Older vehicles to drive beyond 2030 ban
New research has revealed that there are a staggering number of vehicles on UK roads with nearly a million miles on the clock, suggesting that many older car and vans will last long past the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
Among the models proving most durable are the 29 Vauxhall Astras and 21 Rover 75s, while Volkswagen’s Golf and Ford’s family models, the Fiesta and Focus, also feature.
However, the motor with the highest mileage is a Citroen Xsara, with 999,994 on the clock.
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.”
