How Much Do Electric Vehicles Actually Cost To Maintain? – SlashGear

Although electric vehicles are cheaper to fuel and maintain, they’re more expensive than internal combustion vehicles (ICE) to repair. To put it into perspective, if you own a Tesla, the repair cost will be 27% more than the average car. But it’s not just Tesla models, as most electric vehicles are more expensive to repair — if you drive a luxury electric vehicle SUV, it could be 53% more costly to repair (via Forbes). That’s why it will cost you more to insure an electric vehicle than a gasoline vehicle.

The battery is the most expensive component to replace since it’s usually 30% to 40% of your electric car’s value. A battery replacement on a Tesla Model S can cost up to $22,600 — give or take a few hundred dollars. Even if you buy the cheapest electric car, the Nissan Leaf, it could cost you up to $9,500 to replace the battery — according to Recurrent Auto.

On the other hand, the repair cost of electric vehicles with body damage could cost thousands of dollars — sometimes up to $20,000 after a minor accident. However, the repair cost of your electric vehicle shouldn’t be a concern if you’re covered by insurance. Also, the battery packs of the new electric vehicles are built to last between 300k to 500k miles before a replacement is necessary. Not to mention, most EV manufacturers in the U.S. have a battery warranty of up to 100,000 miles.