Are Electric Cars Cheaper to Service?

Switching from a traditional petrol, diesel, or even a hybrid car to an electric vehicle (EV) represents more than just a change in how you refuel; it often requires a fundamental shift in your understanding of vehicle ownership costs. While car dealers might focus on the exciting aspects, the financial realities of running an EV are notably different, and often, in a very positive way. One of the most frequently asked questions revolves around maintenance: are electric cars cheaper to service? Our in-depth analysis of almost every new and near-new car available in the UK strongly suggests that, yes, they are.

We've delved deep into the official manufacturer servicing charges, thanks to exclusive data supplied by our technical partner, Clear Vehicle Data. This has allowed us to compile the most comprehensive look at the average annual cost of scheduled car servicing across the UK market. Our latest report updates the information from last year, confirming that electric cars remain significantly cheaper to service on average compared to their fossil-fuel counterparts. This is largely due to EVs having fewer moving parts that are prone to wear or require regular replacement, inherently reducing their maintenance demands.

The Comprehensive Data Behind Our Findings

Clear Vehicle Data provides us with an unparalleled level of detail, covering servicing costs for virtually every version of every new car over a five-year period. This includes various annual mileages, from 5,000 miles per year up to 60,000 miles per year. When you consider every body style, engine type, gearbox, trim level, optional package, and the frequent model year changes and updates, we're talking about millions of data points. This meticulous aggregation allows us to offer what is arguably the most comprehensive analysis of average servicing costs available anywhere in the UK, and potentially globally.

Beyond annual servicing costs, we categorise the data into 1-3 year periods (most relevant for new car buyers) and 3-5 year periods (more pertinent for those considering a used car). This detailed information feeds directly into our award-winning Expert Rating Index, helping us score vehicles based on their overall running costs, alongside data for insurance, emissions, and fuel or electrical efficiency.

Last year, our analysis concluded that electric cars were approximately 30% cheaper to service over the first five years of ownership. While estimated servicing costs have seen an overall increase across the board in the past 12 months, our data indicates that EV servicing prices have risen fractionally faster than those for fossil-fuel vehicles. This has marginally reduced the cost gap. However, the fundamental truth remains: electric cars are still substantially cheaper to maintain than petrol, diesel, or hybrid cars.

It's important to clarify that our data exclusively covers scheduled servicing and maintenance. This means it includes all jobs mandated by the manufacturer at each service interval, encompassing necessary parts like filters, oils, and lubricants, as well as labour costs. What it does not include are wear-and-tear items such as brake pads or tyres. The lifespan of these components is heavily influenced by individual driving style, making them variable and thus excluded from our scheduled servicing cost analysis.

Petrol vs. Electric Servicing: The Overall Market Picture

After a thorough analysis of manufacturer servicing costs for over 600 different new and nearly-new cars in the UK market, we can confidently state that electric cars are now around 29% cheaper to service over the first five years of ownership compared to their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. Both fossil fuel and electric car servicing prices have increased in the last year, but the significant gap persists.

Let's look at the average servicing costs:

The average annual servicing costs for the first three years of ownership – a crucial metric for new car buyers – are 28% cheaper for electric cars. For those looking at used EVs, the 3-5 year average shows an even greater saving, with electric cars being 31% cheaper to service. This consistent cost advantage is primarily because electric vehicles possess significantly fewer components that are susceptible to wear and tear or require regular repair compared to a conventional car with a complex internal combustion engine. Much of the servicing cost for an EV is attributed to maintenance items not specific to the electric powertrain, such as tyres, brakes, windscreen wipers, and lights.

While the general rule holds that electric cars are cheaper to service, it's worth noting that exceptions do exist, as we will explore below.

Petrol vs. Electric Servicing: Like-for-Like Model Comparisons

While overall market trends are useful, direct, like-for-like comparisons offer an even more precise picture. The past five years have seen a dramatic increase in the availability of electric car choices, with many manufacturers now offering electric equivalents of their most popular petrol models, either as EV versions of the same car or as dedicated electric vehicles within the same market segment. It's still true, however, that high-end luxury and sports car segments, which typically have very high servicing costs, offer limited electric options.

Our analysis for 2025 includes 56 like-for-like comparisons, an increase from 48 last year. This allows for an even more accurate assessment of cost differences by excluding brand-specific cost variations. In an overwhelming 53 out of those 56 cases, the electric model proved to be cheaper to service, often by a substantial margin.

