The Big Myth About Electric Cars You Need To Stop Believing

There’s a big myth that owning an electric vehicle is cheaper overall than what goes into owning a fuel-powered one. While there is some truth to this, as EVs are cheaper to maintain, these cars are still more expensive to repair when they break down than their more-traditional counterparts. People believe that overall ownership of an electric vehicle is cheaper because these cars feature fewer moving parts and because drivers don’t need things such as oil changes. This makes sense on paper, but digging a little deeper reveals the truth of the matter.

When it comes to getting your electric vehicle repaired, it must be remembered that most service centers are still new to the process. This means that it typically takes longer to do even simple repairs, and many mechanics charge labor costs by the hour. According to research from We Predict, getting an electric vehicle serviced costs about 2.3 times the bill of a car with an internal combustion engine (via CNET). Specifically, average costs for an EV totaled $306 but a fuel-powered car averaged just $189. It should be noted that besides simply taking longer to repair, the services themselves are 1.3 times more expensive for an EV. There are many reasons to buy an electric vehicle, but don’t believe the myth about repairs being cheaper if you own one — at least not yet. The report notes that as labor costs for EVs go down, the gap will be closed.