Bolt EV owners enjoy saving money on service
Photo: Chevrolet
If you believe that electric vehicles cost significantly less to maintain than their gas-powered counterparts, you now have some new research to back your position. Consumer Reports has just confirmed that EV owners pay half as much on service and repair during their vehicle’s lifespan.
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The data
Better acceleration and cheaper service costs are just two reasons to love EVs
Photo: geralt
Consumer Reports arrived at this statistic after analyzing data from its 2019 and 2020 reliability surveys. Not only did the publication break down the maintenance/repair cost in terms of lifetime savings, but it also calculated the cost per mile.
Battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles cost an average of $4,600 to maintain/repair during their shelf life, while internal combustion engine vehicles cost $9,200. BEV and PHEVs cost $0.03/mile while ICE vehicles cost $0.06/mile.
Consumer Reports endorses EVs
Associate director of CR’s Auto Test Center, Gabe Shenhar, articulates the cheaper servicing needs of EVs. “Electrics just don’t need as much maintenance as gas-powered cars, and even though repairs won’t necessarily be less expensive, they are less frequently needed.”
Senior transportation policy analyst Chris Harto expressed that the low service costs associated with EVs will help give consumers more incentive to go with an EV over a conventional model. “These savings are going a long way to offset the upfront costs for consumers.”
The push to sway consumers
Granted, EVs have some ways to go before their sticker prices are equivalent to those of fuel-powered models. But the lower maintenance costs give those on the fence another reason to go with electric rather than conventional when buying their next vehicle. (Besides the most obvious reason, of helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions each time you get behind the wheel.)
Increase your knowledge of hybrid and electric car service needs. Then discover how cold weather impacts EVs so you can be a more informed EV owner (or driver).
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Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting her cute nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, reorganizing and/or decorating some corner of the world, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie, poem, or short story. See more articles by Whitney.
