The Ford Mondeo has been revealed as the most-used car in the UK, according to research by Warranty Direct.

On average, ‘Mondeo Man’ clocks up 15,483 miles each year.

Warranty Direct compiled statistics on 50,000 cars over the last 10 years to provide much more accurate details than the benchmark 12,000-mile annual average traditionally used when buying a used car.

Naturally smaller cars spend less time on the road, with the Daewoo Matiz taking the title of Britain’s lowest-mileage car – its owners drive it for just 6,968 miles per year on average.

Sporty models such as the Mercedes SLK and BMW Z3 also spend more time on the driveway than the highway, with average mileage of just 7,425 and 7,518 miles respectively.

“This kind of information could prove invaluable when buying a used car,” said Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher.

“For example, 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.”