EV servicing costs a third less compared to petrol and diesel cars

ELECTRIC Vehicles (EVs) are significantly cheaper to service than petrol or diesel models according to new data from BookMyGarage.com.

Costing on average £103, EVs are at least a third less expensive to service compared to diesel, hybrid, and petrol vehicles.

According to the price comparison site’s data, diesel cars are the most expensive to service, costing £163 on average, with hybrid vehicles ranking second (£159), followed by petrol engine cars (£151).

Furthermore, overall average maintenance bills (including MOT tests, servicing and repairs) cost up to 43% less for EVs compared to other fuel types.

Although the price of a new electric vehicle commands a premium over its ICE equivalent, EV owners will benefit from significantly lower maintenance costs, including servicing.

A key reason for lower EV servicing costs is that there are fewer moving parts and therefore less work is required during a typical service compared to ICE vehicles.

Jessica Potts, Head of Marketing at BookMyGarage.com, said, “The nature of EV powertrains not requiring engine oil changes, fuel filters, air filters or spark plugs means that servicing an electric vehicle requires less labour and fewer replacement parts and fluids, helping to lower costs for motorists.

“That said, servicing is still essential for EVs from a safety perspective, so the throughput of vehicles in workshops and the business opportunity for garages should remain similar to ICE vehicles – much of the cost saving is from fewer replacement parts rather than a reduction in labour.”

There are currently far fewer EV-qualified garages available to motorists. This will need to change in the coming years as EV ownership continues to grow – it represented 16.6% of new car sales in 2022 according to the latest SMMT data. Garages that adapt to growing demand for electric vehicles will benefit from first mover advantage by positioning themselves as the go-to EV experts in their local area.

Potts added: “As ICE vehicle drivers begin to move over to EVs in the coming years, and the infrastructure of the UK for electric vehicles on the road continues to improve, opportunities for EV-qualified garages will grow rapidly. Garages that are not qualified to service EVs will miss out on vital business and be faced with a shrinking market.”