EV Maintenance Myths Debunked: How Repair Costs Really Compare to Gas Cars

The question of whether electric cars are actually cheaper to keep running has resurfaced after France's environment and energy agency ADEME published an opinion titled "La voiture électrique et sa recharge," addressing several widespread misconceptions about EV ownership, including maintenance and battery costs, according to a summary published by the EV advocacy group AVEM on October 9, 2026.

Routine maintenance: where the biggest savings are real

Industry cost data from both France and the United States points the same direction on day-to-day upkeep. In France, two separate studies reach similar conclusions: analysis by Avere-France and a separate study by Roole Data, both cited by the French personal-finance site jechange.fr, put average annual maintenance at €384 for an electric car versus €528 for a comparable combustion model. The gap comes almost entirely from parts that EVs simply don't have: no oil and filter changes, no spark plugs, no timing belt or chain, and no clutch. The site noted that a combustion car's two costliest routine repairs, a distribution kit and a clutch kit, average €814 and €1,133 respectively and disappear entirely on an EV.

In the United States, AAA's cost research found electric vehicles averaging $949 a year in combined maintenance, repair and tire costs, about $330 less than their gasoline counterparts, largely for the same reason: no oil changes or air-filter replacements. The French outlet Car Revs Daily, summarizing garage-industry reporting, put the routine-maintenance savings at up to 30%, with French studies cited in a 20-40% range, and noted that EVs typically go roughly two years or 30,000 miles between services versus one year or 12,000 miles for gasoline cars.

Battery life: the most persistent myth

A separate, widely held fear is that EV batteries degrade quickly and are ruinously expensive to replace. ADEME's opinion, as summarized by AVEM, states that batteries lose capacity at a rate of roughly 1.7% to 2.3% per year and still retain about 89% of their original capacity at 200,000 km. The agency's opinion also pointed to a cost advantage in daily use: charging an EV costs roughly three times less than refueling a comparable gasoline car, though it noted that used EVs currently retain a smaller share of their purchase price after five years (43%) than used combustion cars (51%).

Where EVs cost more: insurance and collision repair

The savings do not extend to every cost category. Insurance data provider Insurify found that EVs cost 49% more to insure than gasoline cars on average, $4,058 a year versus $2,732, in a report published September 24, 2025 and cited by the trade outlet Aftermarket Matters. The report attributed the gap mainly to repair costs: EV repair jobs required an average of 3.04 mechanical labor hours compared with 1.66 hours for gasoline vehicles, according to Mitchell data cited in the report, and EVs rely heavily on original-manufacturer parts because an aftermarket parts industry for them is still immature. Higher average purchase prices for new EVs, which raise total-loss payouts, were cited as a further factor.

Why garages are adapting

The same simplicity that lowers bills for drivers is reshaping the repair business. Car Revs Daily, reporting on the shift facing auto shops, said the mechanical work that long sustained independent garages, such as oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters and timing belts, either disappears or shrinks sharply as fleets electrify, while EVs generate little routine work beyond tires. Small independent garages, particularly in rural areas, face the added cost of high-voltage technician training and diagnostic equipment, pushing more EV service toward dealership networks even as aging gasoline fleets keep traditional workshops busy for now.