Service, maintenance and repair (SMR) costs for electric vehicles are almost half those of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, new real-world data from Epyx indicates.

Long-predicted EV savings are now becoming apparent

The figures show long-predicted savings from EVs are starting to become apparent, in terms of both the amount spent on SMR and the number of garage visits for EVs compared to ICE cars and, to a lesser extent, for hybrids.

At the end of the first year of operation, the average SMR spend for an EV was £141 compared to £195 for hybrids and £199 for ICE. By year two, this was £174 for EV against £266 for hybrids and £290 for ICE. Finally, in year three, the figures were £221 for EV alongside £341 for hybrid and £401 for ICE – marking a 45% reduction in SMR costs for EVs compared to ICE.

When it comes to garage visits, the average for EVs was 1.13 at the end of year one compared to 1.17 for hybrids and 1.21 for ICE. By year two, the comparative figures were 1.18 for EV, 1.29 for hybrid and 1.31 for ICE. At the end of year three, the figures were 1.36 for EV against 1.53 for hybrid and also 1.53 for ICE.

Epyx has stressed that the average mileage for each fuel type within its data differs and sometimes quite widely, with hybrids the highest at 38,626 miles over three years, EVs at 31,805 and ICE at 31,770.

The data – covering vehicles up to 3.5 years old – is taken from the Epyx 1link Service Network, used by fleets totalling more than four million cars, vans and trucks to manage their service, maintenance and repair processes, working with thousands of franchise dealers, independent garages and fast fits.

Epyx said the latest data provides a far more conclusive picture of the cost benefits of EVs – previous figures were less clear, largely because the number of EVs on its database was still very low. The platform now has some 409,560 EVs – providing a much-improved impression.

“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,” said Tim Meadows, CCO at Epyx.

“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.”

However, Meadows warned that comparisons to hybrids are harder 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,” he explained.