Electric cars last like combustion ones

Battery-powered electric vehicles are now more reliable and can achieve the same lifespan as traditional cars and vans with petrol and diesel engines. This is what emerges from a study led by the London School of Economics and Political Science and published in Nature Energy. The researchers used data on almost 300 million tests by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of the United Kingdom, which track the “state of health” of every vehicle on UK roads between 2005 and 2022, to estimate the longevity of vehicles and provide a comprehensive analysis of lifespan rates for different powertrains.

The international research team found that although early battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were less reliable than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs),
rapid technological advances have allowed newer BEVs to achieve comparable lifespans, even under more intensive use.

The researchers found that battery electric vehicles saw the fastest improvement in reliability, with a 12 percent lower probability of failure (hazard rate) for each subsequent year of production, compared to 6.7 percent. of petrol vehicles and 1.9 percent of diesel vehicles. Researchers reveal that, on average, i BEVs now have a lifespan of 18.4 years and can travel up to 124,000 miles (about 200,000 kilometres), surpassing traditional petrol cars in terms of mileage. They also identify the best performing brands in terms of vehicle longevity.

What are the most reliable brands

Tesla leads the way among BEVs. For petrol and diesel vehicles, Audi and Skoda they are respectively the best performers.

Co-author Viet Nguyen-Tien, from LSE, commented: “Our findings provide critical insights into the lifespan and environmental impact of electric vehicles. No longer just a niche option, BEVs are a viable alternative and sustainable to traditional vehicles, a significant step towards achieving a zero-carbon future.”