Electric car servicing explained: What do EVs cost to maintain?

You've heard that electric vehicles have fewer parts than a conventional car, and so they should cost a lot less to service and maintain, right? This is your guide to just what that means.

Electric vehicles (EVs) pack significantly fewer moving parts than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. As our cars move further towards a 'computer on wheels' future, which parts of our cars will still need physical servicing?

Quick points

• 😎 THE GOOD: It's true that EV owners don't need to contend with the oil changes, spark plugs, timing belts, complicated transmission internals and exhaust systems associated with ICE vehicles (and hybrids), but...
• 😓 THE NOT-SO-GOOD: There are no miracles here. Battery-electric cars do still require regular maintenance, because they still share many 'consumables' with their ICE counterparts, with the addition of more advanced battery and electronic systems.

So what's required with servicing an electric car, how often do you need to service it, and is it cheaper than maintaining an ICE or hybrid vehicle?

Let's go.

JUMP AHEAD

• What does EV servicing include?
• Is EV servicing cheaper?
  • 👊 EV v PETROL COMPARED:
  • MG ZS EV vs MG ZST
  • BYD Atto 3 vs Toyota Corolla Cross
  • Tesla Model 3 vs BMW 320i
  • Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Hyundai Tucson
  • Mercedes-Benz EQB vs Mercedes GLB 200
• The current state of EV servicing

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What does EV servicing include?

Like petrol and diesel vehicles, electric cars require routine maintenance on a number of technological and consumable parts.

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😫 Tyres can wear out faster on EVs

It’s worth noting that because their big battery packs make EVs significantly heavier than their ICE counterparts – and because in some cases, their motors are programmed to deliver rapid acceleration – the tyres on your EV may wear out faster.

However, specifically-developed EV tyres can reduce that stress by using a more durable material construction and a different tread pattern, while improving grip and efficiency.

😎 Brake wear, however, may be reduced

On the other hand, because electric cars use the motor as a generator to both slow down the vehicle and recover braking energy back into the battery (regenerative braking), brake pad wear is typically reduced.

How? Because the motor is helping to slow the car before you've even touched the brake pedal, you'll ultimately rely less on the brakes themselves. And, in some models, you can use the strongest 'regen mode' to drive with one pedal only. Find out more at the link below.

Other aspects of EVs that need attention at servicing visits

While the above list focuses mostly on interior tech and consumables, your EV's critical motor and drive systems, and safety tech, also need attention from time to time.

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💸 Is EV servicing cheaper?

If electric cars have fewer parts to maintain, does that mean checkups are less frequent and cheaper than ICE vehicles? Theoretically, it should – but it depends on the car manufacturer.

• Some brands like MG, Hyundai (Ioniq 5 only) and Polestar employ longer servicing intervals at every 24 months with greater distance-travelled
• Others like Kia, Mazda and Porsche stick to the same 12-month and distance-travelled requirements as ICE models.
• Meanwhile, Tesla and BMW use a condition-based servicing program that alerts the driver when specific routine maintenance tasks are needed.
  In this case, the vehicle’s various sensors can detect if and when a service checkup may be needed. If one of these vehicles is regularly driven hard or in dusty/rough conditions, it will request servicing more often than if it leads an easier life.

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JUMP TO...

• What does EV servicing include?
• Is EV servicing cheaper?
  • 👊 EV v PETROL COMPARED:
  • MG ZS EV vs MG ZST
  • BYD Atto 3 vs Toyota Corolla Cross
  • Tesla Model 3 vs BMW 320i
  • Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Hyundai Tucson
  • Mercedes-Benz EQB vs Mercedes GLB 200
• The current state of EV servicing

📝 Capped-price servicing for EVs

Capped-price servicing costs are often a little cheaper for electric cars, but some EV models are on par with their ICE equivalent. Some brands, including Genesis, Audi and Porsche, offer free servicing and charging for a limited period to sweeten the EV transition.

LET'S COMPARE EV and ICE costs

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MG ZS EV vs MG ZST

Initial costs are similar, but the ZS EV has longer intervals and, in the end, will cost a third of what you'd pay to service a petrol-powered ZST.

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BYD Atto 3 vs Toyota Corolla Cross

Toyota's servicing program continues to be something of a benchmark for the industry, while BYD's local servicing program has already been the subject of some controversy. It'll be interesting to see servicing costs for the upcoming Toyota BZ4x EV.

BYD Atto 3

Toyota Corolla Cross

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Tesla Model 3 vs BMW 320i petrol

As noted at the top of this section, Tesla and BMW use a condition-based servicing program that alerts the driver when specific routine maintenance tasks are needed.

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Comparisons

Best Electric Cars Under $65k: Affordable EVs Rated

Welcome to part one of three price-based EV buying guides, this one focused on the most affordable electric cars available in Australia today

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Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Hyundai Tucson

As with the MG models above, the Ioniq 5 benefits from longer intervals when compared to Hyundai's Tucson medium SUV – but that $1090 hit at 60,000km quickly undoes any overall cost advantage.

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Mercedes-Benz EQB vs Mercedes-Benz GLB 200

Despite the high individual cost of these long 25,000km interval servicing appointments, the electric EQB 250 shows a clear advantage of its platform-sharing, petrol-powered companion, the GLB 200.

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The current state of EV servicing

Clearly, electric cars still need servicing, although generally it's not as frequent or expensive as ICE vehicles. In some cases, servicing intervals are identical and EV servicing savings are negligible.

The experience should look better over the long term, however. A growing number of independent mechanics are being upskilled to work on EVs, with dedicated certificate and apprenticeship courses already on offer – which will give owners more options and improve competition in the cost of servicing.

And since EVs host fewer moving parts – with around 20 versus more than 2000 in ICE cars – they should theoretically be more reliable in the long run.

A key remaining concern is battery longevity.

Active liquid cooling on modern EVs aims to keep battery packs at their optimum temperature to avoid excessive degradation. But like internal combustion engines, all cars degrade over time and become less efficient.

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Most car brands cover their EVs with a dedicated eight-year/160,000km battery warranty – with many promising they will retain at least 70 per cent of their original capacity during that period.

If the pack degrades further than that during the warranty period, its manufacturer will replace it for free.

According to Infinitev, the average fail point for high-voltage vehicle batteries is between six and eight years.

Outside the warranty period, the most-degraded individual modules within a battery pack can often be swapped out by companies like Infinitev, which is cheaper than replacing an entire pack (or rebuilding a failed internal combustion engine).

In the rare case that a complete replacement is needed, gradually decreasing battery costs over time and the emergence of remanufactured batteries mean these repairs will start to become less expensive.

Because battery cells deemed unsuitable for EV use can often go on to have a useful second life in stationary energy storage, beyond which their materials can be recycled into new products, an ecosystem is developing that should help make EV battery repairs more affordable into the future.

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