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Myth busted - Electric vehicles cost more to maintain than gas cars do

Although EVs could cost a consumer less due to their design, they don’t. Here’s why.

When electric vehicles became available in a variety of choices about three years ago one of the positive aspects of ownership promised was that they would be maintenance-free. This was, of course, an exaggeration, but it had some elements of truth. Historically, maintaining a car was mainly focused on the internal combustion engine (ICE). This meant that the owner’s cost to maintain the car was closely linked to the engine. Since the EV has no engine of this sort, maintenance would be much less expensive. Let’s look closely at the two top-selling EVs to see is this is true.

Tesla Maintenance Costs
We are big fans of the Tesla Model S here, and we like Elon Musk. Both are a breath of fresh air, dynamic, modern, and forward-leaning. The Tesla Model S retails for between $75,000 and about $120,000. All vehicles sold in this price range come with some level of included maintenance, the Tesla does not. The first Tesla service is at one year and the cost, according to both the Tesla Website and also owners who have posted their invoice information on Tesla clubs we belong to, is $600. This makes Tesla the most expensive car in its price range to maintain. Drive a Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, Volvo, you name the brand, and this costs you nothing.

Tesla offers double-speak about its maintenance. Elon Musk likes to point out how useless dealers are saying “…auto dealers is that they make most of their profit from service, but electric cars require much less service than gasoline cars. There are no oil, spark plug or fuel filter changes, no tune-ups and no smog checks needed for an electric car.” Let’s look closely at this. There are no fuel filter changes on any modern car this author is aware of. That went away long ago. What the heck is a “Tune-up.” Again, long-gone with modern ignition systems. Plugs? Plugs in even the cheapest cars now last over 100,000 miles, and in some cars even longer. Smog check? There are no smog checks required by automakers. In fact, the emissions components on a modern car are warrantied for eight years or 80,000 miles by federal law. If Mr. Musk is referring to the annual inspection sticker most states require, he should know those are more about safety and revenue generation than emissions.

Mr. Musk is also guilty of double-speak when it comes to charging for maintenance. His website and stores offer service plans but point out that the vehicle warranty is not affected by maintenance. Then why charge for it? A four year, 50,000 mile service plan for a Model S costs $1,900. All internal combustion BMW automobiles have this exact amount of miles and years of service at no charge.

Nissan Leaf
The Leaf is the people’s EV. Affordable, economical, mainstream, and the best-selling fully electric vehicle in America. However, the maintenance cost is higher than its rival green car, the Toyota Prius. We visited the Leaf page on Nissan’s website, and there is no mention of included maintenance. It does say “Say goodbye to pricey oil changes and tune-ups. With fewer moving parts than any car you’ve ever owned, the Nissan LEAF® is ultra-low maintenance.” There is also a note that says “Got the 15k mile checkup on my Nissan LEAF—it was just $20 for tire rotation, car wash, battery testing.” What Nissan does not tell you is there is more to it than that, and it will cost you. We looked at the Nissan Leaf’s two-year service schedule and we noted that the brake fluid will have been changed twice, 33 inspections would have been performed, the cabin air filter replaced twice, and the tires rotated 4 times. The Prius, like all Toyota/Lexus/Scion vehicles comes with two years, or 24,000 miles of scheduled service free. That includes everything, and there is no charge.

Consumer Reports asked a Nissan dealer what the charge for just the brake fluid change was, and their quote was $291.95. So for the first two years the Leaf costs at least $ 600.00. Cars.com says the Leaf’s 5-year maintenance costs are $3,405, and the Prius’ cost of ownership is $3,399. Where is the electric vehicle savings?

Don’t believe the marketing hype or owners that write into blog sites saying they just ignore all the required maintenance. Internal combustion engine maintenance costs have dropped dramatically over the past decade. Tire rotation, inspections of drive components, brake fluid changes, HVAC filter changes, and tire replacements even up the EV to ICE car cost ownership costs over the long run. The two market leaders in electric vehicles do not offer maintenance costs saving in the real world.

In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.

