What happens when an electric car breaks down? Your questions answered
Updated:
Electric vehicles are advertised with plenty of benefits: they're quiet and smooth to drive, emit zero exhaust emissions and have the potential for very low day-to-day running costs.
However, it's the unknowns that are limiting uptake of EVs among the general car buying public.
Official figures show that fewer than one in five new electric cars registered in Britain are by private buyers. Instead, it is fleets and business operators who are driving the transition to battery vehicles.
Among the hurdles is high prices - usually a premium of £10,000 over a conventional petrol or diesel equivalent - but also major concerns about range anxiety, lacking charging infrastructure and the longevity of batteries.
What's also relatively unclear from a consumer perspective is what happens if an EV becomes faulty or breaks down.
Does your local garage have the expertise to deal with electric cars? Can they be towed? And how much will a repair cost?
These are questions many drivers will be asking as ministers progress with its plan to phase out new petrol and diesel cars, with drivers and industry waiting to hear the results of the government's recent consultation on the 2030 deadline closing this week.
Consumer watchdog Which? has spoken to experts in the field to understand and explain some of the limitations - and quell some myths - about EVs and what happens when problems arise.
what happens if an EV becomes faulty or breaks down? Can they be towed? Are they expensive to fix? Does your local garage have the expertise to repair them? We've teamed up with Which? to answer all these questions and more...
Batteries and charging issues can be a big concern for those contemplating buying an EV, but a recent survey of 3,500 electric car owners by Which? found that both of these faults are rarely an issue.
Just 2 per cent of faults reported on new EVs were with the main battery, and charging issues were around the same (2 per cent for newer cars, 3 per cent for older).
Battery performance may be another worry as batteries degrade over time, meaning they can't store as much charge.
However, the vast majority (96 per cent) of EV owners with a 2017 or 2018 model in our survey told the consumer champion their battery was still providing more than 80 per cent of its original range.
'There's a massive misconception that batteries fail after a certain amount of years, but that's not the case,' Matt Cleevely, Managing Director of an EV repair shop, explains.
'Batteries degrade, but it's at a really slow pace.'
The most frequent fault on new EVs, according to the survey, relates to onboard computer software, while older EVs suffer more frequently with suspension problems. But faults will vary depending on what brand of car you have.
What Car?'s latest reliability survey showed that some EVs can be almost bulletproof.
Just 4 per cent of owners of Tesla Model Ys up to five years recently told the motoring publication they encountered a fault with their EV in the previous 24 months.
Non-drivetrain electrics and sat-navs were the only problem areas - and in very small volumes.
Half of faulty Model Ys were back on the road on the same day they went in for repair but a quarter remained in Tesla workshop for over a week. Every Model Y was fixed under warranty, too, owners said.
Will we have enough trained mechanics to work on EVs by the end of the decade? The IMI says not, based on the trajectory of qualifications
Not only are drivers in the midst of a transition to EVs, so are garages.
And one of the major concerns among sector bosses is that there is a lack of specialist skills to facilitate repairs, which is accelerating far slower than the uptake of electric cars entering the road.
According to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), only 22 per cent of all UK car technicians are trained to work on EVs.
Its latest update on EV qualifications suggested the UK is on course to have a shortfall of 3,000 trained mechanics to work on battery cars by 2030 - the date the government intends to outlaw sale of new petrol and diesel models, which will ultimately see a dramatic increase in electric vehicles on the road thereafter.
The IMI says this technician shortfall will extend to 16,000 mechanics by 2035 as a result.
In London and the South East of England, where EV ownership is highest, there is already a limited workforce of technicians who are qualified to operate on battery-powered cars, the IMI told This is Money last year.
'The shortage of skilled technicians has been exacerbated by several factors, including the retirement of experienced workers, insufficient training for new entrants, and the rapid technological advancements in automotive design,' Hayley Pells, policy lead at the IMI, explained.
While this is set to cause major headaches for smaller independent garages.
This will especially be the case for businesses ran by older professionals who will be reluctant to retrain to quality to work on battery-powered cars. However, high costs of new equipment could also be a barrier.
Based on current forecasts for the rise in number of electric cars on the road, the IMI says Britain needs 124k trained mechanics by 2031 - but it is on course to have just 121k
London and the South East have the highest volumes of 'plug-in electric cars' but not the highest proportion of qualified EV mechanics, the IMI points out
That isn't the case for workshops linked to franchised manufacturer showrooms.
Dan Harrowell, a principal engineer at Thatcham Research, an automotive risk organisation focused on safety and sustainable repairs, explains: 'Initially, repair centres had minimal exposure to EVs, lacking familiarity and training.
'Today, most vehicle manufacturers have upgraded their facilities and tooling to accommodate EV repairs, with many independent workshops also making significant strides.'
However, Dan says the government must prioritise apprenticeships and training in the automotive sector to mitigate the anticipated skills gap.
Supply issues for parts can sometimes complicate repairs too, particularly with new EV models.
'During the launch phase of a new vehicle model, the focus for manufacturers is on filling production quotas, making immediate access to parts more challenging.
'Repair times and costs for new vehicles often reflect this,' Dan said.
Ross Kinder, from Preston, was without his Hyundai EV for nine months after his battery developed a fault in November 2023 and wouldn't charge above 80 per cent.
