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Electric vehicle owners spending half as much on maintenance compared to gas-powered vehicle owners, finds new CR analysis

Electric vehicle (EV) owners saving an average of 50% on maintenance and repair, finds section of new white paper from CR 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new analysis by Consumer Reports finds that owners of plug-in electric vehicles are spending half as much on maintenance and repair as the owners of similar gas-powered vehicles.

Consumer Reports analyzed its 2019 and 2020 reliability survey data for thousands of electric and gas-powered vehicles, and found that drivers of electric vehicles are saving an average of 50% on maintenance and repair over the life of a vehicle compared to owners of gas-powered vehicles. 

“Electric vehicle owners don’t need a coupon to get half-off typical maintenance and repair costs from their dealer, it comes standard!” says senior transportation policy analyst Chris Harto, who authored the analysis based on CR’s real-world data. “These savings are going a long way to offset the upfront costs for consumers.”

Average maintenance/repair costs over vehicle lifetime:

  • BEV (Battery-Electric Vehicle): $0.03/mile
  • PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle): $0.03/mile
  • ICE (Internal Combustion Engine): $0.06/mile

According to CR’s experts, simpler powertrains in EVs and no need for oil changes are likely reasons for the lower costs.

“Electrics just don’t need as much maintenance as gas-powered cars, and even though repairs won’t necessarily be less expensive, they are less frequently needed,” explains Gabe Shenhar, associate director of CR’s Auto Test Center, specializing in electric vehicle testing. “In addition to being easier and cheaper to maintain, many EVs deliver better acceleration compared to gas-powered vehicles, and don’t pump harmful pollution into our air,” adds Shenhar.

These findings about maintenance and repair costs is part of an upcoming white paper by Consumer Reports that compares costs of ownership for electric and gas-powered vehicles. The chapter about maintenance cost is available for download as a PDF at the top of this page. The full white paper will be published in the coming weeks. For this report, ‘vehicle lifetime’ was defined as 200,000 miles. 

In addition to financial savings, electric vehicles produce, on average, 60% less greenhouse gas emissions than oil and gas-powered vehicles, according to a recent analysis by Consumer Reports