test years 2021 to 2025, 10,784,057 tests with a reading; implausible readings are excluded by the recipe. The eight models are among the most-tested in the dataset; they were chosen for size of base, not for any other reason.

• DVSA anonymised MOT results, class 4 first tests, 2021-2025
• GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle

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.