EV Discussion thread

JKenH

Back to reality (although I wish my mind worked like that). More bad news with actual experience challenging the quite often heard argument that EVs cost less to repair - the good news, of course, for the customer is that EVs have longer warranties than ICEVs so it is the manufacturer’s problem. Warranty repairs will increase with the age of the fleet, EV or ICE.

EV warranty claims more than triple in three years

Ownership solutions specialist MotorEasy said that following its own survey, the findings dispel the misconception that EVs have fewer servicing, maintenance and repair (SMR) requirements than ICE vehicles, demonstrating that the cost implications of EV ownership require as much financial planning as petrol and diesel vehicles.

Alongside the increasing volume of repairs, the average cost of an EV warranty claim has also shown a significant uptick.

For example, in 2021, the average claim across the MG EV range was £430 and in 2023 it is £2,200, a 390% increase. A similar trend can also be seen with Tesla, with the cost of claims rising 231% since 2021.

https://www.am-online.com/news/aftersales/2023/10/03/ev-warranty-claims-more-than-triple-in-three-years

michaels

Have MG EVs been in the UK long enough for there to be aftermarket warranty claims?

Netexporter

What do you mean by "aftermarket warranty claim"?

I have a secondhand MG5 and have the balance of the 7 year warranty. I haven't claimed on it.

Petriix

That's a ridiculous comparison given that there were vastly fewer MG EVs on the road in 2021 than now and those that were around then were vastly newer and correspondingly less likely to be faulty.

The trend towards more (and more expensive) claims is entirely commensurate with the age and number of such vehicles on the road. The obvious other important point is that any costly failures will almost exclusively be covered by the warranty and therefore not costing the owner anything.

Meanwhile, in actual reality... My third year MG5 service is booked in. The price is £76, bringing the cumulative maintenance costs to nearly £250 since new. 

CKhalvashi

michaels said:

Have MG EVs been in the UK long enough for there to be aftermarket warranty claims?

I can't remember the last car I've owned that hasn't had warranty work honestly.

From what I've heard, MG cars are reasonably reliable. That's likely the most important.

1961Nick

I'd be surprised if the latest Euro 6 diesels didn't rack up the biggest warranty bills. My last diesel was a 435d & that racked up in excess of £17K in major warranty work & courtesy cars. Including all the minor bits & bobs it was probably over £20K. By all accounts my experience wasn't unusual for above average mileage diesels.

Mind you, I did take the Tesla in for a rattle to be fixed & they fitted a complete new seat for a very reasonable £2300! They also identified an electrical fault tracked to the multi plug on the steering rack loom... that was just £3500 for a new rack!

henrik777

Euro 6 diesels are horrific in many cases. The dpf and adblue systems are not fit for purpose. I won't be surprised to see a ppi/dieselgate style affair pop up soon.

gefnew

Could this happen to you.
'I was kidnapped by my runaway electric car' - BBC News
Maybe?

Netexporter

gefnew said:

Could this happen to you.
'I was kidnapped by my runaway electric car' - BBC News
Maybe?

I saw the story reported elsewhere. I notice in this version the RAC were involved. Seems a bit odd as you get free AA cover included in the MG warranty.

JKenH

Makes you wonder if, once we are all driving Chinese EVs, they will be able to switch them all off or just take over the cars and they will be outwith our control. It might sound like Sci-fi but manufacturers can already reprogramme our cars over the internet so it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. 

Edit: the Daily Mail have already reported on this.

Security fears over 'invasion' of electric cars from China as experts warn they could be remotely controlled to 'paralyse' Britain

Security fears over an 'invasion' of electric cars from China have emerged as experts warn the vehicles could be remotely controlled to 'paralyse' Britain.  

Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry, said Britain faces 'major security issues' from Chinese cars, adding that there is 'no way' of stopping them coming under remote control. 

In a report set to be shared with car makers and regulators, Prof Saker said: 'The car manufacturer may be in Shanghai and could stop 100,000 to 300,000 cars across Europe, thus paralysing a country.' 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-12353409/Security-fears-invasion-electric-cars-China-experts-warn-remotely-controlled-paralyse-Britain.html