Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
27 owner complaints name this part.
Owners say the dealer could not fix or repeat the problem. If it comes back after a repair, ask what was tested before you pay again.
Is an electric car cheaper to fuel than a gas car?
Regular gasoline leads at $19.41.
Fuel cost per 100 miles: gasoline against electricity. Electricity, home charging: $6.76; Regular gasoline: $19.41.
How serious did it get for owners?
Among the 27 owner complaints naming this part, crash is the outcome owners report most often.
Outcomes owners reported in complaints about this part. Crash reported: 2; Towed: 1.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
Among the 27 owner complaints naming this part that state a model year, complaints cluster in a few model years instead of spreading evenly.
What it shows: 2024 is the largest at 7 (26%), followed by 2015 at 2 (7%); the smallest shown is 2018 at 1 (4%).
How much less does an electric or hybrid car cost to maintain per mile?
In Argonne National Laboratory's cost model for the U.S. Department of Energy, scheduled maintenance costs $0.061 per mile for a battery-electric car against $0.101 for a gasoline car, 41% less, and 7% less for a hybrid (2019 dollars).
What it shows: Gasoline car is the largest at $0.101, followed by Hybrid at $0.094; the smallest shown is Battery-electric at $0.061.
How many new cars are hybrid or electric, by model year?
EPA's Automotive Trends data show strong hybrids at 9.5%, plug-in hybrids at 2.5% and battery-electric vehicles at 7.2% of new vehicles in model year 2024, against 3.8% combined in 2010 (sales-weighted national shares).
| Model year | Strong hybrid | Mild hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | Battery electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 1.4% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | 4.0% | 1.2% | 3.2% |
| 2024 | 9.5% | 5.3% | 2.5% | 7.2% |
How many electric and hybrid cars are on the road, and how old are they?
The median registered electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle in California is a 2023 model, and 58.5% of the state's 2,224,956 electric vehicles are from the last three model years, so most electric repair history is still short (state registry counts).
| State | Median model year of its electric vehicles | Share from the last three model years | Plug-in hybrids among them |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2023 | 58.5% | 21.2% |
| Washington | 2023 | 41.1% | 19.3% |
| Connecticut | 2023 | 29.4% | 35.8% |
| New York | 2024 | 55.0% | not in file |
Has the maker published a fix?
A bulletin is a repair procedure a maker sends its dealers, not a safety defect: if your maker is listed, ask the dealer whether one covers your car and quote its number.
| Maker | Vehicles | Bulletin number | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda | Civic 2022–2024; Civic Type R 2023–2024 | A24-006 | Feb 9, 2024 | Service Bulletin - Customers are seeing the Electric Power Steering (EPS) System Indicator on the instrument panel due to the 12-volt battery degrading. |
| Jaguar | I-Pace 2019 | H293NAS1 | Feb 18, 2021 | High voltage battery. |
| Jaguar | I-Pace 2019 | NAS21.02.007 | Feb 18, 2021 | High voltage (hv) battery. |
Check your car
At 12,000 miles a year, the calculator puts EV maintenance at $1,140 to $1,421 a year against $2,736 to $3,644 for gas. Vehicle size drives the gap, and a plug-in hybrid trims the default savings from $1,872 to $1,372.
The main risk is the battery. In 27 owner complaints to NHTSA about lost range, the car battery is named in 96% of these complaints (26), far more often than in complaints overall, and the cars were a median 3 years old (median age at failure, 27 complaints). That is often still inside the battery warranty, so ask the dealer about coverage before you pay for a diagnosis.
EV range-loss complaints almost always involve the battery: 96% name it
Of the range-loss complaints owners filed with NHTSA, 26 also named the car battery. That makes the battery 18 times more likely to appear in these reports than in the average complaint. For an EV owner, this means range loss is rarely a small maintenance item. It points to the most expensive component in the car, and the calculator's yearly EV maintenance figure does not include it.
Complaints put the median odometer reading at 37,200 miles. That is well inside the period when many owners are still paying off the car, and battery health matters most if you plan to sell or trade it in.
Because the car battery is named in 96% (26) of the 27 range-loss complaints, price a car battery replacement before a range-loss diagnosis.
Nissan Leaf range-loss reports span 2015, 2016 and 2022 models
Owners reported range loss on older and newer model years alike, so buying a later Leaf did not keep owners out of these reports. If you are pricing a used Leaf, a battery state-of-health check matters more than the maintenance savings the calculator shows.
Honda Civic bulletin A24-006 links a degrading 12-volt battery to a steering warning
Honda's bulletin A24-006 covers 2022-2024 Civic and 2023-2024 Civic Type R models. On these cars, a steering warning light may come from a weak 12-volt battery, so check that battery before you pay for a steering repair. For the Jaguar I-Pace, bulletins H293NAS1 and NAS21.02.007 both cover high-voltage battery degradation on the 2019 model. Owners of that car should have the dealer check the VIN against both bulletins before they pay for a battery diagnosis.
30% of EV range-loss complaints also describe stalling or lost power
These complaints are not only about reduced range. Almost a third of owners said the car stalled or lost power, and 15% saw a warning light. Two complaints involved a crash, although a report does not prove the battery caused it. Only 4% of owners said the car needed a tow. Even so, a battery that is losing range can also lose power while you drive, and that is a reason not to ignore it.
Calculator: a compact EV still saves $1,596 a year on maintenance over gas
These figures cover routine maintenance only. A battery problem like the ones owners describe above is not included, so for a used EV, a battery health report is the input the calculator cannot supply.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Nissan Leaf losing range mean the battery is failing?
Owners reported it on 2015, 2016 and 2022 models, so a battery health check is the first step.
Why is my Honda Civic showing a power steering warning when the battery seems fine?
Honda bulletin A24-006 covers 2022-2024 Civic and 2023-2024 Civic Type R models. Test or replace the 12-volt battery before you pay for steering work.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- EIA prices with EPA fuel-economy ratings data from 2025
- Argonne National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, ANL/ESD-21/4, Figure ES-4 file downloaded 2021 report, 2019 dollars
- U.S. EPA, The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report (EPA-420-R-26-001) file downloaded 2026-10
- State vehicle registries: California DMV, Washington DOL, Connecticut DMV, Maryland MVA, New York DMV file downloaded 2026-10
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Derived: computed from the records; an association, not a cause. Modeled: our estimate, not a quote.
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Methodology