(Wed 30 Apr 08)

The average mileage covered each year by a car in the UK is conventionally assumed to be 12,000 miles, but after considerable research into the matter Warranty Direct has come up with specific figures for individual models.

At the top of the list is the last-generation Ford Mondeo, which - according to statistics generated from a total of 50,000 cars over the past decade - clocks up an average of 15,483 miles per year. Next up is the 2001-on Saab 9-5 on 14,774 miles, and that's followed by the 2000-2007 Renault Laguna (14,571 miles) and the 1997-2005 Volkswagen Passat (14,169 miles).

Sports and city cars inevitably dominate the other end of the table. The least-used car in the UK is the 1998-2003 Daewoo Matiz (6968 miles), followed by the 1998-2002 Nissan Micra (7384 miles) and the 1996-2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK (7425 miles).

This information puts the concept of a low-mileage car into a new perspective. "For example," says Warranty Direct spokesman Duncan McClue Fisher, "you may find a four-year-old Nissan Micra with 30,000 miles on the clock and think it's a low-mileage machine but in reality it's just the average. With a bit of shopping around you could probably find even better."

Previous: Subaru Forester Accessories                 Next: Peugeot Young Driver Competition