EVs cheaper service maintain repair petrol diesel cars

author: FutureCar Staff    

There is a general consensus that electric vehicles (EVs) have cheaper servicing and maintenance costs than petrol and diesel cars because there are fewer moving parts to go wrong. But is this always the case? New analysis by valuations experts Cap Hpi suggests not.

Cap Hpi is responsible for forecasting service, maintenance and repair (SMR) costs - as well as total cost of ownership - for fleets, finance providers and insurance companies. This is to give businesses a clearer understanding of the financial implications of running different vehicles, especially when it comes to varying fuel types. The figures are sourced directly from the car manufacturers and from the global provider of vehicle lifecycles costs, Solera.

It found the current average price for servicing an EV over three years is £299. For a diesel, the cost is £493, while petrols are typically the most expensive, costing £624 - more than double that of an electric alternative.

However, further analysis carried out by Cap Hpi found SMR costs can vary depending on the models being compared side-by-side, especially when you take into account running diagnostics, replacing headlight bulbs, and replacing other consumable parts. In fact, when pitting six different EV examples against their petrol or diesel alternatives, two electric cars worked out more expensive to run.

Steve Chambers, senior editor for SMR at Cap Hpi, said: 'Diesel servicing costs across all currently on sale models are on average 60 per cent more than BEVs, with petrol models over double that of BEVs. 'The main difference in direct service costs is down to the removal of oil, air and fuel filters. 'With EVs, there are obviously no spark plugs to contend with and at higher mileages and ages, no troublesome timing belts and chains to consider.'

For an electric VW ID.3 hatchback, the manufacturer quotes a total cost - including servicing, tyres, brakes, and others - over three years is £1,050. For an equivalent Golf diesel, the total rings in at £615 over three years. This is despite the servicing of the combustion model being higher and braking components often not needing replacing within the first three years because they are used less thanks to EVs having regenerative braking systems to recharge their batteries. The reason the ID.3 is more expensive overall is mostly due to its tyres, which are around four times pricier.

It's a similar case when you pin a Tesla Model Y versus a VW T-Cross. The electric Tesla is £1,893 to maintain and service for 36 months compared to £736 for the petrol Volkswagen. This again is predominantly a result of higher tyre prices for EVs.

However, when comparing a Vauxhall Corsa-e against a Corsa with a petrol or diesel engine, the electric variant is much cheaper to keep running at £688 compared to £1,071 for the diesel and £1,190 for the petrol. A Tesla Model 3 against a BMW 3 Series petrol also found that the EV was almost £200 cheaper to maintain.

'The service and maintenance costs across several new vehicle variants make for an interesting comparison,' Steve explains. 'With no BMW service package included, forcing the i5 and 5 series onto parts and labour-based pricing, it is clear that BEV models are significantly cheaper to run than their ICE counterparts. 'At 30,000 miles, the i5 only needs a service at 24 months, whereas the petrol model requires servicing at 18,000 miles and the diesel at 15,000 miles. 'While the EV and petrol models may have the same service count, they don't need the same level of parts and fluids.'

However, when including other factors, including brakes and tyres, the difference in forecast SMR costs is reduced and - in some instances - reversed. 'Outside of servicing, tyres are the main cost area for drivers, with EV tyres typically more expensive as they become worn sooner than ICE equivalents, mainly due to vehicle weight. 'In addition, EVs, on average, have larger or less common tyre sizes that are more expensive. 'There are numerous factors to consider in all of this, but fundamentally, when it comes to service and maintenance costs, EV models are outperforming ICE equivalents and do cost less to run. 'The question is whether or not drivers will feel it that much if they are doing very low mileage.'

What about the cost to keep an older EV running, we hear you ask? Cap Hpi has also run the numbers on a Kia Niro Electric versus a Niro petrol hybrid. The calculation is based on three-year ownership of cars that are two years old and showing 20,000 miles on the clock. And it's the EV that's the more affordable of the two, costing £1,277 to service, maintain, and repair compared to £1,371 for years two to five.

FutureCar Staff