ELECTRIC CAR RELIABILITY: HOW RELIABLE ARE ELECTRIC CARS?
Car reliability is important to everyone, whether you’re driving an electric or fuel-powered vehicle. After all, no one likes being stuck on the side of the road with a car issue.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the reliability of electric cars.
How reliable are electric cars?
With the development of technology, cars are more resilient and reliable than ever. It’s rare that you’ll find a new car that causes you many major issues.
When it comes to electric cars, the question of how reliable they are is difficult to answer. Like every type of car, reliability will depend on the make and model of the car you have.
One thing that all electric vehicles have in common is that they use a battery and motor instead of an engine. This means they have fewer moving parts and there are less things on an electric vehicle that can go wrong. The simplicity of the battery and motor system also requires less maintenance.
All electric vehicles will also have a form of regenerative braking. These braking systems use the motor to assist the braking, which causes less wear on the brake pads compared to fuel-powered vehicles.
These factors reduce the number of issues you could potentially experience with an electric vehicle, but reliability will still depend on the make and model of the vehicle.
Most reliable electric cars
With the model of the vehicle being so important, which electric cars are the most reliable?
The 2021 What Car? reliability survey listed the most reliable electric cars available. The survey used the experience of 16,000 electric car owners and ranked the cars based on the number of issues experienced in the past 12 months, what issues occurred, the cost of getting the issues fixed, and how long the repairs took.
According to the survey, the following three cars proved to be the most reliable:
| Make and model | Reliability rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2018) |
98.6% | The original Nissan Leaf has aged well. While issues were reported by 12% of owners, these were all fixed for free by Nissan dealers within a day. |
| MG ZS EV (2019-present) |
96.5% | ZS EV owners reported problems with bodywork and steering (13%), and MG covered the cost of repairs in all cases. |
| Kia e-Niro (2019-present) |
95.8% | Only 8% of Kia e-Niro owners reported a fault. However, while repairs were carried out under warranty, it took more than a week to fix more than 70% of the cars. |
From the survey, it’s clear that electric vehicles can be very reliable and it’s best to research the reliability of models before choosing your new electric car.
Electric vehicle range
While researching electric vehicles, you’ve no doubt heard myths about their lack of range. What use is a reliable car if it doesn’t have the range to go the distance?
The range for electric vehicles is much further than you may expect. For top models, this can be as high as 300 miles.
The average range for electric vehicles currently sits at 213 miles. By contrast, the average car journey in the UK in 2019 was only 8.6 miles. Although the average range of an electric vehicle may fall below that of fuel alternatives, it far exceeds the range many of us travel on a daily and even a weekly basis.
Charging an electric vehicle
On top of this, charging an electric vehicle can be incredibly easy and convenient.
Most electric vehicle owners have a specialised charging point installed at home. This allows you to charge your vehicle whenever it’s not in use. Many energy providers also offer energy tariffs that are specific to electric vehicle owners, with cheap overnight rates.
When it comes to charging in public, there are more charging point than ever before. These often charge a small fee but are convenient ways to top up your battery whenever you need it. For long journeys, you can use rapid chargers. Commonly found at motorway service stations, many will provide 100 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes.
You can discover more about the costs of charging an electric vehicle here.
Performance reliability
Did you know that electric vehicles also have reliable performance?
This is because their motors provide instant torque with every movement of the accelerator pedal, resulting in an immediate increase of speed on the road.
It’s these motors that are also to thank for the near silent driving experience - the one thing everyone notices when they drive an electric car for the first time.
Plus, EV batteries are usually placed in the floor of the vehicle. This results in great weight distribution and balance for smooth cornering.
We’ll finish with arguably the biggest positive of all. Electric vehicles are reliable ways of helping the environment with no tail-pipe emissions. By driving an electric vehicle, you’ll be helping to support a sustainable future.
For lots more information about electric vehicles, head over to our electrification hub. Why not also explore our range of electric vehicle accessories here.
For all your motoring needs, head to your nearest Halfords store or garage.
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