Electric car myth: Electric car batteries quickly lose capacity and need to be replaced

You hear it time and time again: don't buy an electric car, you'll have to replace the battery soon. Nonsense. This misconception is long outdated.

The facts show that electric car batteries easily last 300,000 km and retain 80% of their range even at high mileage – still enough for 95% of the journeys you will make. Battery replacements are rare and are covered by the warranty in most cases. So buying a used electric car is no problem.

Of course, you still have questions – Gowago will be happy to answer them:

• Myth 2: The battery of a used electric car needs to be replaced.
• Do electric car batteries need to be replaced?
• How to conserve battery life
• How much does a battery replacement really cost?
• When does a battery need to be replaced in a used electric car?
• Battery warranty and battery certificate
• Summary: Battery replacement is not an issue

Myth 2: The battery of a used electric car needs to be replaced.

In short:

• Electric car batteries last up to 500,000 km. Based on the average mileage in Switzerland, this means 15-25 years of trouble-free use.
• Even after 300,000 km, they still have around 80% capacity. That is enough range for all everyday journeys and longer holiday trips.
• Replacement is extremely rare and only necessary in special cases, for example if the battery has been damaged in an accident
• At Gowago, you are additionally protected with a battery warranty starting at 3 years and an official battery certificate when you purchase a certified pre-owned electric car.

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Do electric car batteries need to be replaced?

The short answer is no.

Electric car batteries are more durable than many people think. Nevertheless, there is a persistent misconception that the battery needs to be replaced after just a few years. This misjudgement is partly based on experience with mobile phone batteries, which seem to wear out after three to four years.

However, an electric car battery is not just any battery:

• Your electric car's battery is designed for 1,000 to 1,500 charging cycles and uses smart technologies that conserve power. A mobile phone battery lasts between 500 and 1,000 charging cycles.
• Your mobile phone is constantly switched on and is charged almost every day. You use your electric car for an average of one hour a day and do not charge it every day.

Let's do a rough calculation. One with a typical electric car battery that can withstand 1,000 to 1,500 charging cycles under normal use:

• 1 charging cycle = from 0% to 100%
• At 400 km per charge, this results in a minimum total service life of 400,000 km.
• At 12,000 km per year (Swiss average), this corresponds to over 30 years of use.

A battery replacement will almost never be necessary in the life of an electric car.

Everyday example: 20 years of commuting

Imagine you commute from Zurich to Zug and back every day. That's about 70 km per day, so you drive just under 17,000 km per year. With a Tesla Model 3 Long Range (600 km range new, 480 km after 20% loss), you could commute for 20 years without any battery problems.

Even with this range, you could drive to Milan without stopping.

How to conserve battery life

The extent to which the range decreases with age depends somewhat on the car brand, model and previous charging behaviour. Conservative charging helps to prolong the battery's life.
You can keep your battery in good condition for longer by observing a few simple rules:

• Charge your car between 20% and 80% instead of always fully or completely.
• Only use fast charging when absolutely necessary. Slow charging at home overnight or during the day at work is easier on the battery.
• Do not park in direct sunlight in summer. This protects the battery from overheating. And you don't want to get into a boiling hot car.

How much does a battery replacement really cost?

To reiterate: concerns about battery replacement in a used electric car are unfounded.

In most cases, the battery is still under factory warranty up to 160,000 km. At Gowago, we give you a 1-year warranty on your certified pre-owned electric car and a battery certificate that shows the condition of the battery.

A battery replacement can cost between CHF 5,000 and CHF 20,000. Conveniently, some electric cars allow smaller modules to be replaced instead of the entire battery. Often, it is only individual modules that affect the capacity. This keeps the cost of replacement lower.

Compared to the total maintenance costs of a combustion engine, the cost of replacing a battery is not excessive.

‘Battery replacements are rare. Manufacturers often provide a battery warranty for up to 7 years. And even if a replacement is necessary, the cost is on par with the cumulative maintenance costs of a combustion engine.’

Let's assume an extreme exception: the battery needs to be replaced after 250,000 km. However, the Swiss average for an electric car at this point would be more than 20 years on the road!

By way of comparison: for a petrol or diesel car of the same age, typical repairs and maintenance work add up. Over these 250,000 km, the costs amount to between CHF 15,000 and CHF 22,000.

Gearboxes, timing belts, exhaust systems and general servicing such as oil changes are not necessary for a used electric car. The battery and drive system are the only parts that may require repairs, and even then only very rarely.

When does a battery need to be replaced in a used electric car?

For a typical used electric car with 50,000–100,000 kilometres, a battery replacement is not an issue. But in some cases, a battery in an electric car does need to be replaced:

• Accident damage – if the battery is damaged.
• Manufacturing defect – rare, but then the manufacturer's warranty applies.
• Extremely high mileage – only after several hundred thousand kilometres, when the capacity falls significantly below 70%.

The fact that electric car batteries can last an extremely long time is demonstrated time and again in practice, **for example in Hansjörg von Gemmingen-Hornberg's Tesla Model S: **

• In 10 years, Hansjörg has driven 2,000,000 kilometres (yes, you read that right!).
• He had to replace the battery four times.
• On average, a battery lasted 500,000 kilometres.

As you can see, there is no need to worry about the battery breaking down. And even if it does, you are covered.

Battery warranty and battery certificate

When buying a used electric car, as with any used car, safety and trust are key. At Gowago, we know this. That's why all our Gowago Certified Pre-Owned electric cars come with an official battery certificate.

What is a battery certificate?

A battery certificate documents the current condition of the battery, i.e. how much capacity it actually has left. It also shows how often the battery has already been charged and whether there are any signs of excessive use.

If everything on the battery certificate is green, you really don't need to worry about the health of the battery.

Here are two examples of a battery certificate that you would receive from Gowago:

• For a Fiat 500e
• For a Tesla Model Y

Covered by a battery warranty

Gowago Certified Pre-Owned electric cars always come with a warranty on the battery and drive system. This is for a minimum of 1 year, but for most offers it is 3 years or more. This means you are well covered and can enjoy driving your electric car with peace of mind.
Find out more about Certified Pre-Owned electric cars from Gowago.

Everything you need to know

Summary: Battery replacement is not an issue

The idea that electric car batteries need to be replaced after a few years is a myth. Modern batteries last for 400,000–500,000 km and lose their capacity so slowly that even after 20 years of use, they still have enough range.
A complete replacement is extremely rare and, although it is expensive, it only needs to be done after hundreds of thousands of kilometres. By that point, a petrol car will have incurred similar costs for repairs and maintenance.

With a battery warranty and battery certificate from Gowago, you are well covered with a used electric car and can drive without any worries.

Let's debunk the other myths! Let's go.

That was just one of many myths surrounding used electric cars.
There are a few other preconceptions that persist – but have little to do with the facts. Discover the other myths now and find out why a used electric car is often the better choice.

To the overview of electric car myths