When people cite cost as a concern when considering buying an electric vehicle (EV), that worry is typically tied to the purchase price. There’s another cost that should be considered when it comes to EVs, however—repairs.
Vehicle repairs can be expensive regardless of the type, but EVs can cost thousands of dollars more to fix than gas-powered cars, The Wall Street Journal reports. Higher costs are due to a combination of more required replacement parts, EVs being more complicated to work on and a lack of qualified people to perform the repairs.
Post-car accident repairs can be more costly for EV drivers. Repairing an EV following a crash cost an average of $6,587 versus $4,215 for other types of vehicles, according to CCC Intelligent solutions, which processes insurance claims for car repairs in the U.S.
The high repair costs for EVs can conflict with the selling points dealers and automakers share when they try to convince people to switch to an electric car or truck. They typically lean into EV benefits such not needing gas, less upkeep and time saved by not having to get oil changes and engine tune-ups. Unfortunately, EV repair costs can outweigh such benefits.
For example, Hertz Global Holdings operates a large EV fleet, which mostly comprises Teslas. The company said its third-quarter profits were lower partly because of repair costs for its EVs, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Speaking of Tesla, the type of EV can dictate how expensive the repairs can be, however. For example, 2023 data from Mitchell, which provides a software platform for collision repair shops and insurers, noted that car accident-related repairs for all EVs were $950 more than those for gasoline vehicles. Tesla made up a large portion of that figure, however, as it has the largest share of EVs on the road in the U.S. Excluding Teslas, the average cost for EV repairs was just $269 higher than their gasoline-powered counterparts.
“Every vehicle is different, and we have this burning desire to paint electric vehicles with a single brush,” Matt Moore, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, a research group for the vehicle insurance industry told Cars.com. “The reality is they are all different, and some of them are much different than others. Are (the Lucid Air and Nissan Leaf) both electric vehicles? Well, yeah, but the similarities stop there.”
How EVs are built can drive up repair costs
EVs often need almost twice the amount of replacement parts of gas-powered vehicle, according to CCC Intelligent Solutions. This is because many EVs’ parts are bolted or welded in the vehicle and pieces have to be replaced rather than repaired, Marc Fredman, chief strategy officer for CCC Intelligent Solutions said. Additionally, after an accident, EVs’ bodies can be tougher to take apart, leading to multi-step repairs and precautions.
Additionally, since many EVs are newer and smaller volume models, their repairs require more manufacturer-sourced parts, according to Cars.com. That means there aren’t as many less expensive parts available from aftermarket or third-party suppliers. EV repairs currently require almost 90 percent of original automaker parts compared to about two-thirds for gas-powered models, according to Mitchell report.
Repair shops also have to be careful where EVs with lithium-ion batteries are stored, due to fire risk, according to Scott Benavidez, chairman of the trade group Automotive Service Association and owner of a collision repair business in New Mexico. Implementing these precautions can prolong the repair process—and make it more expensive.
“Those shops will charge more because they’re taking on the risk of working on them and retrofitting their shop,” Benavidez told The Wall Street Journal.
A shortage of shops that can work on EVs has also extended the repair process. It can take 25 percent longer to get an EV into a body shop than a standard vehicle, per CCC Intelligent Solutions. Once an EV is in a shop, the repairs take 57 days compared to 45 days for non-EVs.
Lowering EV repair costs
Building a supply of spare parts and getting more repair shops trained to fix EVs are initial steps to help bring down EV repair costs. Tesla’s company-owned collision repair centers and privately owned body shops has helped cut repairs costs in half over the past decade, former Tesla employee Xander Walker, who worked on refurbishing leased vehicles and trade-ins, told The Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, Hertz Chief Executive Stephen Scherr is optimistic about EV repair costs coming down once replacement parts become more readily available. He also noted Hertz is looking to drop price of spare parts and work with more suppliers to help decrease costs.
Ford Motor also expects EV costs to come down once more technicians are trained and components are become available.
“With any technology, the more it scales, the more the cost comes down and customer wait times go down,” a Ford spokesperson said.
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