Comments

JP (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 9:20AM

In reply to by John Goreham

Many companies offer additional, optional, service plans. It's common practice. Some people like the feeling of security they get from them, others don't see the benefit. I'm not sure why you feel a common business practice across all industries is worse because Tesla also offers it, as an option. Actually I am sure, because it destroys your entire premise of this article, which was flawed to begin with.

John Goreham    April 11, 2014 - 12:42PM

In reply to by JP (not verified)

I guess I am not doing a good job explaining that the service plans for BMW and the other automakers I mentioned in the article are not optional. You get them at no added cost. So they reduce the amount of money required to maintain the vehicle the way the manufacturer suggests you should. The point of the article is that to maintain a Tesla the way tesla suggests that you should costs more than the cars it calls competitors (or peers if you prefer). I think it is pretty widely discussed that EVs should be less expensive to maintain than ICE vehicles. My story takes a look at the actual cost reported by actual Tesla owners and uses the company's own website as proof that seems untrue. The story did pretty well.

JP (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 1:47PM

In reply to by John Goreham

If you think an optional pay service plan is a valid comparison to required service included in the purchase price it's pretty obvious you have no interest in making an accurate argument. Try and grasp this basic concept, whatever service Tesla feels is "required" is also free, since the service plan that you can buy if you want is not required. Tesla simply offers an additional higher level of extra service if you want it, as an option. You do know what an option is, right? Like adding optional leather seating, or a sun roof, or any other option that is not required for the operation of the vehicle but you can pay extra for.

John Goreham    April 11, 2014 - 3:49PM

In reply to by JP (not verified)

Thanks JP, well argued. The owners paying the $600 at their first annual service, or those that buy one of the 5 service plans Tesla sells are getting something optional that they did not need to buy in order to properly maintain their vehicle. Frankly, that does not seem ethical. Seems like exactly what car dealers are often accused of by angry owners. -- Is the Leaf maintenance optional too or is that actually recommended and required by Nissan as we seem to think?

JP (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 5:58PM

In reply to by John Goreham

I'm still failing to understand how offering an optional product or service is unethical. As I said, some people like the extra level of service and think it's worth paying for. Just as people sometimes pay for an extended warranty, even though statistically it's not worth buying in most cases.
I'm not that familiar with the LEAF maintenance but I believe there is a free yearly battery check and a tire rotation, which may or may not be free, or you could do yourself. Since Nissan uses dealers they may try to push other services, which as far as I know are not required.
The bottom line is there are simply fewer things to maintain in an EV, and assuming it's properly built will need much less service compared to a conventional ICE vehicle. Along with the drastically lower "fueling" costs means a lower cost of ownership compared to a similarly priced ICE vehicle.

Tinhart (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 7:41AM

Thanks John, I do think you are asking important questions here and asking us to do some good critical thinking. Apologies for all the typos in my previous post. I should know better than to compose such long posts on my phone. :)

Bill (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 10:21AM

Maybe a bit off subject but...What if you don't want or need an automobile with the absolute lowest cost of ownership? I'm enjoying my 2011 VW Golf TDI in which I got 60 mpg on a cross country trip last year.
The next generation Golf TDI due out later this year is supposed to get 10-15% better MPG.
A VW Polo might compare with the Nissan Leaf in size and will get substantially better than the new Golf. (The Polo is not available here - yet)
When concerned with costs consider many families have a pair of vehicles, with one being an EV, simply because they like the perceived cost benefit (questionable) and the coveted environmental social benefit (epidemically popular). Many of these families could own just one small efficient car that is capable of all tasks and save substantial money.
But to each his own - until our choice is eliminated.

