It’s not just new cars that are getting more expensive; keeping the bigger ones running is also more expensive. So he found a new study that found repair costs to rise dramatically by 2022 and found evidence that repairs to electric vehicles and hybrid batteries are quickly becoming more common.
These findings were drawn from the CarMD 2023 Vehicle Health Index, a dataset of 17 million faults and repair orders over the past calendar year. The data came from car owners and shops with ASE-certified technicians, using information taken from OBD2 diagnostic systems. It found that in 2022, the average vehicle repair cost increased by 2.8% and cost an average of $403. This increase occurred despite lower labor and parts costs.
A mechanic pulls out used parts at a salvage yard in Kentucky. Jon Cherry, Getty Images
Rising maintenance costs are a side effect of the ever-decreasing affordability of new cars, which directly affects demand in the used market and the value of any vehicle on the road. The more valuable the car, the more expensive the maintenance.
This is especially true for catalytic converter replacement, which was the most common service item in 2022. Four of the 10 most common services directly concerned emissions equipment, including the runner-up, emissions sensors oxygen, which can be damaged during disorderly cat thefts. . They still need the occasional service, regardless of theft, as emissions evidence is required for registration in many states.
2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid. James Gilboy
Interestingly, the study has recorded a rapid increase in demand for high-voltage battery replacements in hybrids and electric vehicles over the past three years. In 2020, hybrid battery replacements were rare, coming in at the 428th most common job, while EV battery services were so rare they didn’t rank at all. But together, they jumped to 348th in 2021, then 170th in 2022. They will only become more common as early hybrids age, and electric vehicles make up a larger share of the US private vehicle fleet. Replacing your batteries can also strain a battery supply chain that risks chronic undersupply in a few years.
The study did not indicate how electrification affects repair costs. However, the cost of specialized training, tools, and equipment for high voltage transmission service likely falls on the consumer. Regardless of what automakers say, EVs need servicing too and can split your wallet just as wide as ICEs can, if not more so when the batteries die.
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