Quarter of cars have over 100k miles on the clock

BRITAIN’S drivers are taking a “mend and make-do approach” to car ownership with a fifth of vehicles having more than 100,000 miles on the clock, according to new analysis.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency figures show 9.1 million vehicles on Britain’s roads have reached six figures on their odometers.

That represents 23% of the 40.3 million vehicles registered.

Co-op Insurance, which obtained the data, also said the average age of cars it insures has risen over the past four years.

Some 10% of all policies in 2018 were for cars up to two years old, but the figure was just 4% during the first three months of this year.

At the other end of the scale, the proportion of insured cars between six and 10 years old has increased from seven out of 10 to eight out of 10 over the same period.

Co-op Insurance said recent surges in the cost of living and fuel mean it is “of little surprise” that more motorists are opting to keep their existing car on the road rather than splash out on a new model.

The firm’s head of motor insurance, Paul Evans, commented: “It looks like Brits are taking a mend and make-do approach to car ownership as the cost of living and running a car continues to rocket.

“Whilst we know that parts, availability issues and the pandemic, amongst other factors, have hit the new car market badly.”