British motorists that have switched to eco-friendly EVs have been snubbed after a damming new survey found they are ‘more unreliable’ than traditional petrol and diesel cars
Brits whizzing around in electric vehicles (EVs) have been left red-faced after being snubbed in a major survey.
The eco-friendly cars suffered a significant setback in the UK after new data found they are more likely to break down compared to petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. According to the latest What Car? Reliability Survey of almost 30,000 car owners, EVs recorded the highest breakdown rate of all fuel types, with 16.8 per cent of EV owners reporting one in the past two years.
This is notably higher than the rates for vehicles powered by fossil fuels, with petrol at 10.7 per cent, hybrid at 14. per cent, and diesel at 15 per cent. The survey, conducted in association with MotorEasy, found 11 per cent of respondents had experienced a breakdown in the past two years in total, with EVs standing out as the most likely to leave drivers stranded.
Only 25 per cent of EVs were fixed on the spot, compared with 40 per cent of petrol cars. Conversely, 40 per cent of EVs required towing to a garage, while the recovery rate for petrol vehicles was a much lower 30 per cent.
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The survey backs up comments made by the AA’s chief executive Jakob Pfaudler, who warned it was a ‘common misconception that EVs break down less frequently than petrol and diesel vehicles’. Back in April he said: “Currently, at least, that is not the case. The breakdown rate is, in fact, slightly higher for electric vehicles than for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.”
Diesel vehicles, while having a slightly lower breakdown rate than EVs, were still reported as the most likely to develop faults overall, with 31 per cent of owners reporting they experienced an issue in the past year. This is up from from 50 per cent in 2022 — suggesting that there has been some progress in diesel reliability over the past few years.
There is some good news for EV owners however. The electric-powered cars were rated as the second-best fuel type for being fixed for free, with owners revealing 89 per cent of the issues reported were rectified at no cost, while a mere three per cent had to pay more than £1,500 to get their cars back on the road.
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The findings sparked debate within the automotive community, with some EV advocates questioning the survey’s methodology and pointing to alternative data. Ben Nelmes, chief executive of the consultancy New Automotive, suggested that the UK’s MOT failure rate might be a better indicator of reliability, noting that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) generally have a lower MOT failure rate than petrol and diesel cars of similar ages — aside from three-year-old vehicles, where the rates were almost identical.
Ginny Buckley, chief executive of EV advice website Electrifying argued that the survey contradicts data from Start Rescue. She also highlighted that when EVs do break down, the issues are often minor and cheaper to repair thanks to the simpler engineering and fewer moving parts in EVs, rather than costing an arm and a leg like the mechanical failures common in older ICE vehicles.
Ginny said: “The What Car? survey flies in the face of data from companies like Start Rescue, who last year reported that EVs are 59 per cent less likely to break down than their petrol or diesel counterparts. But when they do, the issues are often relatively minor — things like tyres, wheels, or the 12-volt battery – much the same as traditional cars. Expensive mechanical failures, which are common in older internal combustion engine vehicles, are rare thanks to the EV’s simpler engineering and fewer moving parts.”
So while EVs currently experience more problems than conventional vehicles, as is often the case with newer technology due to teething issues, many experts expect EV reliability to improve. And on the plus side, you are far more likely to get your EV repaired for absolutely nothing.
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