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Reports indicate that electric cars require fewer emergency repairs and are easier to maintain because they have fewer moving components
The increase in the number of electric cars on the roads is starting to provide more solid data on their reliability. For the first time, ADAC, the world's largest car club, automotive from Germany, concluded more accurately that electric vehicles fail less frequently than those powered by gasoline or diesel.
According to the report published this year, electric models are more than twice as reliable as cars with combustion engines.
Analysis based on real care
The study only considers services provided by ADAC itself in 2024. In total, there were 3,6 million assistance operations across the country. Of this total, 43.678 occurred with electric vehicles, representing 1,2% of the services.
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The proportion is still low, as there are fewer electric vehicles on the road compared to combustion engine models. But the club points out that, even among vehicles of the same age, electric vehicles fail less.
The ADAC only assesses models with at least 7.000 units registered in the previous two years. In total, around 160 models from 20 different brands were included in the analysis. All vehicles analyzed were between two and nine years old.
Among vehicles four years old, 8,5 service calls were recorded for every thousand electric vehicles. Among combustion vehicles of the same age, this number was 12,9. When considering all models two to four years old, the rate was 3,8 per thousand for electric vehicles and 9,4 for combustion vehicles.
The report’s direct conclusion is clear: electric cars are more than twice as reliable. In other words, they have less than half the failure rates of thermal vehicles in the same age group.
Most common faults in electric cars still involve batteries
Despite the overall advantage, electric cars lead in one specific category of failure: the 12-volt auxiliary battery. This component is responsible for half of the problems in electric cars, compared to 45% in combustion or hybrid vehicles.
This type of battery is different from the one that powers the vehicle. It is used for electronic systems, such as locks, windows and lights. Even in electric vehicles, which have more modern technology, this item remains vulnerable.
Electric vehicles: Fewer parts, fewer problems
The ADAC attributes much of the reliability of electric cars to their simpler mechanical structure. Electric models have fewer moving components, naturally reducing wear points and, consequently, the chances of failure.
Another factor is the lower thermal impact. Since electric motors do not operate with combustion, temperatures are lower. This contributes to a longer service life of various systems and parts.
Furthermore, electronic engine management systems are more efficient and have fewer electrical failures, according to the club.
Data is still limited
The ADAC report is emphatic in stating that the results are based on the data available so far, especially from models produced between 2020 and 2023. Therefore, these are still relatively new vehicles.
The club emphasizes that the coming years should bring more accurate information. As the electric car fleet ages, it will be possible to better understand how these models behave over time.
Tesla leads the way among most reliable, but not all rankings agree
Among the models analyzed, Tesla cars were the ones that registered the fewest failures. The Model 3 had only 0,5 occurrences per thousand cars. The Model Y had 0,9. Other models also stood out, such as the Audi Q4 e-tron (0,7) and the Volkswagen ID.4 (1,0).
On the other hand, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 had the worst performance among electric cars with two years of use, with 22,4 failures per thousand units.
Despite its good performance in ADAC data, the Tesla Model 3 received a different evaluation in another survey. According to the report by TüV, responsible for technical inspection in Germany, the electric car was the one with the most failures in 2024. The main complaints involve headlights, brakes and suspension.
The ADAC analysis represents an important step forward in the comparison between electric and combustion vehicles. Based on millions of service calls, the conclusion is that electric vehicles fail less, especially because they have a simpler structure and reduced wear and tear.
But the institution emphasizes that these data still reflect an early stage in automotive electrification. Over time, as more electric cars age on the streets, reliability reports will become even more complete and detailed.
With information from Xataka.
