While many drivers still have their concerns about switching to electric vehicles – from lack of charging points, to battery range anxiety and high prices – one benefit is more affordable servicing costs, according to a new report.
Analysis of 280,000 servicing quotes for cars last year revealed fully-electric models are ‘significantly cheaper’ than all other fuel types.
An electric car costs an average of just £103 to service, whereas diesels are most expensive at an average of £163, followed by hybrids (£159) and petrols (£151), according to BookMyGarage.com.
While those who already own a zero-emission car will welcome the findings, the Institute of the Motor Industry says it is concerned that the number of mechanics and technicians qualified to work on battery vehicle is failing to keep pace with EV sales.
Electric vehicles are ‘significantly cheaper’ than other fuel types to service, according to a new report. But will there be enough trained mechanics to work on battery cars as sales continue to boom?
BookMyGarage says 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 car with a traditional engine.
And it says the overall maintenance bills to run an electric car are generally lower than petrol and diesels when also taking into account MOTs and repairs.
It estimates that in total an electric vehicle will cost 43 per cent less than a combustion-engine equivalent in terms of maintenance bills.
Analysis of 280,000 servicing quotes for cars last year has revealed that fully-electric models are on average £43 less expensive to service than petrol-engine models
Jessica Potts, of the vehicle maintenance platform, said: ‘When it comes to servicing cars, there is some work that is common to all fuel types, such as replacing the cabin filter, topping up the screen wash and carrying out safety inspections.
‘However, EV powertrains are a lot simpler and don’t require engine oil changes, air filters, spark plugs [on petrol engines] and fuel filters [on diesel engines].
‘The reduction in work means that servicing an electric vehicle requires less labour and fewer replacement parts and fluids, helping to lower costs.’
While EV servicing costs are lower, the £48 saved annually over a petrol alternative will do little to bridge the upfront price premium of an electric car.
For instance, a new Volkswagen Golf with a 1.0-litre petrol engine cost from £25,765 whereas an ID.3 – the German brand’s electric family hatchback that shares similar dimensions to the Golf – starts at £39,425 in the UK.
It means – in theory – it would take 285 services to recoup the £13,660 upfront price premium of the EV via cheaper servicing bills alone.
While electric cars might be cheaper to service, they are still far more expensive to buy. For instance, the cheapest petrol VW Golf (left) costs from £25,765 while the lowest-priced electric VW ID.3 (right) is £39,435
According to the latest data from the IMI, just 16% of the nation’s mechanics and technicians are qualified to work on electric cars. And it fears the uptake in training won’t keep pace with EV sales
Are there enough qualified mechanics to work on EVs?
There are also concerns regarding the number of qualified mechanics and technicians who can carry out maintenance on electrified cars.
The latest information from the Institute of Motor Industry, which represents workers in the motor sector, shows that one in six members of the UK’s repair and maintenance workforce is currently qualified to work on electric vehicles.
Between the beginning of January and the end of September 2022, more than 11,500 technicians undertook training required to obtain a qualification to work on EVs as the industry looks to upskill to carry out maintenance on battery cars, taking the total across the sector to 16 per cent with the accreditation.
At the end of 2021, just 11 per cent of the garage workforce were qualified to work on EVs, though the IMI says it is concerned that the acceleration in workers gaining qualifications is waning.
Steve Nash, CEO at the IMI, said: ‘The sector should be very proud of how it has responded to the call for EV upskilling. However, we are now in a dangerous place in terms of continued commitment to skills matched to EV adoption.’
He added: ‘The reality is the automotive aftermarket already faces high employment replacement demand caused by an aging workforce, migration and occupation mobility.
‘The uptake of automotive apprenticeships also has not caught up with pre-pandemic levels.
‘There is, therefore, no time to waste in getting the sector properly skilled for electrified vehicles. It is also critical that those already qualified complete their CPD to ensure they remain competent to work on this new technology.’
With new petrol and diesel cars scheduled to be banned from showrooms from start of the next decade, the IMI predicts that the number of qualified technicians required to work on electric vehicles by 2030 must rise to 77,000 – and increase to 89,000 by 2032.
The IMI estimates that 2029 is the year where electric car ownership will exceed the number of qualified mechanics and technicians to service them
‘The IMI would be deeply concerned if anyone believes the EV skills problem is not an immediate issue,’ Mr Nash added.
‘It is crucial the sector continues to train and skill its workforce at significant rates. But with current economic pressures there is concern that training budgets will be the first to be cut.
‘Government support for training which, in turn, will help it achieve its decarbonisation goals, is vital.’
BookMyGarage says owners of EVs who enter their registration number into its online platform will automatically only be shown garages with mechanics qualified to work on their vehicles.
Battery-electric vehicles are already easily outselling diesels, though have a long way to catch up to demand for new petrols, as shown in this sales chart for January provided by the SMMT
More than 1 in 10 (13.1%) of all new car registrations last month were battery-electric cars. In contrast, petrols account for almost 1 in 5 new vehicles entering the road in January
According to Zap-Map, there are already some 680,000 fully-electric cars on Britain’s roads today. And demand continues to outstrip that of other fuel types.
In January, almost 17,300 new battery-electric vehicles were registered, which is 6 per cent higher than sales recorded in January 2022.
In contrast, diesel sales plummeted by 15 per cent – almost 2,000 vehicles – last month compared to the previous January.
In fact, electric cars are now easily outselling diesels in Britain.
Some 17,294 battery models were bought last month. In comparison, dealers sold just 10,399 diesel cars.
However, petrol remains the by far the most popular fuel type with 76,216 registrations last month, accounting for almost three in five (57.8 per cent) of all new motors being bought in the UK.
