EV Maintenance Costs

An electrified fleet is easier to maintain than you think

Keeping a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle fleet running smoothly can be challenging and often costly. But, did you know that electric vehicles (EVs) are actually far simpler and more affordable to maintain?

There are three main areas that make EV maintenance simpler and cheaper than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.

Fewer Parts

A traditional petrol or diesel vehicle typically contains many hundreds of moving and working parts increasing the likelihood of breakdowns and parts that need replacing over time. In comparison an EV has fewer moving parts that can wear out resulting in much lower maintenance costs.

Regenerative braking

All EVs have some form of regenerative braking, which takes the wasted energy from the process of slowing down and uses it to recharge the vehicle’s battery. This means that braking in an EV becomes more efficient than in a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle, placing less wear and tear on the brakes therefore saving you money.

Cost efficiency

EVs are generally cheaper to maintain than their petrol or diesel equivalents. A study by CAP HPI* found service and maintenance costs can be up to 23 percent lower for electric cars over a typical three-year, 60,000-mile ownership period. However your EV (like any vehicle) still needs regular inspections to ensure roadworthiness.

What needs servicing on an EV?

Electric motor and batteries

These need very little maintenance. Make sure to follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended service schedule.

Oil and coolant

Oil is used in the transmission of an EV and coolant chills the battery. However compared to a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle, these do not require topping up or changing frequently.

Brakes

Due to the use of regenerative braking in EVs, wear to brake pads and discs is dramatically reduced. However, they will still need replacing when worn.

Tyres

EVs are often heavier than traditional petrol or diesel vehicles due to the weight of the batteries. As a result tyre wear may also be greater.

Suspension

As with tyres, the increased weight of electric cars can wear out springs and dampers. But don’t worry, these will be checked as part of any major service.

Consumable items

Be aware that in addition there are other consumable items such as air conditioning pumps, filters and wiper blades that will need replacing over the EV’s lifetime.

Seamless Service Maintenance and Repair (SMR)

We appreciate just how time-consuming managing SMR can be for fleet decision-makers, which is why we have built our EV offering with your costs, profit and admin in mind. Adding an SMR plan to your monthly EV lease payments will help you budget while being 100% tax allowable and 100% VAT reclaimable.

All our SMR plans come with Driverline, our 24/7, 365 days a year driver support service to help increase fleet uptime. Our team are available on the phone and via our self-serve web app if your drivers need roadside assistance, accident management or maintenance bookings, such as same-day servicing and repairs.

Accident management solution

Tyre replacement and glass repair

Maintenance support, including servicing and MOTs

Repairs with genuine parts at the nearest franchised dealership

Round-the-clock EV specialist breakdown and recovery support

Here to help

Whether you’ve already started transitioning some of your fleet to electric or are yet to start, the SMR savings can soon add up and significantly reduce your fleet costs. So, talk to one of our EV experts today and see how the savings can start to add up.

Get in touch

*Electric vehicles cost 23% less to maintain than petrols, says Cap HPI | Fleet industry (fleetnews.co.uk)