XCR1250 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 How Much It Costs To Repair Your EV — Why You Could Be Looking at a $20,000 Bill GINA HAGLER December 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM ljubaphoto / iStock.com The first dent on a new car takes a lot of work. It’s even more challenging when that new car is an EV, and the damage is far more than a dent. But that’s not all. When you discover that repairing an EV after an accident costs far more than the average for conventional vehicles, you’re likely to be left wondering why it costs so much to fix an EV if you’re in an accident. The Downside of Your EV Chances are, you bought your EV with all good intentions: you’d save the environment, pay less in maintenance, and require virtually no gas. All good things. On the other hand, “Last year, repairing an EV after a crash cost an average of $6,587 compared with $4,215 for all vehicles, according to CCC Intelligent Solutions.” What if the damage is more extensive? In that same story, The Wall Street Journal reported that a dent the size of a bowling ball under a rear tail light on a Rivian pickup cost over $20,000 and took over two months to fix. How is that possible? Five Reasons Costs Are So High The costs are so high because more replacement parts are required. And these parts are costly. CCC Intelligent Solutions also reported that EV repairs last year needed about twice the number of replacement parts of a conventional vehicle, on average. Another reason is that the repairs are more complicated for EVs, and these complications require more time and effort. Marc Fredman, chief strategy officer for CCC Intelligent Solutions, told The Wall Street Journal that “the bodies can be more complicated to disassemble, and the repairs tend to require more steps and precautions.” Precautions must be taken due to the risk of fire when the lithium-ion batteries are damaged, said Scott Benavidez, chairman of the trade group Automotive Service Association. These precautions include special storage that adds to the time and cost of the repairs. On top of these considerations is that only some people repair EVs, which results in higher prices and longer waits. EV technology is still new, and executives ranging from Hertz to Ford expect costs to come down, replacement parts to become more available, and more people to become qualified to make repairs. All of which should bring repair costs down over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) Lots of body shops won’t touch EVs I am lead to believe it is more expensive to insure them, because of the added costs. Edited January 2 by Voodoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecat Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 2 hours ago, Voodoo said: Lots of body shops won’t touch EVs I am lead to believe it is more expensive to insure them, because of the added costs. The shop that specializes only in EV body repair will very wealthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildboer Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 My 1988 4Runner only cost me a few bucks whenever it gives me trouble Starter: $60 Front axle rebuild kit: $250(and I coulda just done the axle seals for $20 but I splurged on fresh bearings and gaskets) Battery: $275 Only thing that was kinda expensive was forking over the cash for a fresh set of 35” tires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member steve from amherst Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 1 hour ago, Wildboer said: My 1988 4Runner only cost me a few bucks whenever it gives me trouble Starter: $60 Front axle rebuild kit: $250(and I coulda just done the axle seals for $20 but I splurged on fresh bearings and gaskets) Battery: $275 Only thing that was kinda expensive was forking over the cash for a fresh set of 35” tires. Tires are brutal. Had to do the f-250 and the explorer this fall. Kinda steep on your battery there , no ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildboer Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 2 minutes ago, steve from amherst said: Tires are brutal. Had to do the f-250 and the explorer this fall. Kinda steep on your battery there , no ? I gotta get a specialty size dual terminal job because of the way the truck is wired. I could get a Deka Intimidator for $250 but it’s AGM and I killed the last one in a year because my truck charges it at too high a voltage I think. I’m about to replace it with an Optima red top lead acid and see how that holds up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Rigid1 Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 3 hours ago, Wildboer said: My 1988 4Runner only cost me a few bucks whenever it gives me trouble Starter: $60 Front axle rebuild kit: $250(and I coulda just done the axle seals for $20 but I splurged on fresh bearings and gaskets) Battery: $275 Only thing that was kinda expensive was forking over the cash for a fresh set of 35” tires. I have a 2002 Runner, great vehicle, I've had some EVAP issues and the typical Valve cover oil leak, but other than that my 17 year old really enjoys it..Solid vehicle for sure. He put a big old bull bumper on the front, next he's looking for some better rubber..Good car for him to learn on as it's fairly simplistic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Member EvilBird Posted January 3 Gold Member Share Posted January 3 2 hours ago, Wildboer said: I gotta get a specialty size dual terminal job because of the way the truck is wired. I could get a Deka Intimidator for $250 but it’s AGM and I killed the last one in a year because my truck charges it at too high a voltage I think. I’m about to replace it with an Optima red top lead acid and see how that holds up. I have had the same Red top optima in my Escalade for like 10 years now. 3 hours ago, Wildboer said: My 1988 4Runner only cost me a few bucks whenever it gives me trouble Starter: $60 Front axle rebuild kit: $250(and I coulda just done the axle seals for $20 but I splurged on fresh bearings and gaskets) Battery: $275 Only thing that was kinda expensive was forking over the cash for a fresh set of 35” tires. Same with my Caddy. Thats why I just keep her plugging along. 2002 6.0 AWD everything is cheap and readily available. Insurance, taxes all cheap. Only thing that sucks is MPGs but who the F cares. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Steve753 Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 Just now, EvilBird said: I have had the same Red top optima in my Escalade for like 10 years now. Optimas aren't as good as they used to be. Definitely not worth the money any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Member EvilBird Posted January 3 Gold Member Share Posted January 3 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Steve753 said: Optimas aren't as good as they used to be. Definitely not worth the money any more. How so? https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/optima-batteries-suck-the-truth Edited January 3 by EvilBird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Rigid1 Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 3 minutes ago, EvilBird said: How so? My opinion is the lead has been recycled to many times and is not the quality as it was 15 years ago. That's kinda my opinion on most metals today..Chinesium as we like to call it 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Steve753 Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 4 minutes ago, EvilBird said: How so? Quality has gone down since they moved to Mexico. Lots of chat about them on truck forums. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member steve from amherst Posted January 3 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 3 1 minute ago, Rigid1 said: My opinion is the lead has been recycled to many times and is not the quality as it was 15 years ago. That's kinda my opinion on most metals today..Chinesium as we like to call it Ive read that 1/3 of steel in use is on its 3rd life . Mixed in chinese steel at recyclers. Aside from road pretreatment , this may be a reason cars rot to shit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildboer Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 28 minutes ago, EvilBird said: I have had the same Red top optima in my Escalade for like 10 years now. Same with my Caddy. Thats why I just keep her plugging along. 2002 6.0 AWD everything is cheap and readily available. Insurance, taxes all cheap. Only thing that sucks is MPGs but who the F cares. I’ve got a 2.4l 4 cylinder that puts out under 100hp and I’m still only getting 13mpg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 6 hours ago, EvilBird said: I have had the same Red top optima in my Escalade for like 10 years now. Same with my Caddy. Thats why I just keep her plugging along. 2002 6.0 AWD everything is cheap and readily available. Insurance, taxes all cheap. Only thing that sucks is MPGs but who the F cares. Sold my 2003 6.0 2500 HD in 2016, when I bought my 2015 6.0 2500 HD. She had 350,000 kms and was on her third set of rockers and cab corners. Loved that truck. Poor fuel mileage, but she just keeps going. She is still pulling farm wagons, after me pulling trailers all her life. I see her every now and then, still living life. Think I had a few grand in repairs over my 10 years of ownership. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.