Electric Car Maintenance

Electric car maintenance

The benefits of leasing an electric car are apparent as soon as you start to compare the running costs of running an EV and a car with a traditional petrol or diesel internal combustion engine (ICE).

In order to make an accurate comparison between any two cars, let alone an EV and a comparable ICE car, you have to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which includes;

• the purchase price of the car
• fuel costs or charging costs
• taxes
• insurance
• tolls such as congestion or ULEZ charges
• servicing, maintenance and repair (SMR) cotsts

It is this last factor that is often overlooked when working out how much a car is going to cost you over the course of your lease or ownership. But when it comes to considering an EV, you’ll find that not only is the cost of servicing and maintaining significantly lower than a petrol or diesel car, but it’s also easier and less time-consuming to keep your car in tip-top condition.

To help you even further we have some really useful online calculators. Try out our Journey Cost Comparison tool to calculate how much it'll cost you to run a new electric car or our Company Car Tax Calculator to help you understand the cost comparison between an electric and non-electric vehicle.

Electric car maintenance costs compared to internal combustion engines

There are three main areas that make EV maintenance simpler and cheaper than traditional cars. 

1. Fewer parts

Electric vehicles have far fewer moving parts than an ICE car – around 20 compared to over 2,000 in just the engine – have no need of oil, experience less wear and tear and have to be serviced less regularly.

2. Regenerative braking

All electric cars use some form of regenerative braking. The car uses the electric motor to slow down whilst putting some electricity back into the battery.

This type of braking increases efficiency and reduces wear and tear on the brakes. Brake disks and pads still need maintaining but this needs to be done less often, saving you money.

3. Cost efficiency

Studies suggest that you can save up to 50% of your SMR costs when going electric and servicing and maintenance can be done less often making electric cars far more cost efficient. 

For more information on electric car maintenance read our Electric car maintenance explained guide 

Servicing your electric car

Because there are fewer moving parts (to go wrong) in an EV than an ICE car, reliability should be better, too. Not only does this mean less time off the road being fixed, but an EV will also have longer service intervals (no oil changes), so you might only need a service every two years, instead of one.

It’s also a similar story when comparing EVs with hybrids, as can be seen when comparing leasing maintenance contracts: an EV is often two-thirds the monthly price of a hybrid’s contract.

Electric vehicle day-to-day maintenance

An EV still needs to be maintained by the leaser/owner, in order to keep it in the best possible shape, making it less likely you’ll have to pay extra charges at the end of the agreement.

On a weekly basis, you should check your;

• Tyres for damage, tread depth and pressure
• Windscreen wipers and washer fluid
• Brake discs, pads and fluid

EV tyres are specifically designed to suit the characteristics of the vehicle, which means they can cope with the weight of heavy batteries and the instant high power of an electric motor. They’re also quieter on the road and have lower rolling resistance making them much more efficient.

Our EV day to day running guide has even more detailed information on what it's like owning and running an electric car every day. 

Electric car repairs

One thing to consider before leasing an electric car is fewer qualified EV technicians at the moment. A recent survey found that just 6.5% of automotive technicians were trained to work on EVs, but this will increase significantly as demand for the skills to fix EVs rises in line with the greater number of electric cars on the road.

In the meantime, if you need to have your EV repaired, ensure that the technicians working on it are properly accredited.