Discover electric car maintaining costs, including servicing, battery care, insurance, and tips to keep your EV affordable and efficient.
Introduction
Electric vehicles are revolutionising the automotive market with zero emissions, quiet operation and science fiction features. However aside from performance and eco friendliness one of the driving factors that is getting more people to buy is lower maintenance costs compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. This article investigates the true costs of electric car ownership compared to gas powered vehicles and unveils the hidden savings and surprises EV owners could face.
Less Components Less Repairs
Electric vehicles are fundamentally simpler than gasoline powered cars. A traditional engine has hundreds of moving parts from pistons to valves to crankshafts to camshafts to spark plugs to fuel injectors to timing belts to exhaust systems all of which need to be periodically serviced or replaced. In comparison an EV powertrain consists of less than two dozen moving parts the vast majority of which belong to the motor, battery and inverter.
As a result EVs skip most service tasks including those below:
- Oil changes
- Timing belt replacements
- Spark plug replacements
- Exhaust system repairs
EV owners spend approximately 50% less on maintenance and repairs over the lifetime of an EV versus ICE owners on average according to a 2021 Consumer Reports study.
Battery Maintenance: The Biggest Long Term Cost
EVs are more maintenance friendly but the battery health is a prime concern. The majority of EV batteries are designed to last between 8–10 years or 100,000 to 150,000 miles. But replacement costs can be high between 5,000 and 20,000 depending on make and model.
That said battery warranties usually only cover defects or major degradation that occur during the warranty period. Battery life is extended through technologies such as thermal battery management and regenerative braking.
Brake System Longevity
Because EVs use regenerative braking where an electric motor slows the car. While simultaneously recharging the battery this leads to less wear on brake pads and rotors. This minimizes the need to replace brakes. For example several EV owners have reported brake pads lasting 100,000 miles or more versus 30,000–70,000 miles for gas vehicles. This can save 300–600 per brake service cycle.
Software Updates And Diagnostics
And EVs are far more digitally focused with many getting OTA software updates like a smartphone. Updates can improve performance, fix bugs and even add new features all without a visit to the service center.
There will be times when EV owners will require specialized diagnostics. While not particularly costly on their own these are often done exclusively at dealerships or certified EV service centers. Those centers can charge around 100–200 each time.
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Tire Maintenance Is Still Key
And EVs are normally heavier than the gas versions because of the battery pack. All that extra heft increases tire wear especially if the vehicle has high torque. So rotating tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles and outfitting a vehicle with nicer longer lasting tires may be required.
And because electric vehicles tend to use performance tires thanks to their torque and performance capabilities. They can be somewhat pricier to replace costing 150 to 300 each.
Cabin Air Filters And Cooling Systems
As with all cars EVs need cabin air filter replacements generally every 12,000–15,000 miles and costing 50–100. Regarding servicing many EVs feature a cooling system for their battery and electronics that requires periodic fluid checks or replacements roughly every 100,000 miles or 5–7 years but at reasonable prices.
You Can Have Higher Insurance Premiums
Though not a maintenance cost insurance costs for EVs are typically higher due to the high repair and replacement costs for EV specific components including battery packs, sensors and lightweight aluminum body panels. EV insurance can cost 10–20% more on average than a similar gas vehicle
Final Thoughts
While EVs do have some unique maintenance needs especially when it comes to battery and tire care they provide dramatically lower long term costs than gas powered vehicles. With fewer moving parts, fewer fluids and regenerative braking EVs are not just cleaner and quieter they are also cheaper to maintain. As EV technology progresses and service networks expand those costs are likely to drop further solidifying electric cars as the wise. These are also sustainable and cost effective choice for today drivers.