The number of myths that surround electric vehicles today is astounding.
‘EVs are more expensive than petrol or diesel cars.'
‘Batteries fail after three years.’
‘EVs cost more to service than ICE vehicles.’
Sound familiar? Not only are these statements untrue, but they’re incredibly divisive. As the UK sets to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, now’s the perfect time to better understand electric vehicles and why they’re the future of sustainable transport.
Here at Hendy, we want to ensure that our customers receive the most accurate information to ensure that they can make the best decisions about their driving habits.
Here, we debunk seven common EV myths.
Myth 1 – ‘EVs are more expensive than combustion cars’
In the introductory days of EV models, this was true for many models. However, the price gap between these models is narrowing. With so many anti-EV stories in the media and the government’s push-back on making EV vehicles mandatory, many manufacturers are discounting prices – some by up to 15%.
Even the price gap between second-hand electric vehicle and petrol/diesel car prices is closing. For example, there’s no difference in price between a three-year old electric Renault Zoe and a petrol Renault Clio. What’s more, AutoTrader claim that electric vehicles are now the fastest selling engine type on their site, while the SMMT reported earlier this year that the sales of used electric vehicles nearly doubled. Just this year, market research firm Gartner predicted that by 2027, EVs will be on average, cheaper to produce than internal combustion engine vehicles.
Vice President of Research at Gartner, Pedro Pacheco stated:
“New technology means BEVs will reach ICE (internal combustion engine) cost parity much faster than initially expected.”
Myth 2 – ‘EV batteries will frequently need to be replaced’
Many people compare the lithium-ion battery in their phones to the battery in a car – they have a completely different chemistry.
To instil confidence in their buyers and assure them of the quality of the technology, manufacturers will often offer multiple year or mileage warranties on their electric vehicles which is often better than their warranty offers on ICE vehicles.
Recurrent Motors – a Seattle battery analysis company conducted a study in 2023 and found out that 1.5% of batteries had needed to be replaced under their warranty. What’s more, EV giant Tesla found in 2022 in their Impact Report that battery degradation on their older S and X models after 200,000 miles was just 12%.
While there’s no data to show a consistent trend of good or bad battery capacity, these recent findings bode well and experts in the industry are mostly in consensus that EV batteries will outlast the car model itself.
Myth 3 – ‘EVs have higher maintenance costs than ICE vehicles’
Electric vehicles contain around 20 moving parts. An ICE vehicle contains more than 2,000. What’s more, the components in electric vehicles aren’t subjected to friction wear and tear issues, and with less components overall, there’s far less chance that they will fail or need to be replaced.
Tusker Direct – a UK leasing company that has over 16,000 electric vehicles – predict that overall EV maintenance costs are up to 30% less than petrol/diesel engines.
Myth 4 – ‘You can’t travel very far in EV before needing to recharge’
EV charging provider, Gridserve, argued that in 2023, in the UK, the average real-world range of an EV was 219 miles, which ‘meant that the average motorist would be able to drive on a single charge for two weeks.’
Electric mile range is ever-increasing, as EV models are further developed, and battery chemistries are improved. In the UK, the highest-range EV is the Mercedes EQS with a 107.8 kWh battery pack, it can cover up to 458 miles on a single charge. These incredible driving feats are being clocked by an array of electric models like the PEUGEOT E-3008, which is available here at Hendy, which is able to travel up to 435 miles on a single charge. The success of longer-range EV vehicles is down to better batteries and good charging infrastructure that is only set to improve and become more extensive.
Myth 5 – ‘EVs lose a large amount of range in the winter. Petrol cars perform better here.’
While it’s true that EV batteries lose some driving range in freezing temperatures, the same is the case for ICE vehicles.
Tests were performed on 20 electric vehicles back in 2020 by the Norwegian Automobile Association and concluded that EVS lose up to 20% of range when outside temperatures were at 0 – 2 degrees. Furthermore, tests by the US Department of Energy found that petrol/diesel cars lose up to 15% fuel efficiency in colder weather and the average increase in the resulting fuel consumption was 20%.
Technology only serves to improve the efficiency of EV vehicles, the heat pumps that come in most modern-day EVs heat up the battery much quicker which in turn reduces the low temperate loss.
Myth 6 – ‘EV batteries are unreliable. They quickly run out and you’re always breaking down.’
The percentage of EVs that had ‘run out of charge’ that the AA was called out between May 2022 and May 2023 was 2% – this was out of 135 EV vehicle callouts. Out of the 39,109 breakdown calls the AA received from January to May 2023, only 2.86% were for EV vehicles.
Myth 7 – ‘EVs are not selling anymore’
In January 2024, the millionth battery electric car took the UK roads according to the SMMT. 20,935 EVs were registered the same month, a rise of 21% from the previous year. The month also saw fleet and business demands increase by 41.7%.
While there was a drop in private EV sales (and, indeed, private sales of all-engine types), this shouldn’t come as any surprise, with the cost-of-living crisis, recessions, interest rate increases, political instability and frequent changes to motoring policies.
The same couldn’t be said for used EVs, with sales nearly doubling in January 2024 to a record 118,973 units. AutoTrader believes this is down to more attractive prices and a decrease in electric cars becoming available on the market.
Their Data and Insight Director, Richard Walker, said:
“For the moment we’re seeing the stars align for second-hand EVs: greater affordability and rising prices at the pumps is helping make them a more viable alternative to their ICE counterparts.”
Separating fact from fiction
EVs have sadly fallen victim to the misinformation that can circulate through our media platforms, to the extent that it’s had to be addressed by the government. The House of Lord Environment and Climate Change Committee noted that there had been ‘a concerted campaign of misinformation about EVs in recent months.’ Wherever the origin of these distortions, they have had a profound and destabilising effect on the EV market.
In order to best understand EV vehicles, talk to one of the millions of people in the UK who are driving an EV as they will give an honest account of their performance. Alternatively, talk to an industry expert. Here at Hendy, we’re more than happy to answer any questions about buying an electric car and assist you in finding an EV that best suits your budget.
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