Maintenance Differences
Discover how electric vehicles simplify car ownership with fewer maintenance needs, saving you time, money, and hassle compared to traditional gas-powered cars.
Save money
Fuel savings are an obvious benefit to driving electric. But did you know electric vehicles (EVs) provide substantial maintenance savings, too? Fewer moving parts means fewer opportunities for parts to fail, and you know what that means: less of your hard-earned paycheck spent at the repair shop. In fact, a Consumer Reports study found that lifetime maintenance costs for EVs is about half as much as those of gas-powered cars. The only regular maintenance you'll need to do is occasionally rotate the tires and fill up your windshield washer fluid. Seriously, that's it.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) have internal combustion engines but still require less maintenance than typical gasoline cars since the engines are used less often. High-mileage drivers and fleets may save even more. Take New York City, for example. The Big Apple realized an 80% reduction in maintenance costs when it made the switch to all-electric fleet vehicles.
Save time
In addition to the financial perks, EVs can save you time, too. Gas-powered vehicles require about 25 more maintenance events in their lifetime than their electric counterparts, resulting in fewer inconvenient trips to the service station and less downtime.
Brakes
Most EVs use regenerative braking, which means the car slows itself down and recharges the battery when you take your foot off the gas. That technology is excellent for extending your car's range and helps reduce wear and tear on the mechanical brakes. One side effect is some EV brakes develop rust due to lack of use.
Maintenance tip:
We recommend occasionally forcing the use of the mechanical brakes to keep them from corroding. Check your owner’s manual or talk with a dealer service representative to learn more.
Battery health
When modern EVs started hitting the market in the early 2010s, battery longevity was a big concern. Drivers expected to either replace their battery (at a steep cost) or even the whole car. But with more EVs coming on the market, and the technology continually improving, battery longevity is becoming less of a concern. According to Recurrent, a company that analyzes EV battery data, for EVs built in 2016 or later, there is a less than 1 percent chance that the battery will need to be replaced over the lifetime of the car. Let that sink in: Less than 1 percent. When the car eventually reaches the end of its life, the battery can be recycled.
Drivers can extend battery life by following the manufacturer’s charging recommendations. Many EV manufacturers recommend routinely charging to keep the battery between 20% and 80% for daily use. Some lithium-ion phosphate batteries perform best when charged to 100% on a regular basis, so consult your owner’s manual for details.
Maintenance tip:
DC fast charging (“supercharging”) more than a couple times a week can reduce your battery life. Try to do the majority of your charging at Level 1 or Level 2.