Used car expert reveals one mistake buyers make when looking for secondhand cars

Used car owners could be caught out by this advice (Image: Getty)

A top second hand car expert has warned potential buyers may be making a major mistake when looking for a good deal on a used car. 

High mileage motors are usually snubbed by potential owners over concerns about the lifespan of a vehicle. 

Petrol and diesel models with a lot of mileage on the odometer are thought to be more likely to experience mechanical issues. 

Motorists tend to ignore models after 100,000 miles on the clock due to fears parts may need to be replaced. 

However, AutoExpress specialist Alastair Crooks admitted the rule may not be accurate for all models. 

Electric cars may last longer than petrol and diesel (Image: Getty)

He stressed that electric cars tend to “complicate matters further” as vehicles have less moving parts. 

It means these cars will have different life expectancies than combustion vehicles which many prospective owners may not be aware of.

Alastair said: “Firstly, let’s tackle the ‘100,000-mile myth’. You have probably heard this landmark cited as the moment when cars begin running into reliability issues, or severe depreciation takes hold.

“However, unless it constitutes the end of a warranty – 100,000 miles is a typical period for EV batteries to be covered, for example – or the car in question requires a new timing chain or cambelt at this point, then it’s a largely irrelevant milestone in the lifespan of any vehicle.”

Meanwhile, experts at AutoTrader have suggested that some EV batteries could easily last up to 200,000 miles.

It means the average lifespan of electric models is somewhere between “7.7 years (100,000 miles) and 15 years (200,000 miles)”.

However, most car makers will be prepared to replace car batteries if owners are struggling to maintain a full amount of charge.

Specialists at WhatCar? have also explained that EV batteries are generally “lasting much longer” than specialists had previously predicted. 

They explained: “Although electric car batteries are only covered by manufacturer warranties for around eight years, we haven’t heard of many cars that have needed them replaced. 

“In fact, it seems that electric car battery packs are lasting much longer than we had all expected; we’ve heard about cars that have covered more than 160,000 miles and their batteries are still operating at 80 percent of their original capacity.”