Electric cars ‘significantly cheaper’ to service than petrol and diesel

While many motorists are still concerned about switching to electric vehicles — from a lack of charging stations to concerns about battery range and high prices — one benefit, according to a new report, is cheaper maintenance costs.

Analysis of 280,000 car maintenance quotes last year revealed that all-electric models are “significantly cheaper” than all other fuel types.

An electric car costs just £103 on average, according to BookMyGarage.com, while diesels are the most expensive at £163 on average, followed by hybrids (£159) and petrols (£151).

While those who already own a zero-emissions car will welcome the findings, the Institute of the Motor Industry says it is concerned that the number of mechanics and technicians qualified to work on a battery vehicle is not keeping pace with electric vehicle sales.

BookMyGarage says that a major reason for lower maintenance costs for electric vehicles is that there are fewer moving parts and therefore less work is required during a regular service compared to a car with a traditional engine.

And it says that the total maintenance bills for driving an electric car are generally lower than those for petrol and diesel, also taking into account MOTs and repairs.

It estimates that an electric vehicle will cost 43 percent less overall than an internal combustion engine equivalent in terms of maintenance bills.

Jessica Potts, from the vehicle maintenance platform, said: ‘When it comes to car maintenance, there are a number of tasks that are common to all types of fuel, such as changing the cabin filter, topping up windshield washer fluid and performing safety inspections.

However, EV powertrains are a lot simpler and require no engine oil changes, air filters, spark plugs [on petrol engines] and fuel filters [on diesel engines].

“The reduction in work means that maintaining an electric vehicle requires less labor and fewer replacement parts and fluids, helping to reduce costs.”

While electric car maintenance costs are lower, the £48 saved annually over a petrol alternative will do little to offset the higher upfront price of an electric car.

For example, a new Volkswagen Golf with a 1.0-litre petrol engine costs £25,765, while an ID.3 – the German marque’s electric family hatchback with similar dimensions to the Golf – starts at £39,425 in the UK.

It means – in theory – it would take 285 services to recoup the EV’s £13,660 upfront price, through cheaper maintenance bills alone.

Are there enough qualified mechanics to work on electric vehicles?

There are also concerns about the number of qualified mechanics and technicians who can service electrified cars.

The latest information from the Institute of Motor Industry, which represents workers in the automotive sector, shows that one in six UK repair and maintenance workers are currently qualified to work on electric vehicles.

Between the beginning of January and the end of September 2022, more than 11,500 technicians underwent training necessary to gain a qualification to work on electric cars as the industry looks for further training to perform maintenance on battery cars, bringing the total across the industry at 16 per cent with the accreditation.

By the end of 2021, only 11 per cent of garage staff were qualified to work on electric vehicles, though IMI says it is concerned that the acceleration in qualifications is slowing.

Steve Nash, CEO of IMI, said: ‘The industry should be very proud of how it has responded to the call for upskilling in electric vehicles. However, we are now in a dangerous place when it comes to continued commitment to skills that match electric car adoption.”

He added: “The reality is that the car replacement market is already experiencing high demand for replacement jobs due to an aging workforce, migration and job mobility.

The number of apprenticeships in the auto industry has also not caught up to pre-pandemic levels.

‘There is therefore no time to lose in preparing the sector for electrified vehicles. It is also critical that those who are already qualified complete their CPD to ensure they remain competent to work on this new technology.”

With new petrol and diesel cars banned from showrooms from the start of the next decade, IMI predicts that the number of qualified technicians needed to work on electric vehicles should rise to 77,000 by 2030 – and 89,000 by 2032.

“The IMI would be very concerned if anyone thinks the electrical skills problem isn’t an immediate problem,” Nash added.

“It is critical that the industry continues to train and upskill its workforce at significant speeds. But with the current economic pressures, there are fears that training budgets will be the first to be cut.

“Government support for training, which in turn will help meet its decarbonization goals, is vital.”

BookMyGarage says that electric car owners who enter their license plates on the online platform will automatically see only garages with mechanics qualified to work on their vehicles.

According to Zap-Map, there are already some 680,000 fully electric cars on UK roads today. And demand continues to outpace that of other fuel types.

Nearly 17,300 new battery electric vehicles were registered in January, which is 6 percent more than sales in January 2022.

In contrast, diesel sales plummeted 15 percent last month — nearly 2,000 vehicles — compared to the previous January.

In fact, electric cars are now easily outselling diesels in Britain.

Last month, some 17,294 battery models were purchased. In comparison, dealers sold only 10,399 diesel cars.

However, petrol remains by far the most popular type of fuel with 76,216 registrations last month, accounting for almost three in five (57.8 per cent) of all new engines purchased in the UK.