Servicing electric cars is “significantly cheaper” than petrol and diesel

While many drivers still have their concerns about switching to electric vehicles (EVs), from high prices to a lack of charging points and battery anxiety, one of the benefits is more affordable service costs, according to a new report.

Analysis of 280,000 garage quotes given to drivers last year revealed all-electric models are “significantly cheaper” to service than all other fuel types.

An electric car costs an average of £103 to service, while diesels are the most expensive at an average of £163, followed by hybrids (£159) and petrols (£151), according to BookMyGarage.com.

While EV owners will welcome the findings, the Motor Industry Institute is concerned that the number of technicians getting qualifications to work on them safely is not keeping pace with EV sales before the end of the decade.

Electric vehicles are “significantly cheaper” than other types of fuel, according to a new report. But will there be enough mechanics trained to work on battery cars as sales continue to rise?

Based on these figures, it suggests that electric cars are almost a third (32%) less expensive to run than petrol cars and 37% cheaper than diesel cars.

BookMyGarage says a key reason electric car maintenance costs are lower is that there are fewer moving parts and therefore less work required when performing typical maintenance compared to engines with a traditional engine.

And he says overall garage bills for running an electric vehicle are generally lower than petrol and diesel when MOTs and repairs are also taken into account.

It is estimated that, in total, an electric vehicle will cost 43 percent less than an equivalent combustion engine in terms of maintenance costs.

Analysis of 280,000 car maintenance budgets last year has revealed that all-electric models are, on average, £43 less expensive than petrol models.

Jessica Potts, from Vehicle Maintenance Platform, said: “When it comes to servicing cars, there are some jobs that are common to all types of fuel, such as changing the cabin filter, filling of screen washing and carrying out security inspections.

“However, electric vehicle powertrains are much simpler and do not require engine oil changes, air filters, spark plugs. [on petrol engines] and fuel filters [on diesel engines].

“Reduced labor means maintaining an electric vehicle requires less labor and fewer spare parts and fluids, helping to reduce costs.”

Although the running costs of electric vehicles are lower, the £48 saved annually with a petrol alternative will do little to save the current prices of electric cars.

Their higher initial prices remain the biggest barrier preventing many drivers from switching to electric models, according to the latest studies.

For example, the cheapest new Volkswagen Golf with a 1.0-litre petrol engine cost from £25,765, while an ID.3, the German marque’s electric family hatch that shares similar dimensions to the Golf, starts to £39,425 in the UK. It means, in theory, it would take 285 cheaper services to recoup the £13,660 difference.

While electric cars may be cheaper to maintain, they are still much more expensive to buy. For example, the cheapest petrol VW Golf (left) costs from £25,765, while the lowest-priced VW ID.3 electric (right) is £39,435.

According to the latest IMI data, only 16% of the country’s mechanics and technicians are qualified to work with electric cars. And he fears that the adoption of the training will not keep pace with the sales of electric vehicles

As sales of electric vehicles increase, will we have enough qualified garage technicians to work on them?

There is growing concern about the number of qualified mechanics who are trained to safely service electrified cars.

The latest information from the Motor Industry Institute, which represents workers in the motor sector, shows that one in six UK repair and maintenance staff are currently qualified to work on electric vehicles.

Between the beginning of January and the end of September 2022, more than 11,500 technicians completed the necessary training to obtain the ‘IMI TechSafe’ qualification for working with electric vehicles. This is the nationally recognized qualification.

As the industry needs to improve skills to carry out maintenance on the growing number of battery-powered cars on our roads, about 16 percent of all mechanics had obtained accreditation by the end of the third quarter of last year.

By the end of 2021, only 11% of the garage workforce was qualified to work on electric vehicles.

Despite this increase, the IMI says it is concerned that the pace of workers gaining qualifications is slowing and could leave Britain with a skills shortage before the end of the decade.

Steve Nash, chief executive of the IMI, said: “The industry should be very proud of how it has responded to the call to improve the capabilities of electric vehicles. However, we are now in a dangerous place as it is about the continued commitment to the right skills for the adoption of electric vehicles.”

He added: “The reality is that the automotive aftermarket is already facing huge job replacement demand caused by an aging workforce, migration and job mobility.

“The adoption of automotive apprenticeships has also not caught up with pre-pandemic levels.

“There is therefore no time to lose to achieve the appropriate qualification of the sector for electrified vehicles. It is also essential that those already qualified complete their CPD to ensure they remain competent to work in this new technology.

With new petrol and diesel cars banned from showrooms by 2030 and electric vehicles becoming mainstream, the IMI’s current prediction is that from 2029 onwards there will not be enough qualified mechanics to work on it

Based on predictions of electric vehicle sales, the institute estimates that Britain will need 77,000 trained electric vehicle technicians by 2030, rising to 89,000 by 2032.

However, it estimates there will be a shortfall of 700 technicians in 2029, rising to 5,600 a year later and 13,100 in 2032.

The IMI estimates that 2029 will be the year when electric car ownership will exceed the number of mechanics and technicians qualified to service them.

“The IMI would be deeply concerned if anyone believes that the EV skills issue is not an immediate problem,” Nash added.

“It is crucial that the sector continues to train and qualify its workforce at significant rates. But with the current economic pressures there are concerns that training budgets will be the first to be cut.

“Government support for training which, in turn, will help it achieve its decarbonisation targets is vital.”

BookMyGarage says EV owners who enter their registration number on its online platform will automatically be shown only garages with qualified mechanics to work on their vehicles.

Battery electric vehicles are already outselling diesels, though they have a long way to go to catch up with demand for new gasolines, as shown in this January sales chart provided by the SMMT.

More than 1 in 10 (13.1%) of all new car registrations last month were battery electric cars. In contrast, gasolines account for almost 1 in 5 new vehicles that hit the road in January

According to Zap-Map, there are already around 680,000 fully electric cars on British roads today. And demand continues to outstrip that of other types of fuel.

Almost 17,300 new battery electric vehicles were registered in January, 6% more than sales recorded in January 2022.

In contrast, diesel sales plummeted 15 percent, nearly 2,000 vehicles, last month compared to the previous January.

In fact, electric cars are now easily outselling diesels in Britain. About 17,294 battery models were purchased last month. In comparison, dealers sold just 10,399 diesel cars.

However, petrol remains by far the most popular fuel type with 76,216 registrations last month, accounting for almost three in five (57.8%) of all new engines bought in the UK.