Maintenance of your electric vehicle (2024)

FAQs

Maintenance of your electric vehicle? ›

Every 7,500 miles:

Check battery coolant level, power inverter, cabin heater, and charger every 7,000 miles. Flush corrosive materials like road salt every six months. Check your car fluids and replace the brake fluid every five years.

There's often nothing to see under an EV's hood, but other parts of the vehicle will still need your TLC. With fewer moving parts, reduced fluids and much more conservative thermal demands, electric vehicles quite often require less maintenance and less frequent service than their combustion powered counterparts.

Electric cars (EVs) typically require less maintenance than vehicles with internal combustion engines. The electric motors that propel EVs have fewer moving parts than gas engines.

As a ballpark figure only, you can expect to pay $4,600 less in repair and maintenance costs over the lifetime of an EV compared to petrol, or $949 less a year. According to the Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, scheduled maintenance costs for an EV work out at just $0.06 cents per mile.

Yes, just like any vehicle, your electric car still needs servicing.

Plan on a service life of between eight and 12 years if your EV is regularly used in more extreme conditions. As of 2023, the average age of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. is currently 12 and a half years old. Your EV's battery health might never even come under consideration.

How much does an EV battery cost to replace? EV battery replacements range from $6,500 to $20,000 based on the pack, size and manufacturer. If a battery is within its manufacturer warranty, typically 8 years and 100,000 miles, then you should get a replacement battery at no extra cost.

Electric cars have proven to be reliable and durable vehicles, contrary to the misconception that they are more prone to breakdowns. The design of electric cars, with fewer moving parts and no internal combustion engine, contributes to their overall reliability.

Do electric cars wear out tires faster? ›

Although tire wear happens the most when cars are going faster, breaking or making sharp turns, Canary Media says all tires shred tiny particles every time they rotate. According to companies such as Michelin, tires on electric vehicles wear out up to 20% faster than on internal combustion vehicles.

How Long Do Tires Last on an Electric Car? The lifespan of an electric car tire can vary depending on factors like driving habits, road conditions, tire quality, and maintenance. On average, electric car tires are typically expected to last around 20,000 to 40,000 miles before requiring a replacement.

With regular use, the average lifespan of a gas vehicle is 150,000 miles or eight years, and EVs can last up to 200,000 miles, or about 12 years.

Maintenance Comparison

All-electric vehicles typically require less maintenance than conventional vehicles because: The battery, motor, and associated electronics require little to no regular maintenance. There are fewer fluids, such as engine oil, that require regular maintenance.

Maintenance costs for electric vs. gas cars

Electric cars do still require some basic maintenance, of course, like service checks and tire rotations. But in general, electric vehicles typically cost half as much to maintain and repair as gas-powered cars.

There are typically three types of services for electric cars: interim, full, and major service. An interim service usually includes an oil and filter change, a check of the brakes, and a general safety check.

Electric cars use completely different drivetrains, so you will never have to worry about routine oil changes that are necessary for traditional cars. Though your electric car does not need oil, it requires a routine check on these 3 fluids in EVs; coolant, brake fluid, and windshield washing fluid.

Preventative Maintenance

Use a brush or a moderate level of compressed air to clean the outside of the motor regularly, including the cooling fins. Check contacts, brushes, relays and any other electrical connections to ensure they are not being interfered with by dirt and other contaminants and are free of corrosion.

Unlike gasoline cars, Tesla vehicles require no traditional oil changes, fuel system maintenance, spark plug replacements or emission checks. Even brake pad replacements are rare because regenerative braking returns energy to the battery, significantly reducing wear on the brakes.