‘EV batteries will never need replaced’ – new study bust battery life myth
Electric car battery degradation is falling and most batteries will now last 20 years or more, according to new data.
Analysis of 5,000 EVs by data specialists Geotab shows that average battery health has improved by 22% over the last five years and is set to get even better as new technology comes on stream.
Its findings suggest that EV’s batteries will now outlast the average lifespan of a new car and many powertrain components from traditionally fuelled cars. Geotab’s UK boss said the latest findings finally put to bed the myth that EV batteries don’t last.
The latest research compares battery health data between 2019 and 2024 and shows that the average rate of degradation has fallen from 2.3% in 2019 to 1.8% in 2024. The best-performing EVs on sale now have battery degradation rates of just 1% per year.
“With these higher levels of sustained health, batteries in the latest EV models will comfortably outlast the usable life of the vehicle and will likely not need to be replaced,” said David Savage, vice president for the UK and Ireland at Geotab.
“However, we still see battery reliability being used as a stick to beat EVs with. Hopefully, data like ours can finally put these myths to bed. The fact is that a 1.8% decline in battery health is unlikely to have a significant impact on most driver’s daily vehicle needs, and this number will only come down further with new EV models and improved battery technology. People should feel confident that many current EVs are suitable and cost-effective to replace a range of light, medium and heavy-duty ICE vehicles.”
In practice, a 1.8% per year drop in state of charge means a car like a Kia Niro EV with a 64.8kWh battery and 285-mile official range will lose 47.3 miles of range over a decade.
Battery longevity is frequently used in anti-EV rhetoric to suggest EVs aren’t as durable as petrol or diesel cars. This is despite most manufacturers guaranteeing their batteries for far longer than any ICE powertrain component. Most offer a seven- or eight- year warranty, while Toyota and Lexus guarantee their EV batteries will retain 90% of their capacity after 10 years or 620,000 miles.
The study also found that high-use batteries do not show any increased rate of degradation, so heavy use doesn’t harm a car’s longevity.
Geotab explained that factors including battery chemistry and how cars managed their battery cooling/heating contributed to different levels of degradation between makes and models.
There have been calls for a battery state-of-health (SoH) check to be supplied with used electric cars to give buyers confidence in second hand models. Labour said before the General Election that it would introduce a standardised SoH check but it is still to make any further announcements on the scheme.
