As with smartphones and other electrical devices, these batteries will degrade gradually as they are charged and discharged repeatedly over time. This in turn means that all electric car batteries have a finite lifespan – but unlike a phone, replacing a car battery is a very expensive job.
This in turn means that all electric car batteries have a finite lifespan – but unlike a phone, replacing a car battery is a very expensive job. Thankfully, you’ll need to cover a lot of miles – and carry out many charging cycles – to notice a significant drop in battery performance in your EV.
There's no need to be unduly concerned about the battery in your electric car wearing out, however – generally speaking, car manufacturers have you covered with batteries that are designed to last a long time and comprehensive warranties. The battery in most EVs will outlast the car, although battery performance will decline over time.
Thankfully, you’ll need to cover a lot of miles – and carry out many charging cycles – to notice a significant drop in battery performance in your EV. Every full charge slightly chips away at a battery’s capacity but the rate of decline is slow – about one or two per cent per year.
However, while secondhand prices for EVs have been plummeting, evidence is building that their batteries could last longer than the eight-year warranties most come with. In fact, they could still be very usable even after 20 years, potentially giving full-electric cars a longer useful life than many fossil-fuel equivalents.
Data published in September 2024 by Geotab, a transportation telematics company, claims the “vast majority of EV batteries will outlast the usable life of the vehicle”. The company says how, with a sample size of 5,000 EVs representing 1.5 million days of ownership, the average battery degrades by 1.8 per cent per year.