EV driver exposes major problem with repairing an electric car: ‘I thought it was a misprint’

An electric car owner is strongly opposed to the high costs of repairing his vehicle.

The Victoria panel builder was stunned when he received a quote for $3,000 to replace the front bumper on his MG EV.

His story comes as mechanics reveal that repairing electric cars is significantly more expensive than their petrol-powered competitors.

“I thought it was a misprint, but no, that’s the price,” the panelist wrote online.

‘I was looking for a second hand bar, no go! No availability. My last call I was very lucky, I could only find one in Melbourne and it was the same colour.’

He drove about 500 km to pick up the bumper, which had some paint damage, from a salvage yard for $770.

Gerry Marson, owner of Sydney Hybrid and Electric Cars, says replacement and repair costs in the sector are indeed high and predicts the situation will worsen further as cheap electric cars from China flood the Australian market.

Australians are buying more new electric vehicles every year as more brands enter the market

He said there is no information about where the spare parts for the vehicles come from.

“It’s crazy. The government should be responsible,” he said Yeah.

“The problem is that they (Chinese electric cars) will sell well because people like to buy these cars because they are cheap.”

He said the job of an EV technician is already difficult, as he has to perform diagnostics on advanced, technological components.

According to Mr Marson, the cost of a serious breakdown to an electric car can range from $10,000 to $15,000 if specialist mechanics have to be called in and parts have to be bought from overseas.

He predicts that a large number of electric cars will be scrapped as owners are faced with huge bills to repair a cheap, older electric car.

“If there’s a problem, you can’t get this and you can’t get that. It doesn’t matter if it’s diesel, petrol, hybrid or EV if you have an engine problem or a software problem. You can’t even change a headlight without software,” he said.

Mr Marson revealed that he recently went through a difficult case with an unnamed Chinese manufacturer who demanded that he pay for shipping costs for warranty parts, an additional cost that would be passed on to the customer.

However, he says the cost of all repairs has increased since he started working in the auto industry, due to the rising price of both electric and gasoline car technologies.

“Electric vehicles are more expensive to repair, but generally speaking, even a water pump for a gasoline engine can cost between $600 and $1,000,” Mr. Marson said.

“That would be $50 in my day, those days are over. All this modern technology around us comes with huge costs.”

Crashes can mean owners are faced with extraordinary bills for replacement parts and panels

Australians with older electric cars are surprised by the amount of technology they have had to replace in their cars.

Many people are satisfied with the operation of the internal motor and batteries, which are expected to wear out slightly over time.

According to the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia, current maintenance costs for an electric car are approximately $300 to $400 per year lower than for a combustion engine car.

But when structural repairs are needed to the car, owners feel the pain.

A report from Mitchell, a US-based vehicle crash technology and insights company, found that electric cars in the US cost nearly 20 percent more to repair after an accident than a petrol or diesel car.

Electric cars turned out to be an average of AUD 1,395 more expensive.

However, EV owners save significantly more on operating costs throughout the year, as charging stations in Australia continue to offer drivers low fuel costs.

The Electric Vehicle Council of Australia says the average Australian drives about 12,000km a year and spends about $2,500 on petrol. That works out at about $0.20 per km.

“On average, charging an electric car that drives 12,000 km per year costs about $500 ($0.04/km),” according to their website.

Sales of electric vehicles rose by about 18 percent in the first half of 2024, to an eight percent share of total new car sales.

However, since 2022 and 2023, the growth rate has slowed.