With rising gas prices, more and more people are now taking EVs into consideration when buying new vehicles. However, a UK study indicates that EVs are more unreliable than gasoline and diesel cars. About one in three reported that once their EVs broke down, these vehicles require longer to be repaired. Among the various EV brands, Tesla’s ratings are the worst.

Britain will outlaw sales of ICE vehicles by 2030, though it would appear that EVs are yet to be ready to take over for ICE vehicles. Britain’s Consumers’ Association (branded Which?) conducted a survey studying 57,000 vehicles that are less than four years old, as well as 48,000 drivers in the country. The study shows that about 31% of new EV drivers indicates that their EVs broke down in 2021. In comparison, fewer than one in five ICE vehicle owners reported that their vehicles encountered one or more issues in 2021. EV owners also reported longer repair times – about three days for ICE vehicles and five days for EVs on average.

The most reliable vehicles are full hybrids. Only about one in six owners reported one or more problems with their vehicles across a four-year span. The second most reliable are gasoline cars, followed by PHEVs and, subsequently, diesel cars. Coming in dead last are BEVs.

It would initially appear counterintuitive that EVs, with very few moving parts, are the most prone to issues, whereas full hybrids, with their two powertrains, are the most reliable. However, EV drivers indicate that the most common issues are neither faulty batteries nor faulty transmission components, but rather software-related, either with infotainment systems or backup cameras. According to the study author, EVs paucity of moving parts make these vehicles more reliable than gasoline or diesel cars in the long run, but their more complex software is prone to problems.

The study also finds that Tesla is the least reliable brand among all EVs. Among vehicles less than four years old, two out of five Teslas experienced at least one breakdown and at least one out of 20 experienced either one breakdown or startup failure. Tesla is also notorious for its recalls. For instance, in February alone, about four recalls (for various reasons) were issues in a two-week span. Prior to this, the Consumers’ Association had urged Tesla to recall its Model S vehicles due to faulty door handles and locks. For Tesla and its drivers alike, the silver lining is that repairs take, on average, less than 3.5 days to wrap up.

Thanks to the high cost of their batteries, EVs are generally more expensive than other vehicles. This study indicates that high prices do not equal reliability necessarily, so drivers should conduct careful research into which automakers and vehicles are trustworthy prior to purchase. Nevertheless, reliability issues do not truly lower EV owners’ satisfaction with respect to their vehicles. According to JD Power, Tesla enjoys the highest degree of owner satisfaction.

Further studies indicate that, for the first three years after purchase, EVs’ repair and maintenance fees are 31% lower than those of ICE cars. The US Department of Energy reported last year that EVs’ maintenance costs are 6.1 cents per mile, while ICE cars’ maintenance costs are 10.1 cents per mile, and this difference is enough to compensate for EV’s higher retail prices.

 (Image: Flickr/Marco Verch CC BY 2.0)