John Goreham    April 11, 2014 - 12:52PM

In reply to by Bill (not verified)

Well said Bill. Diesels have a big drivability advantage too. Diesels biggest challenge in the US is not performance, or amazing mileage in certain circumstances. The main issue is that there are no affordable diesels that lead their EPA (size) class in combined mileage (Golf gets 34 MPG combined, so does a Mazda 3). In fact, they have a hard time just beating the conventionally powered gasoline cars. Nor are there any diesels that have the lowest CO2 per mile in their given size class, so it is a hard sell to call them green cars. That is why they are marketed as "clean" instead of green. Consider the added cost of fuel (about 15% higher than regular here in Mass.) and diesel has a tough climb before it wins customers over in the US in any meaningful number. Looking forward to the EPA numbers for the upcoming VW engines. They might should pull ahead of the affordable gas cars.
http://www.torquenews.com/1083/toyota-corolla-tops-all-hybrids-diesels-evs-small-family-car-cost-ownership

Bill (not verified)    April 11, 2014 - 1:06PM

In reply to by John Goreham

Driveability - who'd a thunk it? From my observation the VW TDI gets better MOG than the EPA suggests where regular gasoline vehicle gets lower than EPA estimates. Given this the CO2 per mile would be lower than the government reports.
My city is pretty hilly, and I get about 41-42 here in town.
Another thing that must be compared is feel. I've been in Civics, Prius', Elantra, etc. The Golf doesn't have the tin can feel the high milage compacts mentioned here.
It may not have the lowest of the low in CO2 emissions (though I heard a few years ago the Golf TDI was lower than the Prius) but overall the driving experience is better.
And I prefer to be clean than green. "Green" has no real meaning especially these days of
eco-misinformation and enviro-hysteria.

Alex (not verified)    June 30, 2014 - 12:38PM

You cannot say "Electric vehicles cost more to maintain than gas cars do". First of all, that is generalizing, and second of all it simply is not true. All you do in your article is show that the two most popular EVs make you pay for maintenance in a different way then popular ICE cars. It is an important distiction, but it does not support the claim that Electric vehicles cost more to maintain than gas cars do. You are neglecting that someone has to pay for all of that 'Free' maintenance for 2 years, and you are also neglecting that it is obviously the customer who is paying for that maintenance (through their MSRP). Your title actually should read "ICE cars hide maintenance costs in sticker price". Also, last time I checked cars last longer than 2 years. Over the 10-20 year life of the car is that 2 years really significant?

Miami Mike (not verified)    July 21, 2014 - 10:49AM

I've got a 2001 Honda Accord which I got almost new, and it has been fair-to-middling trouble free for 13 years. It is coming up on 100,000 miles, and I have a LONG laundry list of things to do on it (I do all my own work, I HATE car dealers, they are expensive and incompetent). Most of these to-do items are directly related to the gasoline engine, and I would not have them with an electric car. Spark plugs, distributor cap, all radiator hoses (the one time this car stranded me in 13 years was from a blown cooling hose), timing belt, balancer belt, tension roller, water pump, several oil seals, PCV valve, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items. I also plan on doing pads and discs, shoes and drums, and four struts, which I'd have on an electric car as well. The electric would not have needed oil changes every 7,500 miles, or any antifreeze at all. The electric car will never need a muffler, either. And by the way, $291 to change the brake fluid is a total ripoff . . . the old DOT3 brake fluid absorbed water and rusted things, newer brake fluids DOT4, etc. don't . . . so "changing the brake fluid" isn't really needed more than once a decade and is mostly an excuse and opportunity to check for leaks.

The average car in the US is now 14 years old. It will be interesting to see what the long-term costs of ownership are for a gas car versus and electric car after the first decade. Not everyone wants to buy a brand new car every couple of years, so the "two year comparison" is nonsense. You need to look at the total cost of ownership, from dealership floor to junkyard, over twenty years or so.

I've been fiddling around with gasoline engines for fifty years, and have owned over 150 cars of all kinds, new, used, mundane and exotic. It is time to move on, electric cars are ALREADY so superior to gasoline buggies that once the range and recharge problems are solved (and they are solving them now), people will look at gas cars and say incredulously "People rode around in those things?"

