‘I’m a car mechanic – drivers should not buy an EV to an unexpected cost’
Mechanic shares reason ‘not to buy electric car’
Motoring mechanic Scotty Kilmer has warned motorists not to switch to an electric car for a simple yet vital reason.
According to the expert, EV owners are being forced to ditch expensive models after picking up minor damage in a move costing motorists thousands of pounds.
Speaking on YouTube, the mechanic pointed the finger at costly EV batteries which can often be more expensive to replace than anything else on the vehicle.
It means any slight damage to the fragile component could see new cars written off by insurance companies just months after hitting the road.
Mr Kilmer explained: “Here’s yet another reason not to buy an electric car.
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“Many insurance companies are now totalling electric cars with even minor damage because the electric battery for the car got damaged.
“As a replacement cost to the battery is often 50 percent more of the original value of the car, they just junk the car.
“Let’s say a normal gasoline car, the battery gets damaged and it’s $100 (£79) or so for another battery. Not $10-20,000 (£7,968 – £15,937). So if you get in a wreck with an electric car, they might total it.
“Then you’re left with whatever peanut money they want to give you to get another car instead of just fixing the thing economically.”
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Although some EV manufacturers have adopted new technology to get over these issues, some batteries are still impossible to repair.
The batteries on the Tesla Model Y are glued into the car’s structure and cannot be easily replaced.
Elon Musk has previously hinted he was looking at a new design which could prompt lower repair costs.
Tesla claims their models are built to carry a range of between 150,000 and 200,000 miles before they should be scrapped.
Batteries are also covered by warranty while owners can pick up extra insurance to cover them in the event of an issue.
However, according to BookMyGarage, those without cover could pay around over £5,300 on average to replace an electric car battery in the UK.
Matthew Avery, research director at Thatcham Research has previously spoken out about the issues around writing off cars too early.
He told Reuters: “We’re buying electric cars for sustainability reasons. But an EV isn’t very sustainable if you’ve got to throw the battery away after a minor collision.”
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