Do electric vehicles need servicing?

Do EVs need servicing in the same way as a petrol or diesel car?

A common myth around Electric Vehicles is that because they don’t have a petrol or diesel engine, they don’t need to be serviced. While it’s certainly true that electric vehicles have fewer moving parts than Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) and are up to 40% cheaper to run and maintain as a result, they do still need to be serviced to keep them working well.

Most EVs need servicing a lot less frequently than their petrol and diesel equivalents. While some manufacturers still want to carry out an inspection after two years regardless of mileage, 18,000 to 20,000 mile services are standard for most EVs.

Electric motors and batteries

These both need very little maintenance. There is next to nothing that needs to be done to these two parts to keep them working well, although the oil in the transmission and the coolant that is used to keep the batteries at the right temperature will occasionally need to be kept topped up and changed. This is usually done on a schedule set by the manufacturer, although its likely to be less frequent than the oil changes that a petrol or diesel engine would need.

Brakes

EVs use a form of braking that is called regenerative braking to top up the batteries while on the move, which means that you use the actual brake disks and pads less than you would with an ICE car. As a result, the wear on these two parts is reduced with EVs but still dependant on your personally driving style. Brake discs and pads are still important parts of your vehicle and will still need to be replaced eventually and should be checked as part of the service.

Tyres

Evidence from our drivers suggests that tyres last longer on EVs than on ICE vehicles, which may be because EVs encourage smoother driving – but like any car, tyre condition is essential to keeping you safe and legal, so these will need regular checking and replacement.

If you have an EV as part of a Tusker car scheme, you will have all of the maintenance and servicing costs as well as tyre replacement included as part of the scheme. Therefore, booking your servicing could not be easier via our online system or through our driver line on 0333 400 2020, and we take care of the rest.