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Electric vehicle service advantages starting to show: epyx

Lower costs and fewer garage visits for EV over ICE vehicles.
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August 20, 2024

Lower service, maintenance and repair (SMR) costs predicted for electric vehicles (EVs) are starting to become apparent, according to new data from automotive technology specialist epyx.

The real world fleet data from vehicles up to 3.5 years old, taken from the epyx 1link service network shows advantages in both the amount spent on SMR and the number of garage visits for EVs, compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and, to a lesser extent, for hybrids.

Average SMR spend for an EV at the end of its first year of operation was £141, compared to £195 for hybrids and £199 for ICE cars. In year two this increased to £174 for EVs against £266 for hybrids and £290 for ICE vehicles, and year three figures were £221 for EVs alongside £341 for hybrids and £401 for ICE cars.

The average EV made 1.13 garage visits at the end of year one compared to 1.17 for hybrids and 1.21 for ICE cars. By year two, the comparative figures were 1.18 for EV, 1.29 for hybrid and 1.31 for ICE and year three, 1.36, 1.53 and 1.53 respectively.

Presenting the figures epyx did add an important proviso, in the average mileage for each fuel type within the data differs, sometimes quite widely, with hybrids the highest at 38,626 miles over three years, EVs at 31,805 and ICE at 31,770.

According to epyx chief commercial officer Tim Meadows, previously released SMR data about EVs had been quite inconclusive, largely due to a very low number on the database which was not really sufficient to build up a consistent picture. “However, we now have something like 409,560 EVs on the platform, which provides a much-improved impression,” Meadows said.

“Essentially, what we are seeing is both noticeably lower running costs and numbers of garage visits for EVs compared to both hybrids and ICE vehicles. By the end of year three, these are quite substantial – the EV SMR spend is not much more than half seen for ICE.

“For some time, everyone from manufacturers to fleet managers have predicted that EVs will enjoy substantially lower running costs than ICE vehicles because of the reduced number of moving parts and general wear that is inherent in the technology. It’s possible, even probable, that these real world figures are starting to show this expectation become reality”.

He added that the comparison between EVs and hybrids produces a less-clear picture due to the much higher mileage in the sample. “The additional average 7,000 or so miles covered by the hybrids in our sample could easily account for the differences in SMR cost and garage visits compared to EV, needing items such as additional tyres or brake pads.”

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Andrew Charman

Andrew Charman has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years. He has won several accolades including for his retail industry coverage including leasing and judged major industry awards.

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