Electric car maintenance: this is what we need to know

Little by little, without rushing but without pause, electric cars are becoming quite common on our roads and streets, so we can find more and more of these vehicles in the manufacturers’ ranges. But do we know how much this type of vehicle’s maintenance costs? Cars with combustion engines have more or less controlled costs that we can more or less know.

Electric vehicles have maintenance that is very different from that of cars with internal combustion engines, although they also have to go to the workshop from time to time for tuning and carrying out the corresponding inspections. What is checked on this type of vehicle at workshops?

Electric car maintenance

Electric cars do not need many of the mechanical parts that are part of traditional cars, but they also need to be inspected and some element needs to be replaced due to wear. That said, wear is much lower and as a result, maintenance costs fall considerably.

But how does electric car maintenance differ from that of a car with a combustion engine? Electric motors eliminate many of the parts that wear out and, consequently, there is no need to work on them. Nor do you have to change the oil or filters, so we eliminate a recurring expense that is necessary in other vehicles.

But the electric motor, the battery, the wiring and the rest of the electrical elements also need a periodic inspection to avoid accidents. This inspection, which the manufacturer sets by mileage, is quicker and simpler, although to carry it out you need specific tools and measuring equipment. However, there are other elements that do wear out and need checking to maintain driving safety.

The braking system also needs checking, but in the case of electric models a braking system with energy recovery is used, which helps keep the brakes in good condition for longer. With this, we can ensure that electric car maintenance is much cheaper than in the case of traditional cars.

This saving in electric car maintenance helps offset the higher cost of an electric car compared with a similar one with a combustion engine. That said, it should be noted that the electric car maintenance processes must be carried out by specialised and properly trained staff, as many workshops are still not prepared to maintain electric cars.