John Goreham    July 21, 2014 - 12:10PM

In reply to by Miami Mike (not verified)

That was a great year for Accords. I had a 2003 with the V6, and as you may know there were transmission failures on that car. I completely get what you are explaining here. For you, an EV would definitely be lower in cost to maintain over a long period of time. I also agree that EVs could be lower in cost at say, year 9, or 10 compared to a modern ICE car. Yes, we can always ignore the "check/change" recommendations, such as brakes in the Leaf, but maybe there is a reason the manufacturer makes the suggestion. Hard to say. This story gives a lot of real examples of the costs to maintain EVs. Some facts form the makers, some from trusted third parties. There is a mix. Since the article was written the BMW i3 launched. Its maintenance is included, like all BMWs, for 4 years. We wrote about that. We also covered the major issues BMW is now struggling with regarding the AC and the Check Engine Light. We have not yet reported on the $1300 windshield replacement one owner recently went through. EVs should be less expensive (as we say in the story). That does not mean they actually are. - - You bring up year 20 of ownership. Based on my participation in the EV forums I think it is pretty clear that by year 20 any EV will be on its second (or third) battery pack, new or reconditioned. That really hurts the long-term maintenance costs.
Thanks for writing in. I wish I had your car repair skills and patience. It would save me a lot of money.

PowerHouse Designz (not verified)    August 1, 2014 - 2:45AM

In reply to by Miami Mike (not verified)

EV's need coolant and WILL need circuit boards eventually. The items you listed that need changing on your Honda would come out to $1,000 at an indy shop...lol...$1,000....

Christopher Lynt (not verified)    July 21, 2014 - 12:58PM

OK, let's say you are on your 2d battery pack with a Nissan Leaf - that's about a $5,000.00 item according to Nissan's recent pricing announcement...but it is essentially like having a new ICE car, the Leaf electric motor will last virtually forever, no transmission to wear out, maybe there will be some brake service, but regenerative brakes last a lot longer than the regular ICE brakes. I really don't see why anyone would pay somebody to change a cabin air filter which is so easily accessible and cheap from an auto-supply house. And I'd be willing to bet that replacement batteries will become even cheaper as the factories expand and gear up, so to speak. PS Some experts expect oil supplies to last another 50-60 years...so maybe we won't live to see it, but the EV will be most likely be the future of personal transportation.

mike (not verified)    February 13, 2015 - 7:26PM

NEVER change a fuel filter? B.S.!! NO tune-up? B.S.!! There is no such animal as a fuel filter that does not need changing. Ever hear of a valve adjustment? Power steering fluid requires changing every 2-3 years. same with BRAKE fluid. Differential fluid. ALL of those should be changed at the 10,000 mile point. I truly have serious doubts that the author knows very much about an automobile.

John Goreham    February 13, 2015 - 9:43PM

In reply to by mike (not verified)

Feel free to find the fuel filter change interval in any modern car's owner's manual and post the link here. While you're at it, give us a quick overview of where in the engine bay the electronic power steering fluid reservoir can be found. Hydraulic power steering is gone, along with points, distributors and a lot of other items that used to be frequently maintained. I think we cover the topic of brake fluid pretty comprehensively in the story starting in the Nissan Leaf paragraph. Where is the differential fluid in a Prius?

mike (not verified)    February 14, 2015 - 5:06PM

In reply to by John Goreham

Mercedes Benz quotes 30,000 mile intervals for fuel filters
BMW motorcycles quotes 24,000 mile intervals for fuel filters.
The differential is in the tran-axle, Einstein.
How much does it cost to replace the timing belt in a transverse FWD V-6?
Ever check the cost of service on a Ferrari?

John Goreham    February 14, 2015 - 10:43PM

In reply to by mike (not verified)

Hi Mike. Here is the link to the 2015 Mercedes Maintenance Schedule. 30K service is on page 19. http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalAssets/pdfmb/maintenancebooklets/MY14_Maintenance_Booklet.pdf The comments don't support links so you have to cut and paste it. Is the fuel filter shown there as a recommended change? I could be missing it. Front wheel drive cars like Prii and Camrys Accords, etc don't have differential fluid to change. Those models make sense to compare to EVs because they are the top sellers of cars in their classes and like EVs they use a combined motor drive assembly. As opposed to engine in front and a drive shaft to the rear wheels spun by a differential. There is transmission fluid in an ICE car. Just like there is in a Volt, but it gets changed more often. I feel like you are exaggerating to make a point. Why are you using motorcycles and Ferraris to help explain why you think the premise of the story is incorrect? In the story we compare the cost of EVs to similar ICE models. The cost to maintain an EV SHOULD be less than an ICE car. However, the automakers did not price the recommended EV maintenance that way. We give the price examples in the story. In the case of the Tesla we provide a link which still works. $3,800 for 100K miles in that car's case - -Since you asked, The timing belt in a car with a transverse engine like a Camry V6 costs about $600 to $800 to replace. It is usually done only once in the life of the car, around 90K miles, and that service includes the water pump and coolant replacement as well.

