EVs Cost 20% More to Repair After Accidents Than ICE Cars – Study

A study in the US revealed that it costs 20% more to repair EVs after an accident compared to ICE-powered cars.

Despite the recent dip in its sales growth, EVs are getting more and more common on roads across the globe nowadays. And unfortunately, the rise in its adoption also means that we’re seeing more EV crashes and accidents in recent times, and while their frames may be less prone to damage, repairing them can burn quite a significant hole in one’s pocket compared to ICE cars.

According to the latest study by US-based auto claims firm Mitchell, the costs to fix repairable collision damages for EVs have increased by 2.5% in both the US and Canada for Q2 this year, and that is despite the recent slowdown of EV sales in both markets.

Naturally, these increases have reflected in the rise of the average claim severity for repairable EVs to $5,753 (RM24,988) in the US and CAD $6,534 (RM21,007) in Canada. Compared to their ICE counterparts, the average repair work for EVs costs 20% more in the US and a staggering 31% more in Canada.

Tesla Model 3 (left) & Tesla Model Y (right)

Further breaking down these numbers to brands and models, both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y have led the pack in claims frequency among EVs in both the US and Canada. This comes as no surprise since both Tesla models are the best-selling EVs in the North American market, with thousands of units currently on the road, thus increasing their likelihood of being involved in accidents.

Proton X90 MHEV (left) & Mercedes-Benz C350e PHEV (right)

Besides EVs, repair costs for hybrid vehicles are also more expensive when compared to their ICE-powered counterparts, albeit less expensive. Mild hybrids (MHEVs), given that they’re quite similar to standard ICE-powered vehicles, have comparable repair costs. The same, however, can’t be said for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), as their more complex powertrain setups warrant higher repair costs, averaging 12.5% higher compared to ICE cars.

Apart from the significant differences in repair costs, Mitchell’s study also found that EVs involved in a collision are less likely to need frame repairs compared to their ICE-powered counterparts, at 5.21% against 8.18%. This indicates that EVs in general may have better structural integrity than ICE-powered cars, although we’d like to add that their heftier weight may also contribute to this.

While this study gives us good insight on how the cost of EV repairs can be more expensive than ICE-powered vehicles, unfortunately, such a thing is not available here in Malaysia. Given the sudden increase in EV adoption for our market, perhaps it is time for related government agencies or any private institutions to undergo the same study that will surely be beneficial for both EV and non-EV users.