I Thought EVs Were Maintenance-Free but I Took My 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 In For Service at 28K Miles and Was Quoted $600 for the Work

Nothing spoils a positive ownership experience more than bringing your car to a dealer and finding out that you need to spend a whopping amount of money for routine service. This practice is one we have seen firsthand many times in the past, but what makes this situation unusual are two factors. First, this is a Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicle, which has three years and 36,000 miles of service included, and second, this is a battery-electric vehicle.

We won’t name the individual who offered us the top-of-page image for our use in the story, nor will we name the dealership. We will only say it is a U.S. dealer, and we have looked closely at the owner’s post history in the Hyundai social media club, where this was first discussed, and the history indicates this is not a fabricated account. The person who posted this is a Top Contributor and has made many posts with information on owning the Ioniq 5 over many months. Here’s what the person posted unedited, except for grammar.

I took my 22 Ioniq 5 with 28,000 miles, bought in July of 2022, for a tire rotation for 5,000 miles. It's actually been 8000 miles since the last one. The dealer surprised me with a service quote for $600. When I mentioned that the car is still under 36k miles and less than three years old, the dealer agreed to do the tire rotation and do an overall check for no fee and told me, “This is the last free one.” I was also told they will do two recalls. Am I supposed to pay $600 for every service call at every 10k miles from now onwards?

As you can see, the pushback from this Hyundai Ioniq 5 owner resulted in a resolution of the outrageous price quote - this time. But is this fair? Look at the things listed on the work order. Are these legit for any EV, never mind a high-quality one such as the outstanding Ioniq 5?
-Replace Coolant
-Inspect the exhaust pipes and mounting
-Check and replenish all fluids
-Inspect the power steering fluid

What power steering fluid? There is no power steering fluid in any modern Hyundai, even the ICE models. And why would anyone replace the coolant in any vehicle at 28,000 miles? The exhaust pipe thing is comical, but also enraging. Exhaust systems are part of the emission control system in ICE vehicles, and it is mandated under law to be under warranty well past this point in the vehicle’s service history. Of course, EVs have no exhaust system.

Stepping back from the crazy list of things that EVs don’t even have, would this price be legitimate even if all that work was done? It’s 45 minutes of work tops, and maybe $100 in materials.

Ioniq 5 Owners Cry Out For Justice
Here are some comments that owners offered in support of this owner. 
- "Find a new dealership, fast."
- "That’s highway robbery."
- "They were swinging for the fences on this one"
- "Ugh, what?!"
- "I took my 2023 in for recalls and the service message. They tried selling me a service. When I pushed back, they admitted it only required an air cabin filter and tire rotation. They wanted $125 for the air cabin filter, which I got for $20 at an auto parts store, and taught my 15-year-old daughter how to replace it in under two minutes. Most tire shops will do it for $60 if you’re not handy. Dealers make their money on service, and most inflate their prices. That dealer’s service list is a joke. Exhaust! Coolant!"

30K and 60K Service Rip-Offs
Torque News contributors have seen such dealer quotes in the past, unfortunately, first-hand. I myself once was quoted a crazy price for a service interval that included “transmission flush” for a vehicle that specifically had no transmission serviceability. When I pressed, the service advisor said, “We still charge for it.” I was out the door quickly and never went back. 

Not All Dealers Are Bad
By contrast to this owner's experience, other dealers have offered your author and his family very reasonable prices. One Subaru dealer refused to do any work early, saying the dealership had a firm policy not to do unnecessary work. My family has used a Metro Boston Hyundai dealer for years and has always felt that the work was outstanding and the value was very high. We were not quoted any work that was out of the ordinary for the model. Please don’t read into this story that we feel Hyundai dealers are bad. Check out our story on this topic titled "30K Service Rip-Off - Why A Mazda CX-5’s 30K Service Can Cost Half What A Similar Crossover’s Does."
 

Tires And Brakes
So, what service is legit at certain intervals? Tire wear is more rapid with most EVs. Rotating tires every 5,000 miles is always a good idea. Since EVs use regenerative braking, pad and rotor wear are often minimal. However, brake fluid changes every three years, and brake cleaning and lubrication (with appropriate brake chemicals) is a wise preventative measure to help reduce the chance of a frozen caliper or moisture contamination of brake fluid. Many inspections are also legit, but they should never cost more than $150 to perform.

Cabin air filters are a real maintenance item, but as some owners point out, they can be changed by the owner with no tools in under three minutes using parts sourced from your dealer’s parts counter or online. A cabin air filter change should cost under $30, but many dealers charge up to $100 for the service.

Your Manual Has All You Need To Know
Don't trust dealers to tell you what you need. If your vehicle is still under its included maintenance period, pay nothing. If extra services are suggested, ask where in the manual they are mandated. Only do work that the manual specifically says is needed. We also recommend finding a trusted local mechanic once your included maintenance period is up.

Have you experienced dealer shenanigans such as these? If so, please tell us in the comments so that other owners can be forewarned. 

Top of page image used with permission of the owner. Image of Hyundai service area by John Goreham.

John Goreham is a long-standing member of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.