

To preserve the battery, leave the car to cool down first, then plug it in. If you pull up after a long journey and plug your car in to charge right away, it can reduce the capacity of the battery. This gives it enough juice to keep its temperature control systems going. When it gets really cold, electric car owners should keep their vehicle plugged in. This is a good idea for safety reasons, but it does also mean your battery lasts longer.įor example, the Department of Energy says cutting speed by 10mph, where possible, means the car uses 14% less power.ģ) Keep your car plugged in during cold snapsįreezing temperatures are also bad for batteries - as you may have already found out when trying to start your normal car on a cold morning.
ELECTRIC CAR BATTERY REPLACEMENT COST DRIVERS
Some batteries also let drivers set a point at which the battery stops charging up when plugged in.

To avoid this, drivers should run the battery down to around 20% before recharging it to 80% - provided this fits the type of journeys they have planned. This is because it cuts the battery's ability to hold a charge. Like other electronic devices, keeping an electric car battery fully charged all the time is bad for it. Is an electric car still worth the cost? Let us know in the comments belowĪn electric car battery should last at least ten years, according to Autotrader, but certain things can cause the lifespan of these to fall. That sounds steep, but most electric car batteries should outlast the rest of the car - provided drivers take care of them.
ELECTRIC CAR BATTERY REPLACEMENT COST PLUS
New electric car prices start from around £12,000, but it can cost £4,500 upwards if you need a totally new battery - plus the cost of getting it fitted.Ĭarmaker Nissan charges £4,920 for a new electric battery, according to What Car magazine, but it does also sell refurbished second-hand ones for around £2,500. There were 33,000 electric cars sold in the UK last month, almost matching figures for the whole of 2019 as drivers were gripped by the petrol panic buying crisis. The popularity of e-vehicles is soaring, but many drivers are still getting to grips with the charges of running them. Electric car owners are being warned that the cost of replacing their vehicle's battery can be an eye-watering £4,500.
