With the rise of electric (EV) and hybrid vehicles, many drivers assume they come with fewer (if any) maintenance requirements, bringing servicing costs down compared to traditional petrol and diesel cars

However, recent data from Fifth Quadrant’s Consumer Tracker tells a different story, highlighting the unique maintenance challenges and potentially higher repair costs for EVs and hybrids (and the extent to which the maintenance of plug-in hybrids differs from other, more established hybrid technologies).
Based on the latest data, it can be seen that half of EV / PHEV owners have experienced issues with their vehicle in the past 12 months (higher than those owning any alternate power train), with three in ten reporting multiple problems over this period.
This is well above Hybrid (33 percent) and Diesel owners (30 percent), while the vast majority of petrol owners reported no issues with their vehicles.

Unresolved issues: a challenge for EV owners
Importantly, the data also highlights a trend of unresolved major issues in electric vehicles, with more than a third of the issues with EVs or PHEVs remaining unresolved at this time (versus less than one in five of any other fuel type).
When EVs or PHEVs experience major problems, they appear more likely to remain unaddressed than similar issues in petrol or diesel vehicles, potentially due to limited access to suitable repair facilities, the high cost of repairs, or issues around parts availability or supply.

High repair costs for EVs and Hybrids
Given all of this, it is somewhat surprising that electric vehicles aren’t the most expensive when it comes to making repairs.
Among those who have experienced major issues, EV / PHEV owners spent around $1,300 fixing issues with their cars. While this is well above petrol ($1,039) and hybrid ($810) vehicles, it is about 20 percent less than the amount spent resolving issues with diesel vehicles.
In practice, just under half of the diesel vehicle owners who experience major issues end up spending over $1,000 on repairs, talking to the size of the opportunity for service and repair workshops around the country.

Building aftermarket capacity
As the adoption of EVs and hybrids grows, so does the size of the service task for these vehicles.
There is clearly still a need for greater access to EV repair facilities, with work also needed to bring down the cost of repairing and maintaining these vehicles.
With that said, consumers are currently spending significantly more on repairs to diesel vehicles, suggesting that in the short-term, workshops might be better placed to focus on higher volume ute models like Hilux, Ranger or D-Max.
Ultimately, there are significant financial investments required in either case, with business operators needing to invest in specialised training, equipment, and parts for either category of vehicle.
Looking to the longer term, we can also expect to see EV / PHEV servicing become more straightforward, with improvements in cost and availability.
Until this becomes the case though, EV and hybrid owners should be prepared for some more significant maintenance challenges than might be suggested by the extended service intervals and capped price servicing on offer from many EV brands.

This column was prepared for AAA Magazine by Fifth Quadrant, the AAAA’s partners in the AAAA Aftermarket Dashboard which is delivered to AAAA members each quarter.

For more information about its services, visit www.fifthquadrant.com.au or contact Ben Selwyn on ben@fifthquadrant.com.au