How many miles is too many for a used car?

There is no single cut-off. The average UK car covers roughly 7,000 to 8,000 miles a year, so a five-year-old car with around 35,000 to 40,000 miles is about par. What matters far more than the number is how those miles were accumulated and whether the car was looked after.

A motorway car with 90,000 gentle miles and a full service history is very often a better buy than a 40,000-mile car that has spent its life on short urban trips. Short journeys are harder on an engine: it rarely reaches full operating temperature, which is tough on oil, exhaust systems and, on diesels, the particulate filter.

What we would actually check, in order:

• Service history — regular servicing at sensible intervals matters more than mileage alone.
• Consistency — mileage that jumps around between MOTs is worth asking about.
• Cambelt and major service items — many are due by mileage or age, whichever comes first, and they are expensive if overlooked.
• MOT advisories — free to view on the government's MOT history service, and they show how a car has been treated over time.

As a rough guide for a car you intend to keep several years, we would generally be comfortable up to around 100,000 miles on a well-maintained example, and would look much harder at anything under 60,000 miles that lacks a service record. Higher mileage also lowers the purchase price, which can make a better-specified car affordable.

Every car we sell is history checked and inspected before sale, and we show the MOT record and last recorded mileage on each vehicle page so you can judge for yourself.