mike (not verified)    February 15, 2015 - 3:07PM

In reply to by John Goreham

Nissan and most others quote 60,000 mile intervals for timing belts and when you do replace them you also are advised by myself and dealers to replace everything behind them (water pump, external oil pump, seals etc.) that could possibly fail before the next change. This costs over $1000 on a 4 cylinder Accord and in 1995 $1500.00 on a 300-ZX.

EVERY car, be it FWD, RWD, 4WD, AWD has a differential. While on RWD cars such as M-B it is separate from the transmission, RWD cars and Corvettes, XLR's and other RWD cars use a transaxle that contains both differential and transmission and Honda says every 25,000 miles for replacement.

I quoted the the Ferrari because it is as the TESLA, a rich mans car. The bike because both are 'modern' and similar engines (dual OHC, 4-valve, roller bearing) and trust me on this...the bike will cost you 12 cents per mile if you do the work per the book at a dealer.

The very big caveat in the EV is battery replacement. Honda quoted close to $4k for the Civic and that was a 're-manufactured' battery!

We are giving serious consideration to a used, low mileage VOLT because it can still be driven like a 'real' car! The total EV's are not IMO worth the hassle. My brother in law has a Leaf and loves it. He did lease it for $200 per month 2 years back then bought a used SL for less than the dealer would sell his lower priced model.

I'll send a PM on the other subject.

Mike

Peter (not verified)    May 29, 2015 - 3:31PM

2014 leaf 12500. First service. Quoted 360$ for all recommended service. (Brake fluid, tire rotate, cabin filter and all...) ask them to just do battery testing, inspections. Price went down to $150. Yet This is still more expensive than other four cylinder car. You may skip this service but the manual says that the battery check up is required for the warranty of the battery. Hmm!

Christopher (not verified)    May 31, 2015 - 11:50AM

In reply to by Peter (not verified)

Call Nissan customer service if the dealer doesn't refund the battery check cost...they are supposed to be FREE! I had to do this for one check because the dealer just didn't know.

Christopher (not verified)    June 1, 2015 - 11:39AM

Everything else, you can do yourself and/or get from non-Nissan sources...except maybe for the brake fluid since it is 'special' so they say with the regenerative brake system and all that. I paid my dealer to change the brake fluid after 2 years of ownership - it's the only thing I have had to pay for so far, except for state inspections once a year since I bought my Leaf in Dec. 2011. That was fun when I went to the local gas station inspector who have never seen a Leaf. He was confused about whether there was engine oil to check etc. BTW, our new 2015 Prius has a better maintenance schedule than our first one a 2005 Prius. Oil change every 10,000 miles (synthetic oil blend). Our 2005 Prius started having computer problems - strange error codes kept popping up if we went over a bump or around a sharp curve. My wife got tired of the anxiety of it all, and I got tired of resetting the computer, so when 0% financing was available, we switched it for a newer Prius for our long distance travel. So far, range is the only drawback of the Leaf I have encountered, but it is perfect for local/short commute driving.

Jamesh (not verified)    June 11, 2015 - 11:21AM

Clearly, the cost of "dealer recommended service" and real world ownership cost is different. And when looking at the cost to maintain a vehicle, one should look beyond the first 2 years as the average American keeps their vehicle for 5-6 years (kbb.com).
Also, I am sure it was mentioned, but regular (ICE) vehicles require gasoline at a cost of $1500 to $2500 a year (on average)...add to this the inconvenience of needing to stop for fill ups (and oil changes). This is much more than the $300-$500 in electricity it may cost to fuel an EV...which is conveniently (most often) filled up at your own home or work.
I personally am in the market for a new-to-me vehicle. My budget is 9k but I have stretched that to 12k in order to purchase a nice 2013 Leaf with <15k miles. I decided that all the positives way out match the negatives (plus, it is a darn nice car).

