Tyre issues cause most EV breakdowns, not running out of charge

Electric car breakdowns are three times more likely to be caused by wheel or tyre issues than running out of charge, a new study has found.

LV= Britannia conducted an analysis of breakdown call outs over the last three years, with the result showing that 37% of the time, drivers are ringing up because they’ve suffered wheel or tyre problems, compared to just 11% for running out of charge. This is also more than twice as often as petrol or diesel cars, where on average just 16% cite wheel or tyre issues as the cause of breakdown.

Drivers being unable to start their electric car, often at home, accounted for 21% of calls – otherwise known as ‘dead on key’.

The ‘dead on key’ issue for electric car drivers happens little more than half as often it does for petrol or diesel cars, which features as the breakdown reason in 41% of calls to LV= Britannia Rescue.

Henry Topham, managing director of LV= Britannia Rescue, commented: “Range anxiety has been built up to be a thing for people to be concerned about when it comes to going green, but our data shows that in reality it’s a very rare issue for electric car drivers. Generally electric cars perform very well and aren’t susceptible to suffering nearly as many issues as petrol or diesel models, but if you do have a problem it’s more likely to be wheel or tyre related, or dead on key. And as we get into the cold, dark winter months it’s good for drivers to be aware of these potential issues and make sure their car is regularly being checked and looked after.”