As we all continue to struggle with the rising cost of living, new research has found that the cost of servicing EVs is 30% lower than petrol and diesel vehicles – which is good news for people who drive for a living.
And for professionals such as taxi drivers – who normally keep the same vehicle for several years – The Car Expert has found that EV drivers really notice the benefits over five years when compared to petrol, diesel and hybrid models.
Bigger picture
Importantly, as Motor Trade News reports, this puts the focus on dealers’ aftersales operations and the total cost of ownership, rather than the initial cost of a vehicle.
Motor Trade News said: “The comprehensive data, powered by Clear Vehicle Data, draws on official manufacturer servicing costs across more than 600 new and near-new cars in the UK in 2025, showing electric cars were cheaper to service in 95% of like-for-like model comparisons, often saving drivers hundreds of pounds annually – a valuable selling point for dealers promoting electric models.
“The research also found that despite an overall rise in servicing costs across the industry, EVs continue to outperform petrol cars on long-term maintenance savings.”
It also revealed that EV sales continue to gather pace, with a 35% increase this year compared to 2024 and now represent more than one in five new cars sold in the UK.
Change of gear
In order to reap the full benefits of an EV, The Car Expert says making the switch from petrol, diesel or hybrid “requires a shift in mindset”.
While there are constants such as road tax and motor trade insurance, the biggest change for car dealerships to keep in mind is that the various costs of running an EV are different, with one of the lower costs being servicing.
The Car Expert said: “Electric cars are significantly cheaper on average to service than traditional fossil fuel cars. EVs have fewer moving parts that are likely to need repairs or wear out over time, which reduces their maintenance costs compared to a fossil-fuelled car.
“Clear Vehicle Data provides us with servicing costs for every version of every new car (apart from a few brands that don’t share this information) over five years, and covers annual mileages from 5,000 up to 60,000.
“Our analysis last year concluded that electric cars were 30% cheaper to service over the first five years of ownership. Estimated servicing costs have changed since then, however.
“Despite servicing cost averages rising across the board, our data suggests that servicing prices for EVs have been increasing fractionally faster than their fossil-fuel counterparts, marginally reducing the cost gap between them. However, electric cars are still significantly cheaper to maintain the petrol, diesel or hybrid cars.”
Return on investment
The data examined covers scheduled servicing and maintenance and doesn’t include wear-and-tear items such as tyres and brake pads but shows the savings that can be made.
Analysis by Clear Vehicle Data and The Car Expert shows that after five years, the total servicing cost of petrol, diesel and hybrid is £5,709, while the price for a similar EV is £4,022.
During the first three years, the average cost of servicing a petrol, diesel or hybrid is £757, while an EV is almost £200 cheaper at £545.
As the vehicles get older and cost more to maintain, the average servicing cost of a petrol, diesel or hybrid car from years three to five is £1,549, while EVs come in at £1,076.
For professional drivers who clock up the miles and have to service their vehicles more often than private motorists, lower servicing costs will be a welcome boost to their business.
And as technology continues to improve and EVs become the norm, running costs will hopefully decrease further.