He was told the delay to the repair was due to a worldwide shortage of batteries.
Hyundai provided a replacement car - but for the first three months, the courtesy vehicle was a petrol car.
Ross was disappointed with the customer service he received and was concerned about the car deteriorating as it waited for a new battery to be fitted.
After several months passed, he felt he'd waited a reasonable amount of time for the repair, and asked if he could reject the vehicle under the Consumer Rights Act. But Hyundai refused his request.
Finally, in June 2024, Mr Kinder was told he could collect the car. But after driving 200 metres down the road, three warning lights came on. He returned it to the dealership where they found that the regenerative braking motor needed replacing and that the tyres were below the required pressure.
Yet, the experience hasn't deterred Ross from EVs.
'I still believe in electric cars - it's just the poor customer service I received from Hyundai that has put me off their vehicles,' he said.
Hyundai told Which? it strives to deliver the best possible service to its customers, however, sometimes circumstances occur which mean it's unable to deliver the level it would like.
The long delay in Ross' case, it explained, related to the battery replacement which was out of its control.
There's a general thinking that EVs go wrong less often - and are cheaper to repair - than cars with combustion engines because there are fewer moving parts in their drivetrains.
However, the IMI told Which that repairs can sometimes be expensive, which is a reflection of the vehicle's different and advanced technologies.
Battery replacements will be priciest of all.
In 2022 Bloomberg New Economic Finance (BNEF) put battery cost at £118 per kilowatt-hour, so a Kia EV6 77.4kWh battery would cost around £9,136 to replace.
Further findings by EV battery report specialists Recurrent in 2023 showed that of 15,000 EVs brought onto the US market between 2011 and 2023, just 1.5 per cent required a new battery.
Of those requiring a new unit, most were models predating 2015 (mainly the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf). Any battery recalls like the ones that affected the Hyundai Kona between 2019 and 2020 are covered by the warranty.
The IMI also says repairs are also rare in the UK.
'Most EV batteries are designed to last the vehicle's lifetime, and as the industry develops, there's a growing emphasis on repair and refurbishment rather than replacement,' the institute said.
Manufacturers typically offer a seven or eight-year warranty for their EV batteries (or around 100,000 miles, whichever comes sooner).
This means an expensive battery replacement will cost you nothing as long as you're inside the warranty period.
Inflation has also contributed to an overall rise in parts costs, but Thatcham Research says prices are beginning to decline: 'This trend reflects improvements in key-to-key times - which is the duration from vehicle handover to retrieval following an incident - as EV technology becomes more prevalent.'
The reduced volume of moving parts making up EVs means you'll also likely notice less wear and tear over time.
Owners have previously reported not needing to replace consumable braking parts - like pads and discs - before their EVs reach 100,000 miles, due to the reduced demand on these components thanks to regenerative braking.
Overall, repair costs for EVs are likely to decrease as adoption rises, experts believe.
The IMI said: 'The market for EV repairs is still evolving, and as skilled technicians become more widely available, costs are expected to stabilise.
'With time, economies of scale and improvements in repair practices will contribute to making EV repairs more affordable for all.'
The AA says the percentage of all EV breakdowns for running out of battery has fallen below 2%. It expects this to drop to just 1% in the next 12 months, which would be on par with the share of callouts for combustion cars running out of fuel
When an EV breaks down - whether due to low charge, battery issues or an unknown fault - the process for getting your vehicle off the road and running again is slightly different than with petrol and diesel cars.
EVs are heavy and you can't tow them as you would a petrol car, as it can cause damage to the vehicle's motor and other components.
But lots of progress has been made within the car industry to find other ways of dealing with stranded EVs.
All of the major breakdown providers, such as the RAC, AA and Green Flag, now offer cover for EVs, using specialist equipment to tow electric cars off the road, among other solutions.
The RAC lists various solutions it has for attending EV breakdowns.
Its EV Boost service allows it to get a stranded, out of charge EV going again, while its all-wheels-up rapid recovery system enables patrols to tow broken down EVs safely.
Its latest patrol vans can now fully lift all four wheels on an EV, to transport the broken down vehicle to a repair shop without damaging the e-motors by towing them with the wheels turning.
Breakdown assistance providers are now much better prepared for dealing with EV breakdowns. The RAC has an EV Boost service with an onboard charger if a driver has ran out of juice and also attends electric car callouts with its all-wheels-up rapid recovery system
What's crucial at this stage is that your EV is routed to a repair shop equipped to handle high-voltage systems.
'Repair centres vary in damage management capabilities: some may specialise in minor repairs, while others can address substantial structural damage,' Thatcham Research says.
'If your car is sent to a garage that can't fix the problem, you could be waiting longer for your vehicle to be re-routed and repaired.
'Nevertheless, all manufacturer-affiliated dealerships are now equipped to service their EV models,' it added.
While many have major concerns about EVs running out of battery, latest statistics from the AA show this is a very rare occurrence on UK roads today.
Its latest patrol data shows that 'out of charge' breakdowns as a percentage of all EV callouts are at a record low in 2024 - just 1.85 per cent.
In 2023, the average flat-battery EV breakdowns accounted for 2.26 per cent of callouts.
Ultimately, the AA expects the figures to drop to 1 per cent towards the end of this year.
This would match the proportion of conventional combustion-engine cars running out of petrol or diesel.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.
This İs Money