Direct Comparisons Within the Same Model Families

This category includes instances where the same basic car platform is offered with both fossil-fuel and electric powertrain options. Manufacturers like BMW and Stellantis (Peugeot, Vauxhall, Citroën, etc.) frequently adopt this approach. Out of 33 such cases with full five-year servicing data, the electric car was cheaper in 32 instances. The sole outlier was the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric people carrier, which was marginally (about £3/year) more expensive to service over five years than its fossil-fuel counterpart.

Vauxhall Corsa (2020 onwards) vs. Vauxhall Corsa Electric (2020 onwards)

The sixth-generation Vauxhall Corsa, available with both petrol and electric options since 2020, serves as an excellent case study. The Corsa Electric is, on average, 31% cheaper to maintain over the first three years and 32% cheaper from years three to five.

Citroën C4 X (2023 onwards) vs. Citroën ë-C4 X (2023 onwards)

The family-friendly Citroën C4 X range, launched in the UK in 2023, offers both petrol-electric hybrid and all-electric versions. The ë-C4 X is a surprising contender for one of the cheapest to service given its size. A new ë-C4 X is 25% cheaper to maintain for the first three years, and 28% cheaper from years 3 to 5 for used models.

Volvo XC40 (2018 onwards) vs. Volvo EX40 (2021 onwards)

While Volvo’s estimated servicing costs have increased more than the market average, particularly for the all-electric Volvo EX40 (formerly XC40 Recharge), the EX40 remains 17% cheaper to service annually than its petrol and plug-in hybrid XC40 counterpart from years 1 to 3, and 28% cheaper from years 3 to 5.

Kia Niro (2022 onwards) vs. Kia Niro EV (2022 onwards)

Interestingly, last year, the hybrid and plug-in hybrid Kia Niro models were slightly cheaper to service than the electric Niro EV. However, Kia has significantly reduced the electric model's servicing fees since then. The Niro EV is now 20% cheaper over the first three years of ownership and 34% cheaper from years 3 to 5.

Mini Countryman (2024 onwards) vs. Mini Countryman Electric (2024 onwards)

The latest Mini Countryman, launched in early 2024, includes an all-electric model for the first time. The Countryman Electric is estimated to be 18% cheaper to service than its petrol counterpart from year 1 to year 3, and 22% cheaper from year 3 to year 5.

Similar-Size Models from the Same Manufacturer

In many cases, manufacturers develop specific EV models for a segment alongside their existing fossil-fuel cars, rather than a single platform configurable for both. This approach, favoured by brands like Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, arguably leads to fewer compromises for both electric and ICE versions. Our analysis of 23 such examples with full five-year servicing costs revealed a significant cost advantage for the electric model in 22 cases.

The notable exception in this category is the Volkswagen ID.3, which has seen substantial servicing price increases, making it more expensive than the Volkswagen Golf. Conversely, the electric Mercedes EQE SUV, which was dearer to service last year than its fossil-fuel equivalent, has now seen notable reductions in its servicing costs, while its flagship fossil-fuel cars have become more expensive to maintain.

Fiat 500 (2015 onwards) vs. Fiat 500 Electric (2021 onwards)

Despite looking similar, the Fiat 500 Electric, launched in 2021, is a brand-new platform, while the petrol 500 largely dates back to 2007. The newer, larger, and more expensive 500 Electric is remarkably cheaper to service than the petrol 500. Its costs have even decreased slightly in the last year, making it 34% cheaper on average in the first three years, and 31% cheaper from years 3 to 5.

Mini Cooper (2024 onwards) vs. Mini Cooper Electric (2024 onwards)

The new Mini Cooper hatchback range, including the electric model, arrived in the UK last spring. Though identical in appearance, they are built on entirely different platforms. The electric model is expected to be 9% cheaper than the petrol version to service annually from year 1 to year 3, and 18% cheaper from year 3 to year 5.

Audi Q5 (2017 onwards) vs. Audi Q6 e-tron (2024 onwards)

While not in the same model range, the Audi Q5 and electric Q6 e-tron are of a similar size. The electric Q6 e-tron is 17% cheaper to maintain annually than the Q5 from year 1 to year 3, and 19% cheaper from year 3 to year 5.

Nissan Qashqai (2021 onwards) vs. Nissan Ariya (2022 onwards)

The Nissan Qashqai is a UK best-seller, and the all-electric Nissan Ariya is a highly-rated family EV. Despite the Ariya being generally more expensive to buy or lease, it is 17% cheaper to service over the first three years and 18% cheaper in years 3 to 5.

