What is the long term life of EV batteries?
I am selling my Audi A4 Allroad 3.0 TDI and am trying to decide upon either a hybrid or EV. Is there any data available on the rate of decline in performance of EV vehicle batteries? I note Hyundai and Kia offer seven and five-year vehicle warranties. If their EV batteries fail after, say, seven years I would potentially have a scrap vehicle on my hands unless I am missing something or am I being overly cautious?
Asked on 1 October 2019 by TONY SHAW
Answered by
Andrew Brady
Hyundai actually offers an eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty for the batteries in its electric models. Batteries tend to degrade over time rather than suddenly stop working - so it's unlikely that a battery will fail if it's in good health before its warranty expires. Early examples of the Nissan Leaf are now eight-years old and we don't receive many reports of issues with the batteries, so I wouldn't be too concerned. You'll also save a lot of money in fuel and servicing over the years so that should go a long way towards offsetting the cost of new batteries if required.
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