The arrival of the electric car has been worrying the automotive repair industry for years. Traditionally, it has been said that these types of cars require less maintenance than traditional internal combustion cars. The smaller number of components has also been cited as a problem, although the higher technology can compensate for this. It’s like moving from repairing mechanical parts to repairing control units, sensors and computers.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CAR IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT?
How does it affect the cost of repair? All these questions were answered by two studies conducted in the United States and Canada. Specifically, data collected in both countries by Mitchell, a software company for repair workshops, shows that the cost of repairing an electric car is about the same as repairing a car with a combustion engine. With one exception: if that car is a Tesla.
IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR AN ELECTRIC CAR THAN A COMBUSTION ENGINE CAR?
The average cost of repairing a crashed internal combustion engine car was 4,000 euros, while the average cost of repairing an electric car was around 900 euros more in the US and 1,300 euros more in Canada. According to the study, this is because Tesla vehicles cost 27% more to repair, with an average price of 5,175 euros, which the study attributes to the “cutting-edge safety and connectivity technology” in this type of vehicle, as well as the scarcity of the brand’s spare parts.
However, if Elon Musk’s brand is excluded, the difference between the cost of repairing an electric car in the US and an internal combustion engine in the event of an accident is only 254 euros, or 6%.
In fact, the study shows that electric vehicles are less likely to be declared as claims than their internal combustion counterparts. In the second quarter of 2023, only 10.31% of electric vehicles were classified as claims, compared to 13.11% of combustion vehicles.
“The reduced presence of parts reduces the likelihood of an electric vehicle’s powertrain being compromised in an accident. However, certain components such as ADAS may be affected due to an advanced level of interconnectivity,” the report notes.
Another consequence is that the use of OEM parts is higher in electric vehicles than in internal combustion vehicles, at 90.75% compared to 66.5%. The number of repaired parts, in fact, is only 13% compared to 19% for combustion vehicles.
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