Volkswagen Golf Mk8 (2020 onwards) vs. Volkswagen ID.3 (2020 onwards)

Here's a significant outlier. While the majority of EVs are cheaper to service, the Volkswagen ID.3 is a notable exception. Although it was cheaper to service than the petrol Golf 12 months ago, Volkswagen appears to have dramatically increased the ID.3’s servicing fees since then. At the time of writing, the ID.3 is 45% more expensive to service over the first three years of ownership than the Mk8 Golf, and 22% more expensive from year 3 to year 5. This result is quite unique and stands out against data from other brands, including Volkswagen's other EV models.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2020 onwards) vs. Mercedes-Benz EQS (2021 onwards)

The luxurious Mercedes-Benz EQS is another interesting case in the 'similar size models' category, but for a positive reason. Mercedes-Benz has notably reduced the servicing fees for its electric flagship over the last year, while simultaneously increasing costs for its similarly-sized S-Class saloon. The electric EQS is now 28% cheaper to maintain annually than the S-Class from year 1 to year 3, and 29% cheaper from year 3 to year 5.

Summary: The Clear Cost Advantage of EVs

Servicing is just one of many expenses involved in running a car, but it's an area where direct comparisons across different models and powertrain types can be clearly made. Over the past 12 months, the general trend has been for servicing prices to rise across the board. While many petrol model servicing fees have increased broadly in line with UK inflation (currently around 3%), electric car servicing costs have seen a slightly higher rate of increase overall, despite some manufacturers implementing price cuts on specific electric models.

Nevertheless, our comprehensive analysis firmly concludes that electric cars remain 29% cheaper to service than their fossil-fuel counterparts over the first five years of ownership. This significant saving highlights a key financial benefit of making the switch to electric.

Servicing costs are a vital component of our Expert Rating Index, alongside other running costs such as fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, and insurance groups. If you're in the market for a new or nearly-new car, carefully reviewing this data can provide invaluable insight into what you can expect when your vehicle is due for its next service.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About EV Servicing Costs

How much does garage service typically cost in the UK?

While an MOT test is a legal requirement in the UK once a car is three years old, regular servicing is not. However, neglecting scheduled maintenance can prove costly in the long run. Regular trips to a workshop often expose minor faults before they escalate into major defects, which could lead to a breakdown or significant expense. For example, allowing brake pads to wear beyond recommended limits not only compromises braking performance but can also cause premature wear to brake discs, necessitating expensive replacements. To save money without compromising on servicing, consider comparing annual labour rates charged by different garages. This provides a good indicator of affordability, as most garages will use broadly similar labour timings for specific maintenance tasks.

What exactly is included in an electric car service?

An EV service typically focuses on aspects not related to the internal combustion engine. This includes checks on the electric motor and battery health (often via diagnostic tools), braking system inspection (as regenerative braking means less wear on physical brakes, but they still need checking for corrosion and function), suspension, steering, tyres, lights, wipers, and cabin air filter replacement. Coolant levels for the battery and motor thermal management systems are also checked. Unlike petrol or diesel cars, there are no oil changes, spark plug replacements, or fuel filter changes required, which eliminates many costly and time-consuming tasks.

Why are electric car parts generally cheaper for servicing?

The simplicity of the EV powertrain is key. There are significantly fewer complex mechanical components compared to an ICE vehicle. This means no intricate engine parts like pistons, valves, camshafts, or a complex exhaust system, and no multi-speed gearbox with clutches or torque converters. The parts that do exist, such as the electric motor, are often sealed units designed for a very long lifespan. Many common service items, like brake fluid, tyres, and cabin filters, are shared with ICE cars, but the absence of engine-specific parts drives down the overall cost of a typical service.

Does driving style affect EV servicing costs as much as ICE cars?

Yes, driving style still plays a role, particularly for wear-and-tear items not covered by scheduled servicing. Aggressive driving, with harsh acceleration and braking, will still lead to faster wear on tyres. While regenerative braking significantly reduces the wear on physical brake pads and discs in an EV compared to an ICE car, extremely aggressive driving will still engage the physical brakes more often, potentially leading to earlier replacement. However, for scheduled maintenance, driving style has less impact compared to an ICE car, where heavy usage might necessitate more frequent oil changes or checks on engine components.

Are there any specific EV models known for particularly low servicing costs?

While our analysis shows overall trends, specific models often stand out. Generally, smaller, less complex EVs tend to have lower servicing costs. Models like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Fiat 500 Electric, as highlighted in our comparisons, demonstrate significant savings. However, it's crucial to check the specific manufacturer's service schedule and pricing for any model you are considering, as pricing strategies can change, as seen with the Volkswagen ID.3.

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