John Goreham    June 11, 2015 - 12:25PM

In reply to by Jamesh (not verified)

Let us just reiterate that at the time the story was written we did NOT use "Dealer recommended service" in any of our analysis. We only looked at what the manufactures' themselves listed as required or recommended. Since the story was published, the BMW i3 became the least expensive EV to maintain. The first 4 years of Mfg. recommended service are zero added cost, just like all of BMW's ICE cars. As of today, the cost to fuel an EV is not lower than the cost to fuel a Prius, Cmax, Accord Hybrid or other 50 MPG hybrid here in Mass. where I live Eversource electricity rate is $0.24 per kWh. Gas is about $2.65 per gallon. Used Leafs are an excellent value. No doubt about that.

Michael DeAbreu (not verified)    July 28, 2015 - 3:57AM

In reply to by John Goreham

Here are actual maintenance costs:
2001 Honda Odyssey, $10,224.05 (CAD)
2000 BMW 323i, $30,015.97 (CAD)

Scrapped the Odyssey when the transmission failed. ($4,500 to rebuild)
Scrapped the BMW when the throttle body electric motor failed. ($1,200 and 2-3 weeks from Germany)
I put that money towards a Nissan LEAF

What I don't spend on gas (> $200/mo) will pay for regular maintenance. I'll replace the LEAF battery with the money I save from not having to pay for:
Oil & filters
Clutch replacement
Transmission service, flush and fluids
Brake pads, rotors and fluids (every 2 years, I live in the coastal mountains)
Expansion tanks (three times!)
GM5 module repair
Belts, pulleys, water pumps.
Power steering fluid, and hoses
Spark plugs
Timing belts
Intake manifold decarboration
Cooling system service
Replace radiator and hoses
Replace radiator electric fan
Replace PCV valves
Replace O2 sensors,
Replace mufflers
and Replace Batteries (Yes ICE vehicle need batteries too!)

John Goreham    November 9, 2015 - 9:35PM

In reply to by Michael DeAbreu (not verified)

You point is well taken, but bear in mind that right now the electricity to propel a Leaf costs more than the gasoline to propel a Prius or some of the other gas-only green cars in many markets. Brake pads and rotors, brake fluid changes are still part of the Leaf's routine maintenance. There are no more power steering fluid changes in modern cars (EV or otherwise). Most of the other stuff you list is a one-time event in the life of the ICE car. PVC and O2 sensors are part of the emissions system and have an 8-year warranty if I am not mistaken. No timing belt in the Prius either. Compare a modern gasoline powered green car to a modern EV and the maintenance costs are not all that different. Particularly for the first five years. That is longer than modern EVs have been for sale here in the U.S. Sorry about the Honda's Transmission. My '06 Accord was part of the class action suit on that and it cost me a grand to replace. I moved away from Honda after that.

Michael DeAbreu (not verified)    November 12, 2015 - 5:31PM

In reply to by John Goreham

At least we agree that there can't be any maintenance or repair costs for parts that a car doesn't have, like timing belts in the Prius or the increasing rare hydraulic power steering systems. Which is why I chose the LEAF over competing hybrids which still had most if not all of the standard engine components of a conventional gas car plus a complex and potentially failure-prone coupling to the electric motor.

When you talk about free service, lets be clear that this is limited to luxury brands. Edmonds has a completely opposite take on this in their article, "Free Car Maintenance Programs - It's a Nice Bonus, but It May Not Always Save You Money. Like Tesla's "free" charging, "free" maintenance is baked into the premium cost of these luxury vehicles. While I loved my BMW and the first 3 years of free service and roadside assistance, it was the regular maintenance and repairs that soured me on the whole internal combustion engine thing.