Recent research has shown that electric vehicles (EVs) are far less likely to break down than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. EVs are significantly simpler, especially when it comes to the number of moving parts and maintenance requirements. Electric vehicles almost never require fluid changes, and their brake pads can last for hundreds of thousands of miles. However, when an EV does break down, it often requires specialized technicians for repair.
We have previously published several studies on the reliability of electric vehicles. Now, let’s take a closer look at the failure rates of EVs and compare them with gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
Thanks to the German Automobile Club (ADAC), a large amount of data on roadside assistance requests for electric vehicles has been collected. It is important to note that the following results do not directly represent reliability. Due to the ADAC's methodology, these statistics reflect the number of failures per thousand vehicles. From 2020 to 2022, the average failure rate for electric vehicles was 4.2 per thousand vehicles, whereas the failure rate for gasoline vehicles was much higher, at 10.4 per thousand vehicles.
The good news is that failure rates are steadily decreasing across both powertrain types. In 2020, the average failure rate for electric vehicles was 8.5 per thousand vehicles, while gasoline vehicles had an average of 12.9 failures per thousand vehicles. In 2021, the failure rate for EVs dropped to 4.3, and in 2022, it fell even further to 1.7. Gasoline vehicles, on the other hand, showed a decrease as well, with an average failure rate of 8.2 in 2021, and 5.4 in 2022.
Now for some more good news: so far, the primary culprit behind most EV failures remains the same. That culprit is the low-voltage battery, which is almost identical in both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles. Enthusiastic EV owners are likely familiar with this issue, and we’ve previously published a detailed article on it. For those concerned about major failures in their expensive EVs (such as the high-voltage battery), this is certainly reassuring news.
Recent research has shown that electric vehicles (EVs) are far less likely to break down than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. EVs are significantly simpler, especially when it comes to the number of moving parts and maintenance requirements. Electric vehicles almost never require fluid changes, and their brake pads can last for hundreds of thousands of miles. However, when an EV does break down, it often requires specialized technicians for repair.
We have previously published several studies on the reliability of electric vehicles. Now, let’s take a closer look at the failure rates of EVs and compare them with gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
Thanks to the German Automobile Club (ADAC), a large amount of data on roadside assistance requests for electric vehicles has been collected. It is important to note that the following results do not directly represent reliability. Due to the ADAC's methodology, these statistics reflect the number of failures per thousand vehicles. From 2020 to 2022, the average failure rate for electric vehicles was 4.2 per thousand vehicles, whereas the failure rate for gasoline vehicles was much higher, at 10.4 per thousand vehicles.
The good news is that failure rates are steadily decreasing across both powertrain types. In 2020, the average failure rate for electric vehicles was 8.5 per thousand vehicles, while gasoline vehicles had an average of 12.9 failures per thousand vehicles. In 2021, the failure rate for EVs dropped to 4.3, and in 2022, it fell even further to 1.7. Gasoline vehicles, on the other hand, showed a decrease as well, with an average failure rate of 8.2 in 2021, and 5.4 in 2022.
Now for some more good news: so far, the primary culprit behind most EV failures remains the same. That culprit is the low-voltage battery, which is almost identical in both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles. Enthusiastic EV owners are likely familiar with this issue, and we’ve previously published a detailed article on it. For those concerned about major failures in their expensive EVs (such as the high-voltage battery), this is certainly reassuring news.
