A mechanic has warned drivers to ‘think twice’ before buying an electric car, as he highlights several concerns that could leave motorists forking out thousands of pounds in the long run
A mechanic is urging drivers to ‘think twice’ before spending thousands of pounds on an electric vehicle. Despite the global surge in popularity of electric cars, with around 1.7 million fully electric vehicles on UK roads alone, there are several concerns about their components and overall costs that many motorists may not consider.
Social media mechanic Garaje Hermético has highlighted some key factors he believes people should consider before investing in an electric car instead of a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle. In a video shared on his TikTok account, he raised various issues that typically don’t affect conventional combustion engine vehicles.
For example, he expressed worries about running costs, long-term maintenance bills, resale value, and the battery that powers the entire engine of the vehicle. Indeed, he spends a significant part of the video discussing his doubts about the battery, which is supposed to be the main selling point of any electric vehicle.
Long-term costs of an EV and its battery
In the video, originally spoken in Spanish, he says: “Are you thinking about buying an electric car? I would tell you to think twice. I’ll explain why. You’ve been told you’re going to save a lot of money on petrol.”
“That is true. In an electric car, you’ll spend €2.70 more or less per 100km, and in a gasoline car, €10. You have also been told that the maintenance of an electric car is cheaper. It is also true, but what happens after 10 years?”.
“There you have a very important risk factor, because generally the warranty period given to you by battery companies is 8 years or 150 or 160,000km. What happens after 10 years? If the battery fails outside the warranty period, it is a repair that will cost you €10,000 or €15,000 or more.”
It’s important to remember that lithium batteries – the typical power source in modern electric vehicles – undergo gradual wear with every charging cycle. Following repeated charge and discharge cycles, their performance decreases, necessitating more regular charging.
Do EV drivers really need to be worried about the battery?
The RAC indicates drivers can expect more than 10 years or 100,000 miles from their vehicle battery before deterioration becomes genuinely apparent. It’s important to note that although this decline will diminish an EV’s range, it doesn’t significantly affect the car’s performance in terms of acceleration or motorway driving ability.
He also highlighted that while motorists eager to drive an EV might not worry about slightly reduced battery performance—since the vehicle will largely operate the same—he emphasised it would seriously affect the car’s resale value. He explained that a petrol car’s resale value would be significantly higher than an electric vehicle’s, as the degraded battery could mean a costly repair bill that buyers could entirely avoid by not purchasing.
However, he also conceded: “New improvements in batteries are coming, and this will change things, but as of today, buying an electric car, if you are going to keep it for a long time, is a financial risk.”
