Electric Vehicles: Fewer Breakdowns, Faster Fixes. It’s That Simple

Over the years, the transition to electric mobility has been hampered by myths that have anchored negative perceptions in the collective conscious: as well as their limited range, EVs are prone to breaking down, leaving you stranded and requiring expensive repairs that can take months. Nothing could be further from the truth. Now, empirical data is systematically and forcefully dismantling that traditional narrative.

Recent figures from the UK’s Automobile Association and Autotrader show that when they do breakdown, EVs are much more likely to be repaired in situ than petrol or diesel vehicles. The survey of more than two thousand drivers reveals that, contrary to the fears of many consumers, especially among the over-75s, not only EVs less likely to break down, roadside assistance manages to solve the problem on many more occasions than with internal combustion engines. The most common problem for traditional cars, the 12V battery, turns out to be much more common than EV “battery failure”.

My experience backs this up: the few breakdowns that my electric vehicle has had have resulted in a quick visit from a mobile workshop to my garage at home that solved the problem in less than half an hour. Organizations such as ADAC, Europe’s largest automobile club, have documented that EVs suffer far fewer breakdowns than petrol or diesel cars in their first years of life, and that this trend persists as EV technology improves. The reasons are simple: an electric motor has far fewer moving components than an internal combustion engine, does not require oil, and is subjected to fewer thermal stresses.

The findings are in line with studies that point to EVs enjoying a lifespan comparable to, or longer than, diesel or petrol cars, based on analyses of millions of technical records from periodic inspections. This longevity not only refutes the myth that EVs are not as robust as traditional cars, but also suggests that EVs’ environmental benefits are the result of their long-term durability and efficiency.

Nevertheless, public perception continues to lag. Surveys show significant levels of concern among consumers about being stranded or facing supposedly complex repairs (“wait until you have to change the batteries”). These concerns have little or no basis in fact: for example, incidences of EVs running out of charge and needing assistance has fallen dramatically over the past decade, representing only a fraction of the cases requiring roadside assistance.

The change in EV reliability isn’t just due to mechanical simplicity. In addition, the maintenance and repair ecosystem has evolved rapidly: most workshops are already equipped to service electric vehicles, while there are more and more public charging points.

There are those who still cite old studies or biased data that suggest that EVs are more prone to catastrophic failure than traditional cars, but most of these analyses do not reflect technological evolution or the nature of breakdowns. Many of these statistics come from user surveys or old fleets and do not accurately represent reality.

The evidence now shows that EVs are more reliable than petrol and diesel vehicles and less likely to break down in the first place. Therefore, we have to accept that the long-standing narrative about the “risk of being stranded” has no basis in fact. This is not a minor detail: trust in the user experience is a key factor in accelerating the adoption of sustainable technologies.

At a time when we are debating which technologies deserve public and private investment, to deny the evidence about the superior repairability and reliability of EVs is to perpetuate a prejudice that only delays an essential transition to more efficient, cleaner and more reliable transportation.

(En español, aquí)

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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