Owning an electric vehicle can be great. While there’s no traditional combustion engine, there are still maintenance costs. Here are some things to know about the cost of maintaining an EV (electric vehicle).
Pricey Visits
Studies have shown that gas vehicles need maintenance more often than EVs. However, when the time comes that your EV does need repairs, it’s almost always more expensive than the average gas car repair. This is due to EV’s relatively new technology, and the fact that there just aren’t as many mechanics available to fix them.
Tire Costs
EV tires wear down much faster than gas vehicle tires. The main reason is that EVs are heavier due to the weight of the giant battery. Make sure you are constantly monitoring your EV tires. One way to make them last longer is to rotate them regularly. And trust us, you’ll want them to last. EV tires are, on average, about $100 more than tires for gas vehicles.
The Battery
The battery on an EV is by far the most expensive item to have repaired. Thankfully, EV batteries typically last a long time and rarely need to be replaced.
However, if you need a new battery, you’re looking at anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000. To prevent that from happening, you’ll need to optimize the battery life by doing the following:
- Avoid fast chargers unless you have to use one.
- Only charge the battery to 100 percent before a long trip.
- For everyday use, you want your charge to stay between 50 and 80 percent.
Do One Thing: Regularly rotate your EV tires so that they last as long as possible.